BCLC will launch new sports-betting “concepts” at 12 pubs and bars in B.C., along with one casino, ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl football game.
Starting Friday (Feb. 11), live sports-betting odds and related promos will be flashed across digital, TV-type screens at 13 sites in the province, including six in the Fraser Valley – three in Surrey and one each in Langley, Maple Ridge and Abbotsford.
The pilot project follows the legalization of single-event sports betting in B.C. last year.
“This marks the first step in testing how PlayNow.com, B.C.’s local sportsbook, can be implemented at land-based locations,” Dan Beebe, BCLC interim COO, said in a news release Thursday (Feb. 10). “This pilot will help BCLC to understand the preferences of sports bettors, and help inform future experiences and programs to help support safe, positive play.”
Fraser Valley-area pubs involved in the pilot are Highwayman (in Abbotsford), Jimy Mac’s (Langley), Fox’s Reach (Maple Ridge), Baselines (in Fleetwood, Surrey), Brewster’s (in Newton, Surrey) and Samz (Surrey/Langley).
Elsewhere in B.C., the seven other test sites are Rogers Arena Sportsbar (Vancouver), Chances casino in Kelowna, Fox and Hounds Pub (Kamloops), John B Pub (Coquitlam), Woody’s (Coquitlam), Cat & Fiddle (Port Coquitlam) and Legends (Richmond).
On PlayNow.com at the 13 locations, people can get a $10 free-bet voucher for sports betting by using a mobile device and scanning a QR code.
The website is on track to double its Super Bowl betting record now that players have the option to place single bets on the NFL’s championship game.
BCLC estimates more than $2 million in wagers will be placed on the website for Sunday’s Super Bowl, which involves Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, four-point underdogs in the game, to be played in L.A.
Prop bets involve the halftime show, to feature music by Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Dr. Dre. Players can wager on which of the five performers will sing first, what will be Eminem’s first song, and if all five artists will perform at once.
Revenue generated by PlayNow.com supports healthcare, education and community programs in B.C.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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