Offshore Sportsbook Bodog Hit With Manitoba Court Injunction
An overseas sportsbook has actually formally been told to knock it off by the Canadian legal system.
A judge for the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba approved an injunction on Monday against Bodog, an online betting operator based in Antigua and Barbuda.
The windows registry says the injunction was granted and signed in court. Reasons are to follow at a later date.
Monday's injunction was effectively looked for by the government-owned Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. (MBLL), which declared Bodog was running illegally in the province. MBLL also claimed that Bodog was diverting company far from its online betting platform, PlayNow.
PlayNow is the only authorized iGaming site in Manitoba, and its proprietor, MBLL, desires Bodog to stop advertising and operating within the province. On Monday, that is what the court informed Bodog to do.
"This court orders and states that the Respondents have no legal authority to offer online betting products and services, whether through bodog.eu, bodog.net or any other associated successor or replacement websites, or to market such online product or services to persons located in Manitoba, as such activities are contrary to sections 201, 202, and 206 of the Criminal Code," Monday's order said.
- Government-owned Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. has acquired a court injunction versus Antigua and Barbuda-based Bodog.
- The Crown corporation is trying to stop Bodog from marketing and operating in the Canadian province, alleging the offshore sportsbook and gambling establishment betting site is breaking the law and diverting company away from MBLL's PlayNow platform.
- The injunction is a potentially precedent-setting advancement for Canada, which has a big "grey market" for online gaming.
The injunction gotten on Monday was submitted on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, an advocacy group that includes numerous government-owned video gaming corporations, consisting of MBLL.
Those lottos have actually been pushing back against offshore iGaming operators in Canada. A court injunction against Bodog might now set an important precedent.
That is because, with the exception of Ontario, the bulk of online gambling in Canada happens in the so-called "grey market."
The term reflects online gambling occurring on websites that may be managed abroad or outside a particular province, however not by the province where the bets are really being put. Those "grey" websites contend for company with provincially regulated websites like PlayNow.
Truly incorrect
Offshore operators have actually been permitted to take bets from Canadians for years without much commotion being made. That has actually started to alter, though, especially given that the decriminalization of single-game sports wagering in Canada in 2021, and the launch of a competitive iGaming market in Ontario in 2022.
Monday's order states that Bodog marketing its sites to anyone in Manitoba as "legitimate, lawful, 'safe', or 'trusted'" constitutes a "false and misleading representation," contrary to Canadian law. Moreover, it states the Bodog-related entities, "as operators of unauthorized and illegal gaming sites" in Manitoba, have actually "engaged in tortious conduct by committing the illegal means tort."
Bodog did not react to an ask for remark before this story was released.
The order issued Monday likewise kept in mind that no one appeared in court on behalf of the participants, Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings Ltd. This was in spite of those companies being "appropriately served," the order states.
Offshore sportsbook Bodog is informing clients that it is exiting the Canadian province of Nova Scotia in early October. Adds "we'll be monitoring your province for regulatory changes."
The only operator that is managed locally in NS is Atlantic Lottery Corp.'s PRO • LINE. pic.twitter.com/FE8fni0s53
The irreversible injunction granted by the Manitoba court requires all Bodog-related entities to stop running in such a way that is available to Manitobans and to stop advertising to individuals in the province. The court is also informing Bodog to put "geo-blocking technology" in place to prevent anybody in Manitoba from accessing the operator's sites.
Whether Bodog abide by the injunction remains to be seen. However, the company has actually pulled out of other provinces in the past.
Most significantly, the offshore sportsbook states it no longer accepts gamers from Nova Scotia and Quebec. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario likewise just recently called media outlets and inquired "to stop promoting uncontrolled online gambling and sports wagering websites" like Bodog.