Latest news with #Bodog
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Judge orders offshore gambling site Bodog to cease operations in Manitoba
A Manitoba judge has barred an offshore gambling site from operating in the province. The companies running and must cease operating the sister sites as well as any successors or replacements in a manner that's accessible to people in Manitoba, Court of King's Bench Judge Jeffrey Harris ruled in a court order signed Monday. Antigua and Barbuda-based companies Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings Ltd. must implement geo-blocking technology so no one in the province can access or otherwise engage with any gambling products they offer, Harris ordered. The permanent injunction also orders the companies to cease any and all kinds of advertising, whether paid or unpaid, targeted at Manitobans. "The respondents' advertising … as a legitimate, lawful, 'safe,' or 'trusted' online gambling site, constitutes a false description of the respondents' goods and services that is likely to mislead the public," the ruling said. Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries filed a request for the injunction earlier this year on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, an advocacy group made up of the provincial gaming corporations in B.C., Saskatchewan, Quebec and Manitoba. The coalition said it hoped the case would set a precedent its jurisdictions could use in their fight against illegal gambling sites, which it said diverted revenue away from legitimate operations — and provincial coffers. The application argued that Bodog, which allowed players to place monetary bets on sporting events and casino games on the site, promoted itself to Manitobans as a legitimate service, even though Liquor & Lotteries has sole authority over gambling in the province. It argued the companies used the "free play site" to advertise their monetary gambling services on the .eu site. The site said it accepted players all across Canada except for those in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bodog's bet on province a losing one: court
A judge has barred Bodog, an offshore online casino, from operating in Manitoba, after the Crown corporation responsible for gambling argued the illicit site had siphoned off a significant amount of its revenue. Bodog and its operators, which are registered in Antigua and Barbuda, break the law by offering unauthorized online gambling in the province, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries argued in a notice of application filed in the Manitoba Court of King's Bench earlier this year. Justice Jeffrey Harris agreed with the Crown corporation in an order issued Monday that prevents Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings Ltd. from allowing anyone in Manitoba to access their gambling services. 'This court orders and declares that the respondents have no lawful authority to offer online gambling products and services… or to advertise such online products and serves to persons located in Manitoba,' said Harris. He said the operator's activities constitute criminal offences related to gambling. The permanent injunction orders the companies and any affiliates or successors to cease operations in Manitoba and to implement geo-blocking technology on their website to prevent users from accessing it in Manitoba. The Crown corporation said advertising by the companies — which claimed websites and were lawful, 'safe' and 'trusted' in Manitoba — was false and misleading. Harris ordered the companies to cease advertising that is targeted or accessible to Manitobans on any form of physical, digital or online media. Harris, who is expected to write further reasons for his decision in the coming weeks, awarded court costs to the Crown corporation. Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings failed to respond to the application in court, despite being served notice, the judge's order said. Earlier this year, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said it filed the application on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, which represents Crown gaming authorities in Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The coalition formed in 2022 to combat illegal online gambling in Canada. Federal law allows gambling only when managed and licensed by provincial governments. Liquor and Lotteries has sole authority over legal gaming in Manitoba, including on its regulated online platform, The Crown corporation has said in court filings it believes 'significant revenue' was diverted to Bodog. Coalition executive director William Hill said earlier this year that research conducted by gaming consultant H2 Gambling Capital estimated illegal online gaming costs Canadian public gaming corporations about $2 billion in revenue annually. Hill said Tuesday he could not comment further on the court order until the judge's full reasons for his decision are made public. Liquor and Lotteries said in its filing that online gambling has grown, in part because amendments to the Criminal Code in 2021 permitted single-event sports betting — gambling on a single game rather than multiple games — and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closing of casinos and boosted gambling on the web. That led the corporation to develop new rules and regulations on online gaming, including measures to prevent money laundering, the filing said. As a regulated site, protects gamblers from harms — unlike illicit sites — and puts money toward provincially funded programs such as health and education, MLL argued. It had sent cease-and-desist letters to Bodog, but the operator would not obey them. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Ottawa Citizen
14-05-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
AGCO calls on media platforms to step up the fight against unregulated online gambling sites
