Betting on increased interest

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/04/2022 (1554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’re an avid watcher of sports, particularly on TV, you’ve likely noticed a significant uptick in how much talk is being dedicated to gambling, no matter the broadcast you are viewing.

Indeed, where airtime was almost exclusively dedicated to breaking down an upcoming game, a game currently in progress (intermission or halftime reports), or one already concluded, what we’re seeing now is analysis tailored specifically for gambling. In some cases, there are entire shows dedicated to beating the odds.

What was once traditional sports information that could be used by the viewer, if he or she were so inclined, to self-determine the likelihood of a winner, it is now outright endorsed. Figures such as over/under and point spread — familiar betting options — are now often projected on the TV screen alongside talking heads.

And if you think it’s bad now, well, I’ve got some news for you: it’s only going to get worse before it gets bettor — pun intended.

That’s because, really, we’re just in the infant stages of all this, less than a year removed from the federal government approving single-game betting last June through Bill C-218. What’s more, as provinces continue to explore various avenues of what gambling can do to generate revenue, and media companies position themselves to enter the market for similar reasons, it’s not just going to be a mention here or there but a full onslaught of gambling information.

For fans of the Canadian Football League, buckle up, because you’re about to be drowning in betting statistics as part of your regularly-scheduled programming. And while there are plenty of examples in Canada to point to this fast-acting trend, there are two recent agreements worth mentioning that will have a direct impact on coverage of the CFL.

Just this week, Covers.com, a leading sports betting information website, announced a partnership with Postmedia Network Inc., a company that owns a majority of the daily newspapers in Canada, including all Sun papers (minus the Brandon Sun, which is owned by FP Newspapers Inc., which also owns the Free Press). If you go to one of Postmedia’s news websites, you’ll notice under their sports tabs there’s a new content section dedicated to “sports betting,” positioned prominently beside “scores and stats.”

Then there’s the partnership, also announced this past week, between TSN, which has exclusive TV rights for the CFL in Canada, and FanDuel. Under the new agreement, FanDuel has become the official sportsbook partner for TSN, which will undoubtedly affect its sports coverage over the multi-year agreement. It will begin in Ontario, eventually extending across the entire country.

These agreements don’t even include the recently formed partnership between the CFL and Genius Sports, a U.K.-based data and technology company. While more details on the relationship are needed to determine in what ways it will lead to more gambling content by the league, among Genius Sports’ three specialties include a betting technology business.

This is all a roundabout way of saying if you’re tired of hearing and reading about gambling in the CFL, you might just have to mute your TV. Because it’s coming, and in ways we haven’t yet seen or read.

With that, here’s the latest edition of CFL Rundown, with news, notes and analysis from the week that was in the three-down loop.

1) A couple more points on sports gambling. It’s clear why media companies and the CFL want a piece of what’s grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. There’s a fair amount of revenue to be generated, and there’s plenty of proof out there to suggest gambling leads to watching games. On the point of generating more eyeballs on your product, it’s every media company and sports league’s top priority to bring in younger audiences, and gambling is undoubtedly aimed at doing just that.

2) Personally, I don’t really have an ethical argument against it, but that doesn’t mean an increased focus on gambling won’t lead to some unfavourable social consequences. Like alcohol and tobacco, gambling can evolve into a serious addiction, leading to life-long problems not just for the individual but also those closest to the person. The biggest excuse I’ve read for this argument is people are already gambling on illegal websites, and now tax money can be generated by the Canadian government and, hypothetically, used for social services. Sure, that makes sense, but it also ignores the fact these betting companies aren’t pushing hard to bring in seasoned bettors, but rather those fans, often younger, that have never bet and watched a game at the same time.

3) Moving on, the CFL and the CFL Player’s Association have finally sat down to go over a new collective bargaining agreement. I’ve made a few calls and what I’m gleaning is both sides took a pretty soft approach to begin negotiations, if just to formalize the process ahead of the May 15 deadline. I imagine this approach will keep up, with the focus first on ironing out the details both sides see common ground on. But with only six weeks before training camps open, talks will inevitably ramp up on more hot-button issues.

4) CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced this week he’s contracted COVID-19, forcing him to cancel his appearance in Montreal as part of an annual spring tour across the country. Ambrosie issued a statement apologizing for the cancellation and said his “symptoms are light and I’m feeling well.” Not sure how, if at all, this will affect CBA negotiations, but with the emergence of Zoom, I doubt much at all.

5) Manitoba’s Shai Ross dazzled the public when he uploaded a YouTube video of himself last summer doing a backflip while simultaneously dunking an Oreo cookie into a glass of milk mid-air. Well, the Edmonton Elks receiver is back to his old tricks, with a — get this — barbell backflip. Here’s the scene: Ross is literally holding a barbell with weights, where he does a couple lifts before launching backwards, the barbell never leaving his hands. It’s truly an incredible feat of strength.

6) The Saskatchewan Roughriders have welcomed back A.J. Hendy, inking the 28-year-old defensive back to a one-year deal. What’s notable about this move was Hendy bailed on the Riders late last season owing to a dispute over his playing time. What’s interesting is it was Saskatchewan that reached out to him, and it appears whatever bridge was damaged has since been repaired. While I’m all for second chances, I can’t imagine many teams inviting a player that quit on them, even if he is talented.

7) With Greg Knox leaving Ottawa to pursue a career outside of football, the Redblacks have hired Patrick Bourgon as their defensive backs coach. To free up Bourgon, defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides will assume his previous duties as linebacker’s coach.

8) The Elks have found their new special-teams co-ordinator, hiring Merritt Bowden. Bowden was most recently with the Toronto Argonauts last season, alongside Elks GM and head coach Chris Jones, and was with the Roughriders between 2016-18.

9) Finally, Football Canada has unveiled plans for the first ever National Women’s Football Weekend, which will take place in Ottawa between May 5 and 8. Events include the inaugural National Collegiate Flag Football Championship, as well as the Women’s National Team Identification Camp. A scrimmage game will also take place — dubbed the Red-White game — to which the Senior Women’s National Tackle Team will be selected.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton