Professional support
From a support standpoint, it would be interesting to see the Raptors and Jays get involved to back the expansion of sports betting in Canada. Normally, when someone like NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks about sports betting, he is doing so with the United States in mind, because of just how much of the league’s business is done there. As a result, there often isn’t someone stepping up to advocate for expansion in Canada as well. That could be where the Blue Jays and Raptors step in.
Even if it is in the form of echoing the sentiments of their respective league commissioners on the topic, these two marquee teams could make their voices heard to become the voice of the Canadian sports fan when the topic of sports betting is discussed by the head of a major American sports league that has Canadian teams in it.
Hockey could make an impact
Of course, with the NHL being as popular as it is in Canada, there isn’t any reason to think that hockey teams in Canada shouldn’t get in on the discussion as well. The NHL has done a 180 of sorts in recent years, with commissioner Gary Bettman once speaking out vehemently against sports betting before eventually changing his tune. His league now actively seeks out sports betting partnerships, as Bettman finally came to understand what sense it made from a business perspective.
As a whole, sports betting tends to have a symbiotic relationship between fans and teams. The financial incentive of sports betting can lead to home fans cheering even harder for a team, which can make them harder to beat at home. All while, at the same time, partnerships between sports betting companies and sports teams can have a financial impact for the teams involved in them. It is often a positive situation for everyone involved.
Whether the Raptors and Blue Jays want to speak up to help sports betting continue to grow in Canada remains to be seen. But there is a definite possibility that the two Ontario-based clubs find themselves interacting with the industry more closely in the near future. Maybe they even interact with one of the following sites.