PointsBet Canada Remains one of the Few Sportsbooks Offering Curling Markets

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Mark Keast

Mark Keast has recently covered the sports betting industry in Canada for The Parleh, and is a long-time sportswriter and editor, most notably with the Toronto Sun.

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Last Updated: 2024 Mar 14

It remains odd, when scanning the Canadian igaming scene, that there are so few sports betting markets offered for curling, a winter sport that holds such a significant placement in Canadian culture.

But there you have it – nearly two years after the regulatory regime went live in Ontario (April 2022), and with the Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s national championship currently taking place at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary, you’re crawling through a deep forest trying to find curling markets to lay down bets – other than at PointsBet Canada.

As the former head of Curling Canada, Katherine Henderson (now head of Hockey Canada) told us last summer, curling is very conducive to live sports betting, when looking at its complication, the strategies and nuances of it. That strategy can change on every shot. The trajectory of a game can be changed on every shot. And that means a wager can be placed on almost every shot, Henderson said then.

Curling Ideal for Sports Betting

PointsBet Canada, in the competitive sports betting landscape in Ontario, has staked a major claim on curling, the only sportsbook to do so, that we can see. PointsBet Canada’s chief commercial officer Nic Sulsky has said their dedication to curling has proven to be a major factor behind the sportsbook’s growth in Ontario. 

PointsBet Canada is the Official Sports Betting Partner of Curling Canada, a relationship that includes the annual PointsBet Invitational single-elimination tournament featuring 32 Canadian teams, the first major event of the curling season.

⭐ Bet on Curling at PointsBet Canada ⭐

So, this morning, you need to go to PointsBet Canada to bet on the women’s national championship. 

Teams are playing a complete eight-game round robin within their pools. From there, the top three teams in each pool advance to the playoffs. Pool play started Feb. 16 and runs through Feb. 22. That’s followed by the playoffs, with the semi-finals (2 p.m. EST) and finals (8 p.m. EST) set for Feb. 25. The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is being broadcast on TSN.

Ontario Teams Popular Among Sports Bettors 

According to the PointsBet Canada’s trading team, they saw a wave of betting action on Team Canada (the defending champions, skipped by Kerri Einarson) to get upset in their first matchup following the surprising news around longtime lead Briane Harris (she was ruled ineligible for the curling championship). There has been no comment from Curling Canada on why Harris was ruled ineligible.

Also, according to PointsBet Canada traders, the Ontario teams (skips Danielle Inglis and Rachel Homan) are seeing lots of betting action compared to other teams. And British Columbia (skip Clancy Grandy) has been a very popular pick from the public so far. 

The Ontario Homan team is up against Manitoba today, with the Grandy B.C. team playing New Brunswick and the Inglis Ontario team up against Northwest Territories, all in Draw 10 today at 10:30 a.m. EST. Those three teams also play in Draw 12 today at 8:30 p.m. Team Canada (Einarson) plays Saskatchewan in Draw 11 today at 3:30 p.m. EST.

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Mark Keast has recently covered the sports betting industry in Canada for The Parleh, and is a long-time sportswriter and editor, most notably with the Toronto Sun.

Read Full Bio

Mark Keast

Last Updated:
 
2024 Mar 14