A pre-game ceremony before the Blue Jays' season opener against the Athletics in Toronto on Friday. Flyers promoting Polymarket were distributed outside the Rogers Centre over the weekend despite a ban in Ontario.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Flyers promoting U.S.-based prediction market platform Polymarket were distributed outside the Rogers Centre during the Toronto Blue Jays’ home opener weekend, despite a ban on Polymarket, and its advertising, in the province.
Outside a security line on Saturday afternoon, people were handing out free doughnuts to Jays fans while passing them flyers. Offering a free $20 with the use of a promotional code, the flyers encourage people to scan a QR code to “place a trade on today’s game.” The link directs users to download the Polymarket app, but the app is not available in Canada.
The flyer also features the Blue Jays logo and says Polymarket is an “Official Partner of MLB,” or Major League Baseball. A spokesperson for the Blue Jays said the club was not aware that these flyers were being distributed.
Flyers promoting Polymarket were handed out outside the Rogers Centre during the Toronto Blue Jays’ home opener weekend.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Prediction markets, a fast-growing but controversial form of betting on real-world events, are gaining traction globally and are poised to enter the Canadian market with strict limitations. The flyer’s promotion of Polymarket potentially blurs the line for investors between what is legally offered and what remains off-limits.
Prediction markets allow users to wager on the outcome of events, from sports games to interest-rate decisions and geopolitical developments. The sector has surged in popularity in recent years, particularly among younger users, driven by platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi. But in Canada, regulators have largely limited access, citing investor protection concerns.
In 2017, the Canadian Securities Administrators, an umbrella organization of provincial and territorial securities regulators, banned short-term “yes-or-no” contracts, known as binary options.
In 2025, the Ontario Securities Commission cracked down on Polymarket after it operated in the province for three years. The OSC reached a settlement with the operators of Polymarket prohibiting the company from “marketing or engaging in promotional activities at events that take place in Ontario.”
The OSC said it does not comment on individual firms. “While we cannot discuss what we do with the information we are provided, it is taken very seriously by the Commission,” spokesperson Debra Chan said.
Polymarket did not respond to a request for comment.
Even with restrictions, some Canadians have continued to access prediction market platforms using virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can make it appear as though they are logging in from outside the country.
Canada has begun to cautiously open the door to certain forms of prediction trading. Last week, The Globe and Mail reported that Toronto-based online financial services company Wealthsimple received approval from the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization to offer forecast contracts, becoming one of the first firms allowed to bring the product to retail investors in Canada.
However, that approval is limited. Wealthsimple is only permitted to offer contracts tied to economic indicators, financial markets and climate trends, not sports or elections, which are among the most popular uses of prediction markets in the United States.
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Jean-Paul Bureaud, executive director of FAIR Canada, an investor advocacy organization, said the flyers “raise some serious questions,” given the OSC’s settlement with the company.
“That settlement seems to be quite clear that there’s a ban on promoting Polymarket in Ontario. And clearly, if the flyer was handed out outside the Jays game in Toronto, I think there’s a strong concern here that they may have breached the terms of that settlement.”
He added that the promotion may go beyond advertising, noting the offer of a free $20 credit could be considered an inducement.
The Blue Jays organization has previously taken a strict approach to the use of its trademarks. Last October, Toronto venue Sneaky Dee’s said it received a cease-and-desist letter from the Blue Jays club over the use of its logo.
At the time, the Blue Jays organization said its marks “can only be used for promotional purposes by official club partners,” which it described as standard industry practice.
The Major League Baseball organization announced in mid-March that it had named Polymarket its official prediction market exchange partner. In the press release announcing the partnership, it said that “Polymarket and its brokers will get exclusive access to MLB marks and logos to be used within their prediction market products.”
The MLB did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Bureaud said the association with a major sports brand could give the platform an added sense of credibility.
“Major League Baseball branding can kind of create a sense of legitimacy and trust, especially for baseball fans,” he said. “When that branding is used to promote a product that the OSC has banned from Ontario, not only is it potentially confusing, but it’s potentially harmful to investors in Ontario.”