The short answer is yes if you’re wondering whether sports betting is legal in New Brunswick. Sports betting has been legal in NB since 2004, when ALC introduced lotteries and parlay bets on sports events. However, the betting scene officially became legal when the Pro-Line was introduced in 2014.
The locally-regulated betting site offers punters a wide range of sports to bet on. Gambling in NB is regulated by the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Commission (NBLGC) in partnership with the Atlantic Lotteries Commission (ALC). ALC regulates gambling in the Atlantic provinces, which include New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.
What Betting Options Are Available?
Punters in New Brunswick can access the same betting options available throughout Canada and North America. You can bet on football, basketball, hockey, tennis, eSports, golf, etc.
Pro-Line has a limited range, but punters can use offshore betting brands offering dozens of sports and thousands of markets every week. You can also bet on parlays and single games/events.
Single-game betting is the latest vertical available in NB and Canada. With this introduction, sports bettors now have the full range of gambling options available in other regions like Europe, the US, the UK, and Australia.
Why Legalize Single-Game Sports Betting?
For a long time, punters in Canada and the US could only place parlay bets, which involve betting on multiple outcomes or markets. Parlays are perfect when you want to build your odds and fetch higher payouts.
However, they come with more risk since you can miss some predictions. Single-game betting allows punters to bet on a single outcome, like who will win an NBA match between the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls.
Picking an outright winner is much more predictable, and punters have a higher chance of winning. Single-game bets are highly sought-out by punters, so Canadian bookmakers were missing out on the potential revenue, but that changed in August 2021. Now Canada can keep up the billions in gambling revenue lost to offshore betting brands in other countries.
Which Steps Were Taken To Legalize Single-Game Betting?
Lifting the ban on single-game betting was a long and stressful process with various challenges. Until 1892, gambling in Canada was unregulated. The government then deployed the Criminal Code, which banned all forms of gambling except horse racing and small carnival games.
The code was ammended in 1969 to introduce lotteries, which led to Bill-150. It was later tweaked in 1985 to allow computers, video devices and slot machines. This amendment also allowed for parlay bets. In the 1990s, many Canadians started using offshore betting brands as the internet became popular.
This led to significant losses in gambling revenue as the local Pro-Line product only offered parlays. However, it wasn’t until 2012 that a bill (Bill C-290) was constructed to introduce same-game bets.
The House of Commons passed the bill, but it would be voted down by the Senate in 2015. Another attempt was also shut down in 2016, though sports betting in Canada continued to thrive. In 2020, Bill C-218 was introduced by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh and later sponsored by Senator David Wells. Here’s more on the timeline of how single-game bets became legal:
- February 2020: Bill C-218 introduced
- April 2021: The bill is passed in the House of Commons
- June 2021: The third reading sees the bill passed in the Senate. Bill C-218 later receives a royal assent from the Chief Justice
- August 2021: The month is announced as the official date when single-event bets become legal. ALC permits single-game bets throughout its territories.
What Does Single Game Betting Include?
Single-game betting is precisely what the name suggests. Unlike parlays and multi-bets, single-game betting involves wagering on one outcome or market. For example, you can back Toronto Raptors on the Moneyline bet to win their match basketball match against the Chicago Bulls.
Another example is betting on the game to produce over 225 points in the Over/Under market. A parlay bet would require two or more outcomes on the bet slip, which increases the odds, but also comes with more risk because you’re making multiple predictions on the same betting receipt.
What’s In The Future For NB Sports Betting?
Ontario remains the only Canadian province with a legal framework for licensing third-party gambling brands, but we can see other regions following suit. NB won’t be opening its doors to foreign betting brands soon, but that eventuality is expected in the future.
Currently, punters can explore several offshore New Brunswick betting sites licensed in Ontario, Kahnawake, Malta, the UK, the US, and other jurisdictions. This is the same situation in nearly all Canadian jurisdictions, except Ontario, which started licensing operators in April 2022.
Who Can Bet on Sports in New Brunswick?
Sports betting in New Brunswick is open to all punters of legal age. You can sign up on offshore betting brands from anywhere, but the Pro-Line platform has location limits. You must also not be self-excluded from betting on Canadian sites. Here are some of the factors and restrictions to consider when betting in NB:
- Age Limit: Punters must be 19 or older to join the best New Brunswick betting sites. The province restricts all forms of gambling to adults above 19, so legitimate sportsbooks abide by the same restriction.
- Location Restrictions: You can sign up for an account with Pro-Line or any other offshore betting brand from anywhere in New Brunswick. No retail locations are required since everything is available online. You can also use offshore sites from outside NB.
- Mobile Betting: New Brunswick permits mobile betting for all eligible punters, so you can bet on the go. Leading bookmakers also feature sleek mobile apps that you can install on your device for instant sports betting access, regardless of location.
- Tax Laws: Canada doesn’t impose any taxes on gambling winnings. That’s because winnings from sports betting and casino gambling aren’t taxable. Punters can keep 100% of their winnings from New Brunswick sportsbooks and casinos.
- Self-Exclusion: Punters can self-exclude themselves from Pro-Line and other bookmakers at any time. Self-excluded punters won’t have access to gambling products for the period of their exclusion but can return or extend the duration after it expires.
- Retail Betting: New Brunswick doesn’t offer any retail locations with dedicated sports betting. The two casinos only offer slot machines, table games, live shows, and other casino products. You need an ACL retailer for sports betting in the Atlantic provinces.
Offshore Sportsbooks in New Brunswick?
Offshore sportsbooks are legal in New Brunswick, but some bookmakers choose not to enter the jurisdiction. No bookmaker can actively market to punters using local channels like sports events and local media because NB doesn’t license any offshore betting brands.
That’s only possible in Ontario, where the AGCO licenses brands like Sports Interaction, BetMGM, Betway, etc. However, punters in New Brunswick can use many offshore sportsbooks, apart from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetRivers, and a few other brands. These sites are geo-restricted and only allow punters from jurisdictions in which they have a license.