BetRegal, one of the best online sportsbooks with sponsorships from the most legitimate Canadian sports leagues, has stopped accepting bets. This might mean the firm is closing or undergoing a significant change. Customers were shocked to receive the email warning from BetRegal on Tuesday, informing them that it is “suspending all wagering activity” in the future. Still, it needed to address the company’s long-term viability and what would happen to users’ funds.
According to the sportsbook’s brief statement, all settlements will be completed, and everyone’s accounts and personal information will be safe. Customers were advised they could still access their accounts and promised updates as the situation progressed.
The cause for the operator’s abrupt discontinuation of services is unknown, however it is possible that it is related to the operator’s status. The BetRegal hidden social media has been unpublished since January 2023, suggesting the possibility of service discontinuation.
An e-mail response to Covers, supposedly from a sportsbook administrator called “R. Gutierrez,” revealed that the sportsbook had opted to discontinue gambling activities and instead deal with customer accounts. The announcement implied an ordered scheme rather than providing a comprehensive plan or explanation for the suspension.
BetRegal’s story requires special attention, as it operates in a “grey” zone of Canadian online betting reality. Although the sportsbook aims to enter the “regulated sports betting and casino market” in Ontario, it has not been approved for operation in Canada. Instead, it has been subject to the government’s regulatory control of Curaçao, as is common practice among offshore betting sites serving Canadian players who are not provincially regulated. However, there are legal online casinos in Canada that are available for players, which you can consider for gaming.
The sportsbook’s presence in Canada and its major associations was demonstrated by partnerships with dealers of individual organizations, such as being named the official sports gaming partner of the Canadian Football League in August 2021 and providing title sporting sponsorship to the PGA of Canada.
With all of the criticism, BetRegal’s prospects in the Canadian market appear dire. In order to increase its revenue and interact with fans, the CFL announced Covers last year that it would be breaking its agreement with BetRegal after the 2022 season. Instead, it will be partnering with approved gaming businesses. FanDuel and Neo, two of the six permitted operators, were partners in the 2023 campaign. Along with the three province lotteries, this represents a formal step towards legalized sports betting in Canadian sports.
The future of BetRegal’s clients and the Canadian sports betting system still has to be determined, despite the company’s present efforts to address the matter. The closing of gambling sites’ betting activities also poses some concerns about the difficulties that unlicensed online sportsbooks face and their capacity to adjust to the evolving regulatory environment in Canada.
