UK sportsbook and gaming brand BVGroup has announced that former NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady will serve as its Safer Gambling Ambassador for its BetVictor brand in Canada.
BetVictor Signs a Legend
Canadian NBA fans will immediately recognize Tracy McGrady. He combined with his equally talented cousin, Vince Carter, to lead the Raptors to their first playoff appearance. Although his stint was relatively brief in Toronto, his contributions to the success of the franchise are not forgotten.
“I’m delighted to have signed Tracy McGrady to BetVictor to promote safer gambling,” BVGroup’s CCO Brent Almeida said. “Tracy is a perfect role model, with an amazing career across 16 seasons in the NBA. Aligning with him is a perfect fit for the BetVictor brand.”
From All-Star to Advocate
Tracy McGrady was a force to be reckoned with when he plied his trade for the Toronto Raptors after being selected as the No. 9 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He would then move on to stops in Orlando, Houston, New York, Detroit, and Atlanta before ending his career with the Spurs in 2013.
During that time, he would be named to seven All-Star teams and was the NBA scoring leader in 2003 and 2004. He has since worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN and has been an outspoken advocate for player safety. The Athletic named McGrady as the 55th greatest player in NBA history in its 2021 edition of the top 75 players of all time.
Ontario Market Booming
BetVictor had toiled in the Canadian “grey market” for several years until Ontario regulated its sports betting and iGaming market in 2022. Two months after they did, BetVictor entered the fray, and the Ontario market has proven to be fruitful and expanding.
According to the government agency iGaming Ontario (iGO), $18.4 billion was wagered in the first quarter of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which was a 31% increase over Q1 in 2023. This takes into account all sports betting, online casino wagering, and poker.
“With 50 regulated operators and a one-third increase in wagering and revenue figures over the first quarter of last year, Ontarians who choose to gamble are finding many enjoyable options in our open regulated iGaming market,” Martha Otton, executive director of iGO, said. “The revenue generated by Ontario’s competitive iGaming market contributes directly to provincial priorities such as infrastructure, healthcare, and education.”
At last count, there were 1.9 million active accounts in the Ontario market with an average monthly spend of $284. Sports betting represented 14% of the total Q1 handle and 25% of Ontario’s overall gaming revenue. Online slots, live and online table games, as well as peer-to-peer bingo, represented 84% of the first quarter handle. With revenues topping $529 million, they outpaced the previous quarter’s profits of $510 million.
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