Election Results Could Build Momentum Behind Ontario Gaming

What are the odds that Doug Ford’s salvo aimed at Elon Musk is the most memorable shot of the Ontario election campaign?

Pretty good, actually.

Granted, Ford has lots to say lots of the time, but when the Ontario premier responded to threats of American tariffs on Canadian goods by announcing he’d tear up a $100-million deal signed in November with Musk’s company Starlink to provide high-speed internet to residents in rural and northern Ontario, he looked strong in the eyes of voters.

Sure, the Ford threat only lasted until the announcement that tariffs would be paused, and it was super low-risk anyway – what are cottage owners and other voters up north going to do, vote NDP? – but being an overwhelming favorite also helps.

When the premier called the vote for Feb. 27, more than a year ahead of a previously set fixed election date, a survey by Abacus Data had the PCs supported by 47 per cent of respondents, followed by the Liberals at 24 per cent and the NDP at 19 per cent. 

FanDuel had the Conservatives as -1500 favorites, giving them a probability of 94 per cent to form another government.

“At FanDuel, our team of dedicated Canadian Traders are building timely markets that resonate with Ontario bettors. In the past, FanDuel Canada has offered several Ontario political markets including, who will be the next Mayor of Toronto, the next Mayor of Mississauga and is now offering novelty prop bets on the upcoming Ontario election, the federal Liberal leadership race, and the federal election,” Alannah Della Vedova, Director of Content and Brand at FanDuel Canada,” told Odds Shark.

“We have a designated Entertainment and Culture Trader on the ground in Toronto who works closely with the FanDuel marketing, public relations, and trading team to determine and set the odds for any novelty market you see on the FanDuel Sportsbook. Similar to sporting events, odds change for certain props based on what is happening at that given time. Around the time when Premier Doug Ford was expected to announce the provincial election, the Progressive Conservatives line went from -125 to -1450.”

Novelty bets finding favor

Novelty bets, once the domain of things such as which color Gatorade would be poured on the winning coach of the Super Bowl, have evolved into also encompassing more serious matters.

For Fan Duel, a “growing interest” in novelties has especially manifested itself in political offerings. 

The FanDuel Canada trading team offered these tidbits:

Another majority government for Ford’s Tories would likely be good news for the 51 regulated iGaming operators that offer sports betting, poker and gaming in Ontario. 

It was Ford’s government that sent the question of iGaming liquidity to the province’s Court of Appeal, asking the court to rule on whether it’s legal for gamblers in Ontario to play DFS and online poker against people in other jurisdictions.

The Court of Appeal has not yet come down with a decision, but if it concurs with government lawyers, the stage could be set for deals between international regulators and operators and a return to the province of paid daily fantasy contests, which ended with the establishment of regulated iGaming in 2022.