Atlantic Canadians set to bet on American reality TV show

HALIFAX – Atlantic Canadians are now the first in the country allowed to legally place bets on American singing television shows.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Atlantic Lotto Corporation Inc. (ALC) announced it would be “letting music fans in on the action, placing bets on their favourites from a popular U.S. voice singing competition, now in its fifth season.”

Bets can be placed on The Voice. Players can wager on which judge will select the winning contestant and whether the contestant will be male or female.

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Each bet costs between $2 and $5, depending on the odds given by ALC.

Gambling on entertainment offerings isn’t new for ALC.

Last year, the publicly-owned lottery commission took bets on the Academy Awards. Gamblers could wager on the winners of categories like Best Picture, Best Actor or Best Director.

At that time, the move raised the ire of anti-gambling advocates. Many claimed gambling addicts do not need another temptation and that offering bets on entertainment engages audiences that may not ordinarily gamble.

When asked last year about the Academy Awards bets, ALC officials said the corporation aims to offer a wide variety of entertainment opportunities that span many interests.