Online casinos and sports betting are some of the fastest-growing sectors of the gaming industry in recent years. Rush Street Interactive (RSI), a US-based company is currently looking to capitalize on its massively popular social casino brand, CASINO4FUN, in order to gain a footing in the rapidly expanding Canadian market.

Canada is a Go

Legislative Changes in Canada

The North American casino and betting market have been changing rapidly this year. On 27 August, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act officially went into effect, allowing single-game sports wagering and setting the stage for gambling regulation at a provincial level.

Changes like this tend to get the ball rolling, spurring industry speculation and possible futures for a market. In this case, PlayCanada has put forward potential earnings for the country with the growth of this market, estimating that single-game wagering in Canada could lead to a handle of $25.3 billion, revenue of $2.02 billion, and tax receipts of $404 million under a bull scenario — while more conservative estimates still expect a handle of $20.6 billion and tax collections of $278 million.

With any luck, politics won’t get in the way of big operators making their moves into Canada. So far, however, it looks like the politicians see the benefit of casino-friendly legislation. No matter how you slice it, the new Canadian gambling legislation seems to spell ‘big money’ for the nation going forward. 

Ontario and the US Model

As it stands, each province in Canada is responsible for regulating its own gambling markets. For some, that means a lottery-only model while for others, it could mean expanding to social casinos and online sportsbooks in order to capitalize on the potential tax revenue.

While some provincial lotteries do run sports wagering, “Ontario is instead going to adopt the approach that has worked best in the US, opening its marketplace to competition from commercial sportsbook operators and imposing a traditional tax on proceeds,” allowing multiple operators entry into the marketplace, according to PlayCanada. 

In the meantime, all eyes are on Ontario as the next big move in North American gambling. Ontario likes the US model, meaning more operators will flock to that province as regulations begin to take shape. Ontario is already responsible for more than half of all regulated sports betting revenue in Canada, with annual proceeds of around $300 million. 

About Rush Street Interactive (RSI)

Rush Street Interactive (RSI) is a US-based gaming company that develops and operates real money and social gaming online products. Founded in 2015 and based in Chicago, Illinois, RSI now operates online and social gaming sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Virginia, West Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, Michigan, and Indiana. 

Additionally, RSI is a reputable provider of fully integrated online gaming sportsbooks as well as an omnichannel platform for land-based sportsbooks around the United States. RSI was also the first US gaming company to launch a regulated Online Gaming Sportsbook in Latin America. 

Getting in with Canadian Casinos

For the time being, RSI is making its entrance into the Canadian casino market via free-to-play online casino games and sportsbooks in the country. This is just the first stage of the operator’s plans to expand and grow in the lively Canadian market.

RSI is using the CASINO4FUN as a gateway into Canadian markets by creating a database of players and preparing the terrain for the launch of BetRivers — their upcoming real-money gambling operation. 

Once RSI has received all of the proper licensing and regulatory approvals necessary to operate in Canada, it can begin to expand out of free-to-play and into real-money, live casino games.

Targeting Ontario

Ontario is the largest province by population in Canada, so it’s only natural that foreign companies and investors would look to that region first. It’s home to 38% of Canada’s total population as well as the center of professional sports in the nation. 

They are currently waiting on licensing and regulatory approvals in Ontario, which are due soon. Once the BetRivers is ready for deployment, CASINO4FUN players will be provided with a registration form and an easy transition into the real-money side of RSI’s operation.

RSI eventually plans to roll out live money online casinos and sportsbooks in the upcoming months, focusing its energy on the province of Ontario to get a foothold in the Canadian market. 

The Writing on the Wall

RSI is not the only online gambling operator to see the writing on the wall this year. With big changes on the horizon, other big-name competitors in the industry are taking a closer look at Canada too — and Ontario in particular. 

We may be seeing some serious competition in the Canadian marketplace in the near future as Caesars, DraftKings, and Penn/Score, Bet365, BetMGM, FanDuel, and PointsBet are all considering making the move into Canada. Competition means big money for Canada’s bottom line, so it seems like a win-win for players, operators, and provincial governments alike.