A new study by a Montreal-based market research firm has led experts to determine that “growing distrust” of sports betting in Canada has led to a downturn in the vertical, meaning Canadians are not embracing the vertical as much as their US neighbors.
Leger surveyed 1,621 Canadians and 1,015 US residents from August 29-31 and discovered that Canadians are more likely to air concerns about the proliferation of sports betting ads, and sportsbooks partnering with sports media firms.
a knock-on effect on Canadian appetite for sports betting
This appears to have a knock-on effect on Canadian appetite for sports betting, with just 19% of respondents north of the border stating they’ve bet on the vertical within the last 12 months, as opposed to roughly 26% of Americans surveyed.
What appears to be troubling Canadian bettors the most is the flood of sports betting ads, with 75% of participants feeling there were too many.
Canadians also don’t care much for partnerships between operators and media giants. According to Leger, 51% “either strongly or somewhat agreed that sports TV and platforms should not ally with sports betting companies outright.”
Among the equivalent Americans, only 30% had such tie-up concerns. The research led Covers to state the results reflected “a growing distrust of the industry” in Canada.
