Government-owned lottery corporations in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia are reviewing bids from companies seeking to provide a “national” sports betting platform that will compete with offshore and unregulated online gambling operators.
Key Insights
- Lottery corporations in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia published an RFP in March seeking a “national” technology platform for sports betting
- The lotteries are now reviewing bids to provide that platform and plan to announce the winner at a later date
- The winning bidder will be called on to power a single brand, PROLINE, that lotteries will use to offer in-person and online sports betting, the latter in competition against offshore and unregulated operators
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) published a request for proposals (RFP) in March for a “National Sports Betting Solution.”
That technology is being sought to power a single, familiar sportsbook brand - PROLINE - that the lotteries can use to offer in-person and online sports betting.
Bettors could then expect a consistent level of service from this PROLINE, whether they’re in British Columbia or Prince Edward Island. ALC already uses the PROLINE branding for its online sports betting efforts, while BCLC uses its PlayNow platform, which is also used in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
An ALC spokesperson confirmed to Covers on Tuesday that the RFP closed on May 5 and that submissions are now being reviewed.
“The results of the RFP process will be publicly posted when a successful proponent has been identified,” they added in an email.
The winning bidder will provide ALC and BCLC, as well as Loto-Québec (LQ) and potentially other interested lotteries, with sportsbook technology the government-owned corporations can use to compete with the offshore and unregulated operators that continue to be prominent in Canada.
Those “grey market” operators have been a thorn in the side of government-owned lottery corporations for years, as they account for a big chunk of all online gambling in Canada. On Monday, Manitoba’s lottery was even granted an injunction against one of those offshore operators, the Antigua and Barbuda-based Bodog.
Looks like a Manitoba court has granted the local lottery and gaming corporation an injunction against offshore sportsbook Bodog. Potentially precedent-setting development in Canada, which has a large "grey market" for online gambling: pic.twitter.com/052Js8ZBzf
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) May 27, 2025
Having a single sportsbook brand in several jurisdictions could also make it easier for the lotteries to hammer home the point that PROLINE is the only authorized site in their respective provinces.
Here's the situation
Trying to make that point right now can be difficult, as offshore operators are easily accessible in jurisdictions where they are not authorized to do business. Bettors may not know or may not care about the legal status of a site.
Complicating matters further is Ontario’s launch of a competitive iGaming market in 2022 that authorized dozens of private-sector sports betting and casino gambling sites to operate. Advertising by those sites can spill over into other provinces, such as B.C., where the sites are not authorized. Alberta is preparing to launch a similar iGaming market.
BCLC has voiced concerns about Ontario-licensed brands advertising themselves outside of the latter province, and is worried about what an Alberta launch will do. It’s also been alleged Ontario-licensed sites are nudging players from outside the province toward affiliated sites that are based abroad.
What ALC and BCLC are seeking could allow them, and others, to point consumers to a single authorized brand, PROLINE.
“The Operators are collaborating to select a single Supplier with which they will each negotiate a contract to provide a technology platform as well as the trading and liability management services that will enable each of the Operators to offer sports betting through the Supplier; collectively deemed the National Sports Betting Solution,” the RFP released in March said. “This joint effort aims to offer a best-in-class national sports betting product under one brand ‘PROLINE,’ which various Canadian Lottery Corporations have used since 1992.”
The government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., which went from being the province's only authorized sports betting and iGaming operator to one of 50, is getting a new sportsbook tech provider: Kambi.
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) February 25, 2025
OLG's transition from FDJ to Kambi expected to be done in H2 of 2025. pic.twitter.com/rPzyyh3tE0
The RFP adds that additional provincial operators will have the right to join the “collective,” if and when they so choose.
Notably, Ontario’s government-owned lottery and gaming corporation already uses the PROLINE brand for its retail and online sports betting efforts.
Kambi? Could be!
Kambi Group PLC said in February that it is taking over as the sportsbook tech provider for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) from FDJ Group.
Kambi also seems a potential candidate for the “national” sports betting solution (although the ALC spokesperson did not name any possible bidders).
CEO Werner Becher said in the company’s first-quarter report that the OLG partnership “highlights the exciting potential of forging relationships with state-owned, former state-owned and monopoly operators,” and noted other, similar deals for Kambi.
“As a result of this growing success, combined with our unmatched levels of corporate probity, Kambi is fast becoming the trusted sportsbook partner of choice to operators within this customer segment, matching the position we hold across the wider market,” Becher said.