Article content TORONTO, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has contacted more than a dozen traditional and digital media platforms, calling on them to stop promoting unregulated online gambling and sports betting sites like Bodog to Ontario residents. Article content Article content Operated by Il Nido Inc., Bodog is an offshore operator actively targeting Ontarians by advertising on popular traditional and digital media platforms. Despite blocking players in Quebec and Nova Scotia from accessing their unregulated gambling and sports betting sites, Bodog continues to allow Ontarians to access these sites while advertising heavily on traditional and digital media platforms targeting Ontarians. Article content Article content Under the Gaming Control Act, 1992, Bodog and other online gambling sites are required to register with the AGCO and sign an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario in order to operate in Ontario. Ontario's regulated igaming framework requires operators to meet comprehensive requirements related to game integrity, player protection, anti-money laundering and information privacy. Bodog's efforts to direct Ontarians to unregulated gambling undermine player protection and other safeguards which exist in the regulated market, as well as fair market principles. Article content By airing ads for Bodog and other unregulated operators, legitimate media platforms are providing a veneer of legitimacy to unregulated and high-risk sites and creating confusion for Ontarians. The AGCO is therefore calling on these platforms to take a stand against the promotion of unregulated online gambling sites and remove the ads. By doing so, broadcasters and digital media companies will help reduce the risks these sites pose to Ontarians and support the long-term sustainability of Ontario's regulated igaming market – all key objectives of the AGCO. Article content Article content The AGCO will continue to work with its partners – both in Ontario and internationally – to combat these unregulated sites and protect the public. Article content Quote Article content 'The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and ensuring they have the safest experience by playing on regulated igaming sites. By refusing to carry advertising from unregulated and high-risk operators like Bodog, media organizations can exemplify social responsibility and play an important role in protecting Ontarians and supporting Ontario's regulated market.' Article content Media Contact
CBC
05-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries asks courts to block offshore gambling site on behalf of gaming coalition
Social Sharing A coalition of Canadian gaming agencies is hoping an application to stop an offshore betting site from operating in Manitoba sets a precedent in the fight against illegal online gambling. Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is seeking an injunction to bar the offshore gambling site Bodog from operating or advertising in the province. The Crown corporation alleges in an application filed with the Manitoba Court of King's Bench last week that the website and its sister "free play" site, are breaking the law by offering their services in Manitoba, where Liquor & Lotteries has sole authority over gambling. "Bodog's illegal activities are diverting customers in Manitoba away from MBLL's legitimate operations," it said, referencing its online gaming platform. "Significant revenue that would otherwise be generated by MBLL has been diverted to Bodog." The Crown corporation said in an email it filed the injunction on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, an advocacy group whose membership is made up of provincial gaming corporations in B.C., Saskatchewan, Quebec, Atlantic Canada and Manitoba. Will Hill, executive director of the coalition, said the application for the injunction is a first for the coalition, which was formed in 2022 to fight the spread of illegal gambling sites. "There's really two particular goals here," Hill said. "One, securing an injunction against an illegal operator within Manitoba, but two, validating the coalition's general position on illegal gambling more broadly." Hill said he hopes the case will provide the coalition with a court interpretation it can use to reinforce similar efforts to crack down on illegal gambling across its members' jurisdictions. "They're forced to deal with hundreds of illegal operators," he said, complicating "what is a really noble pursuit, quite frankly. The provincial lottery corporations are set up to return 100 per cent of their proceeds to their provinces to benefit provincial priorities." allows players to bet money on sporting events and casino games like blackjack and poker. The website says it accepts players from all across Canada, except for those in the provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia. An affidavit by a digital forensic analyst, submitted with the court application, says Bodog advertised its "Canadian presence and frequently posted content featuring Canadian teams and players, including those located in Manitoba," on social media. The application alleges Bodog promotes its platform through "materially false and misleading statements," by representing itself as lawful, safe and trusted, when it's not. It said the coalition asked Bodog twice to stop making the sites accessible in the province, but that the company has refused to comply. CBC News reached out to Bodog, but had not received comment on the court filing prior to publication. Harm reduction, money laundering concerns The application names as defendants Bodog operator Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings Ltd., which is listed as the owner of Bodog's Canadian trademark. Both companies are based in Antigua and Barbuda. Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries says offshore gambling sites often operate through "complex corporate structure" and that it can't ascertain whether other entities are involved in Bodog's operations. Bodog is not listed as one of the gaming site operators certified to run in Ontario, the only province with a regulated third-party market. The Canadian Lottery Coalition says data gathered by the market data firm H2 Gambling Capital shows illegal online Canadian gambling revenues going to offshore sites like Bodog jumped almost 40 per cent from 2020 to 2023, to $1.86 billion. In a sworn affidavit, Hill also cited a new report by FINTRAC, or the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada — a federal financial intelligence unit — which warned about offshore gambling sites potentially being used by drug traffickers to launder proceeds from the sale of fentanyl and other opioids. On Monday, the Manitoba government announced Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries casinos will report suspicious transaction records to FINTRAC and Winnipeg police to crack down on money laundering. Spencer Murch, a researcher with the University of Calgary's psychology department who specializes in gambling and addictive behaviours, said offshore sites put people at risk since they're not required to put safeguards in place like voluntary self-exclusion, which lets people ask to be banned from playing. "If we are serious about harm reduction in the realm of online gambling, we also need to be serious about enforcing bans on illegal offshore gambling," Murch said. But cracking down on offshore sites is only part of tackling the problem — governments looking to expand legal gambling options must prioritize public health over profit generation, he said. "We do believe that increasing the rate of online gambling in any province is likely to come along with increases in the number of people experiencing gambling-related problems," said Murch, citing a recent report from a commission of public health experts.
