A Manitoba judge has released his reasons for slapping offshore sportsbook Bodog with a sweeping injunction in the Canadian province, including what they called “ever-increasing and incalculable harm” caused to the local lottery.
Key Points
- A Manitoba judge issued a sweeping injunction against offshore sportsbook Bodog, citing "incalculable harm" to the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. (MBLL)
- The judge emphasized that Bodog operates outside Canadian jurisdiction and misleads users into thinking it is legal, possibly undermining MBLL’s authority and credibility.
- The ruling is seen as a major victory by the Canadian Lottery Coalition, which argues that illegal offshore gambling sites siphon revenues from provincial programs and create public confusion about legal gambling options.
At the urging of the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. (MBLL), on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, Court of King's Bench of Manitoba Judge Jeffrey Harris ordered the Antigua and Barbuda-based sports betting and casino gambling site on May 26 to stop serving Manitobans.
Bodog did not show up in court to fight the injunction and has already said it is restricting Manitobans’ access to its real-money site. However, the reasons why it was hit with such severe sanctions were only released on June 26, outlining why Harris sided so firmly with the lotteries in such a specific fashion.
“Bodog’s ongoing operation of its illegal gambling platforms in Manitoba inflicts new and ever increasing and incalculable harm on MBLL each day,” Harris wrote. “The fact that their operations are situated offshore, outside the reach of Canadian authorities, makes it highly unlikely that MBLL would be successful in any effort to enforce the significant monetary judgment against them.”
Harris noted in his reasons that the terms of the injunction “are carefully circumscribed to enjoin Bodog only in respect of its operations in Manitoba and then only in respect of the gambling platforms and related media that MBLL has demonstrated perpetuating these [harms].”
Going after the 'grey'
Nevertheless, the CLC, whose members include other government-owned entities like the Atlantic Lottery Corp, British Columbia Lottery Corp., Loto-Québec, and Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, are hailing the decision as a big win in their fight against offshore and illegal online gambling.
The so-called "grey market" for online gambling in Canada has been around for a long time, allowing residents to wager with entities that may be regulated offshore or abroad, but not by provinces.
It is the provinces, though, that are permitted by Canada's Criminal Code to "conduct and manage" gambling; offshore sportsbooks are not.
Bodog has added Manitoba to its list of no-go zones in Canada, with the province joining Quebec and Nova Scotia on the offshore sportsbook's "restricted" list:https://t.co/hLT94sIBRl @Covers
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) June 25, 2025
There have, however, been recent efforts to try to crack down on grey gambling in Canada.
In Ontario, for example, the province launched a competitive iGaming market in 2022 that allowed for private operators to come under provincial regulation and take bets from residents.
Some of those operators were even previously doing business in the province without government authorization.
While Ontario initially offered a carrot in trying to tamp down grey-market gambling, provincial regulators are now using the stick for holdouts like Bodog, such as by persuading local media to no longer accept advertising from the offshore bookmaker.
Not everybody wants to be Ontario
But outside of Ontario (and, in the future, Alberta), online gambling in Canada has only been authorized for government-owned lottery and gaming corporations such as the MBLL and its PlayNow platform.
Those lotteries compete for business with operators based abroad or outside their provinces, at a cost to provincial coffers.
Wrote this yesterday before the Canadian Gaming Summit news machine began revving up, but everything I've heard so far hasn't changed my mind:
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) June 18, 2025
Like it or Not, Sports Betting and iGaming in Canada is Changing https://t.co/TQvKjbezDU@Covers
With that in mind, the non-Ontario and non-Alberta lotteries have been trying to sound the alarm about unregulated gambling in their backyards.
The Manitoba injunction is part of that effort.
"We could not be more pleased with this ruling," said Gerry Sul, president and CEO of MBLL, in a press release on Thursday. "With this decision, Justice Harris has unequivocally confirmed that Bodog's operations within Manitoba are prohibited by the Criminal Code, Competition Act, and the Trademarks Act, and that MBLL has the sole legal authority to provide gambling offerings within the province. Bodog's conduct has not only been unlawful, the harm their illegal operations have caused to MBLL – and Manitobans – is incalculable."
Harris’ reasons also note that Bodog is not regulated by any Canadian authority, obligating the company to put betting limits or responsible gambling features in place for users.
The operator also does not pay taxes in Canada or have the same sort of financial reporting requirements as Canadian-based entities, the judge said.
“There is a risk that the unlawful and misleading misrepresentations with respect to its status as a safe and legal operator in Canada will continue to delegitimize MBLL’s operations in the eyes of Manitobans and undermine the goodwill associated with the registered MBLL trademarks,” Harris added. “Bodog’s operation in the Province of Manitoba has created significant confusion among Manitoba residents regarding the legality of gambling platforms accessible to them.”
Your days of diverting are numbered
That confusion, the lotteries contend, is not confined to Manitoba.
The CLC has raised its concerns before federal lawmakers in Ottawa and in a court reference in Ontario regarding the possibility of sharing online gambling liquidity with international jurisdictions.
Additionally, the lottery group has also taken issue with Ontario-licensed brands it alleges are trying to woo customers outside of Canada's most populous province.
"The continued advertising and promotion of illegal gambling sites gives Canadians the false impression that they are operating legally, which is not the case," said Pat Davis, president and CEO of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, in Thursday’s release. "Not only are many of these sites operating in offshore markets that leave no protection or recourse for the player, but they also divert revenues that would otherwise be returned to provincial governments and directed to much-needed programs and services."
The judge’s full reasons can be found here.
