Our top Canadian sports stories this week
- How To Handicap PointsBet's March Madness-Style Curling Tournament
- CFL Week 16 Wagering Preview: Bad Blood Ahead Of Lions-Stampeders Rematch
- Blue Jays' Odds Could Worsen With Changes To Canada's Vaccination Rules
Event of the week
PointsBet Invitational curling tournament
The PointsBet Invitational, a single-knockout curling tournament featuring 32 Canadian teams, got underway Wednesday and will continue through the weekend in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Eight opening-round matchups took place Wednesday, and there has already been a major upset in the women’s bracket after the 13th-seeded Team Sturmay knocked out the fourth-seeded Team Carey.
On Friday night, PointsBet will be hosting a pro-am event that will include several NHL alumni and former sprinter Donovan Bailey, among others.
In addition to being able to wager on the curling action, PointsBet also ran a free bracket contest for residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Heading into play Thursday, 157 brackets remain perfect and are still alive for the $1 million (CAD) prize.
All 10 draws of the PointsBet Invitational are being carried on ESPN3 and on TSN in Canada.
Incredible first day of curling at the @PointsBetCanada Invitational! Shoutout to the teams able to 'survive & advance' round one of the March Madness style format.
There are 157 people still in contention for the $1M perfect bracket contest, see where you rank. ?? pic.twitter.com/ll0AN4dmcm
— PointsBet Canada (@PointsBetCanada) September 22, 2022
Unfortunately, Atlantic Canada appears to be in the path of Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 storm, this weekend. The curling event runs through Sunday, so the hurricane will likely impact travel plans for fans and participants.
=NEW=
A Hurricane Watch has been issued for #Halifax, Eastern Nova Scotia, Cape Breton & PEI.
Tropical Storm Watches are in place for western Nova Scotia and southeastern New Brunswick. https://t.co/3pvPzwCfXM#nsstorm #nbstorm #pestorm pic.twitter.com/L55GVA6x5K— Ryan Snoddon (@ryansnoddon) September 22, 2022
Paul Burns snags another award
Canadian Gaming Association President and CEO Paul Burns has been awarded the 2022 Compliance Lifetime Achievement Award by Vixio GamblingCompliance.
The award recognizes an individual who has been involved in the gambling industry for many years and whose input to the advancement of the culture of compliance and regulatory standards within the industry has been outstanding.
Burns played a key role in establishing the CGA – a national trade association that represents leading operators and suppliers in Canada's gaming, sports betting, esports, and lottery industries – in 2005 and was appointed president and CEO in 2018. He has been responsible for the development of industry-wide research and programs, including a comprehensive study on the economic impact of gaming in Canada and the expansion of the Canadian Gaming Summit conference. Burns also played a major role in the decriminalization of single-game wagering in Canada in August 2021, and he and the CGA supported the launch of Ontario’s regulated iGaming and sports betting market last April.
“In the past two years, we have seen the results of years of effort to modernize Canada's sports betting laws as well as Ontario's launch of Canada's first regulated iGaming market,” Burns said in the release. “I share this honor with everyone who contributed to these milestone achievements and look forward to helping make Canada's largest entertainment industry one of the best in the world.”
Burns, who was also inducted into SBC’s Sports Betting Hall of Fame'this year, will receive the award at a ceremony on Nov. 30.
Congratulations to CEO Paul Burns on being awarded the 2022 Compliance Lifetime Achievement Award from @GamblingComp https://t.co/EGClByxhtT