Betsafe gains Ontario license

September 29, 2022

Betsson AB has been serving Canada from its international "grey market" jurisdiction of Malta for many years. In their preparations to apply to serve Ontario using their Betsafe brand, Betsson AB began to block Ontario users from its other brands' sites, including those like Betsson.com and NordicBet.com.  Players that tried to access these services from Ontario were and continue to be shown the following message:

Please note that due to the new laws governing online games, this website is not available in Ontario. Please contact customer support for further information.

Betsson had been explicit in its interest in entering the regulated sports betting and iGaming markets within Canada as regulatory frameworks develop. In August of 2021, Betsson invested C$3 million in Slapsot Media Inc. which is based in Vancouver, and created sports content for the purposes of marketing gaming companies within the country.  Betsson has the option to bring their investment in this company up to 70% for up to $25 million.

In the acquisition announcement, Betsson AB CEO Pontus Lindwall said that: "This investment is another step forward in Betsson's continued ambitions to grow in the North American market. The Canadian market represents a great opportunity for Betsson to increase the share of revenues from regulated markets. The local know-how and experience that the founders of Slapshot Media Inc possess will position Betsson well on the upcoming regulation of the Canadian market".

Betsafe hopes to go live as one the legal Ontario betting sites, with their brand new app, in November of 2022.  All Betsson AB sportsbook and casino websites, including Betsafe.com, Betsson.com, Guts.com, and NordicBet.com among others will continue to be available to use by people that are located in Canada, but outside of Ontario.

Further reading about Betsafe Canada:

Read SNBET's Betsafe Canada review for people outside Ontario.

Back to SNBET's Ontario sports betting news.