Football trumps hockey at BCLC’s online sports betting site

British Columbia’s provincial gambling monopoly has teamed with technology outfit International Game Technology to bring omnichannel Powerbucks jackpots to Canada.

On Monday, IGT and the British Columbia Lottery Corp (BCLC) announced that the province’s gamblers now had access to IGT’s famed Powerbucks seven-figure jackpot pools via slots at BCLC’s 33 gaming venues, as well as via the mobile and desktop versions of BCLC’s online gambling site, PlayNow.com.

BCLC is also celebrating the return of National Football League action to PlayNow’s sports betting section. People typically associate Canada with hockey, and with the World Cup of Hockey about to kick off in earnest, it’s natural to think that the NFL would take a back seat.

BCLC spokesman Doug Cheng told CTV News that the total volume of National Hockey League wagers was indeed higher than the NFL, although Cheng chalked this up to the longer NHL season. On a per game basis, more money and wagers are placed on the NFL than on any other sport via PlayNow.