Gambling site Bodog banned from operating in Manitoba

The Manitoba Law Courts building in Winnipeg on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)

A Manitoba judge has banned an offshore gambling site from operating in the province.

In a court order from May 26, Court of King’s Bench Judge Jeffrey Harris ruled that the companies running Bodog.eu and Bodog.net—or any other related successor or replacement websites—must stop operating gambling products and services that are accessible to people in Manitoba.

The Antigua and Barbuda-based company Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings Ltd. must implement geo-blocking technology to prevent Manitobans from engaging with the gambling products as part of a permanent injunction.

The companies are also ordered to stop all advertising that is targeting or accessible to people in the province.

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) previously sought an injunction earlier this year on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition to stop the companies from operating or advertising Bodog within the province.

According to the order, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation (MBLL) is “vested with the exclusive authority to conduct, manage and offer lotteries in Manitoba, including online gambling products.” Bodog has no statutory exception, per the court filing.

The Criminal Code of Canada prohibits all betting, gaming and lottery activities in the country, with an exception for provinces conducting gaming operations or licenced organizations.

The court filing also said Bodog is not regulated by any Canadian authority or subject to scrutiny. As a result, it has no requirement to implement responsible gambling features, pay taxes or comply with anti-money laundering requirements in the country.

The gambling site, which allows players to bet on sporting events and casino games, advertises itself as a “legal online casino in Canada” and as “one of the safest places to gamble online within the realms of the country,” per the ruling.

The order adds that “Bodog’s false representations regarding its legality, legitimacy, trustworthiness and safety are violations of the Competition Act and the Trademarks Act.”

Incalculable harm to Manitobans: MBLL CEO

“We could not be more pleased with this ruling,” said MBLL CEO Gerry Sul in a Canadian Lottery Coalition news release.

“Bodog’s conduct has not only been unlawful, the harm their illegal operations have caused to MBLL—and Manitobans—is incalculable," he said.

According to MBLL’s website, every dollar earned in profit is reinvested into the province to fund government programs, such as health care, education, social services and housing.

For the fiscal year ending in 2024, MBLL returned nearly $380 million from its casino, lottery, online gambling and video lottery offerings, according to the ruling. The previous year’s return is reported at over $390 million.

The ruling said because Bodog’s operations are located offshore and outside the reach of Canadian authorities, it is “highly unlikely that MBLL would be successful in any effort to enforce the significant monetary judgment against them.”