Manitoba sports lotteries face a shortage of their revenues due to NHL lockout.
NHL lockout cuts revenues of Manitoba sports lotteries
Manitoba sports lotteries (Winnipeg, US) expressed concerns regarding a shortage of their revenues due to the National Hockey League lockout.
The companies say that local punters, who are ardent fans of hockey, have no opportunities to place bets on their favourite sports at the moment. According to Casinocitytimes.com, sports gambling industry, which is big business in Manitoba, generated $18 million wagered on Sport Select last year.
The money originated from gambling activity was a great support for health care, education and social services in Manitoba, where provincial government received $6 million last year. But gambling operators predict that their profit will drop substantially this year. So that, lottery officials are going to develop new options on soccer and college basketball in order to offset the losses.
At the same time European ice hockey leagues may cash in on the NHL lockout. According to BBC, more than 150 players decided to play in Europe while the dispute between NHL team owners and their stars over a new labour agreement continues. The list of such players includes Markus Naslund and Modo from Sweden, Jaromir Jagr with Kladmo from Czech Republic and Ilya Kovalchuk with AK Bars Kazan from Russia.
Most of the players can sign contracts with other leagues provided with their lockout clauses. They also may return to the NHL if and when the lockout ends.
