Meet NorthStar Bets, The Toronto Star’s New Sportsbook Partner
By Robert Duff in Sports Betting News
Published:
- NordStar Capital, owners of the Toronto Star, planning to launch online sportsbook in Ontario
- “NorthStar Bets” will be the name of their sports betting site
- Move is subject to successful registration with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and execution of operating agreement with iGaming Ontario
The Toronto Star is launching a Canadian sportsbook. In what is believed to be an industry first, Canada’s largest daily newspaper will be partnering with an online sports betting site known as NorthStar Bets.
NorthStar Bets is a made-in-Ontario casino and sportsbook gaming platform. It is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns Torstar, the Toronto Star’s parent company.
While fighting for space in what figures to be a crowded Ontario online sports betting landscape, partnering with an established brand such as the Toronto Star, which has been around since 1892, should provide immediate credibility to this newcomer to the sports betting industry.
The stated objective of NorthStar Bets is to deliver to Ontario sports bettors a first-rate sportsbook experience. It will be a site featuring insightful content from industry experts and will prove to be engaging, entertaining, and informative.
Aid From Toronto Star Marketing Arm
The Toronto Star is covering some of Canada’s most popular sports teams today. These include the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA’s Toronto Raptors, and MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays. This Torstar connection will be lending instant juice to NorthStar Bets as the site launches in the Ontario marketplace.
They figure to be going up against powerhouse American-based sportsbooks such as DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. Ontario is opening up sports betting to private companies on April 4, 2022. However, there can be no question that this media partnership will prove beneficial to NorthStar Bets. They will be able to provide a unique perspective on the province’s sporting landscape.
The Toronto Star is making the utmost effort at putting NorthStar Bets at the forefront of the minds of Ontario sports bettors.
Part and parcel of the advertising and marketing services agreement with Torstar will be seeing the launch of a dedicated sports betting vertical that will become a regular feature of the Toronto Star sports section.
Toronto Star CEO Sees Natural Marriage
Lorenzo DeMarchi, Interim CEO of Torstar, believes the pairing of sports writing and sports betting is a natural marriage.
“With Ontario’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market set to open this spring, we’re sure there will be strong interest from our Toronto Star readers, particularly our sports readers, in the growing popularity of wagering content,” DeMarchi said in a statement.
Firstly, this area of the paper’s sports coverage will serve as an educational tool. It will be a primer for newcomers to online sports betting. There will be the creation of plenty of contact relating to how to bet. Expect there to be stories explaining types of bets, betting strategies and sports wagering terminology.
Ultimately, the section will grow to include articles that will be offering hyper-local daily selections. There will also be columns about industry news and betting-specific features, as well as other multimedia content.
Following the launch of the NorthStar Bets gaming platform, thestar.com will continue to feature additional betting content. This will be including daily picks and videos of the events, teams and players that matter most to Ontario sports bettors.
NorthStars Enters Agreement With PlayTech
Last month, NorthStar Bets made a major move that will add further professionalism to their site. They announced a partnership with Playtech, the world’s leading gambling technology company.
This partnership will provide NorthStar Gaming with the technology platform to deliver what will be one of Canada’s premier online casino and sports betting experiences. NorthStar Gaming will be ready to launch Playtech’s IMS Platform, Casino, Live Casino, Poker, and Bingo software to Canadian audiences. This launch will come following the completion of regulatory approvals and the licensing process,
Michael Moskowitz is the Chief Executive Officer and founding partner of NorthStar Bets. He’s the former Chairman and CEO of Panasonic North America.
“It is an exciting time to launch an iGaming venture in Ontario,” Moskowitz said in a statement.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
