Ontario Sports Betting 2021

Sports betting in Ontario FAQ

• Is betting legal in Ontario?

  Betting is 100% legal in Ontario.

   

  There are just a few wrinkles you need to know. Firstly, Canadian legislation explicitly states that gambling is only legal within the province-sanctioned lottery agencies.

   

  For Ontario, this is the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation). The Proline is the go-to for sports betting and can be purchased in your local stores or played online or by app. 

   

  However, while the legislation excludes online gambling from non-sanctioned platforms like Bodog or Betway, these platforms are controlled from offshore companies.

   

  This means the Canadian government has no jurisdiction as the betting sites are technically not established in the country.

   

  So to summarize: yes, you can bet legally in Ontario whether it's through Proline or through the online betting platforms. 

• Where can I bet in Ontario?

  If you're looking to bet in Ontario, your best bet is to refer to the Proline. This is the lottery version of sports gambling and is the mainstream version. It functions like a parlay, where you bet on multiple outcomes together in a single wager. 

  Alternatively, you can bet on any online sportsbook that is open for Canadians.

  Books like Bodog, Sports Interaction (SIA), and Bet365 host Ontarians and offer a gamut of sports from mainstream ones like hockey, basketball, and baseball to the latest in egaming and MMA. 

  Betting with these sportsbooks, you have more options. You can create parlays like what Proline specializes in, but you get a better payout. And you get more options with your parlay (you don't have a three-bet minimum and no draws, just win or lose).

  Best of all, you get signup offers with most of these books along with promotions like free bets. And you can sign up for more than one.

• Who can bet legally in Ontario?

  You can bet legally in Ontario when you are 18-years-old, although you can only enter casino and slot facilities as a 19-year-old. Online sportsbooks also restrict their registration to persons of 18-years or older.

   

  It is a standard procedure for you to verify your identity with copies of valid government documents like a driver's license as well as copies of bills confirming your permanent residence and/or your credit/bank statement.

   

  To play in some books, you will need to bet from within Ontario. This means your geolocation should identify that you are within Ontario. Even if you are an Ontarian, if you play from somewhere else like Manitoba or Quebec, some books may rescind your access (it depends on whether the book is also available in these provinces).

   

  Check each sportsbooks' policies and restrictions. You can usually tell right away when going to the book.

• Can I bet with bitcoin in Ontario?

  Yes, you can bet with Bitcoin in Ontario when dealing with online sportsbooks. You may just need to verify your status as a Bitcoin user/seller depending on the book. And you will need to find sportsbooks that allow Bitcoin as a deposit option.

  Sportsbooks like Bodog and BetOnline accept Bitcoin and in some cases, even prefer it. This is because Bitcoin transactions are the quickest and don't go through the same processes as banking methods like debit, credit, or money orders. 

  But this same reason is also why many sportsbooks don't accept Bitcoin or cryptocurrency. The many grey areas around Bitcoin, especially its lack of established procedures and its unpredictability, make many books pass on it. 

  The OLG and Proline don't accept Bitcoin or cryptocurrency for now. The Canadian government tends to be a bit slower due to their cautionary measures when it comes to these things.

• Which Ontario Betting sites accept Paypal?

  Using PayPal is one of the best ways to fund your online betting bankrolls. It is fast, discreet, and saves you the trouble of having to deal with all the intricacies that most banks require. Many Ontario betting sites, in general, accept PayPal like SIA, Bodog, and SpinPalace Sports.

  However, there are some restrictions in place particularly for Canada that may prevent you from using it deposit into these sportsbooks. These restrictions are similar to some of the ones banks have placed on their credit or debit cards.

  The Ontario betting sites that accept PayPal are Proline.

  Alternatively, you can use your PayPal to deposit to a third-party account like Entropay. The only downside to this is the fee you will be charged for depositing and withdrawing. If using PayPal is your only choice, you should look into this, otherwise, use another method.

• How to read betting odds?

  How do odds work? The simplest way to understand betting odds is to imagine these as the implied probability of success. The higher their odds, the more likelihood they succeed, and the more money you have to put down to profit.

  Betting odds manifest in three ways:

  • Decimal Odds: most popular in Canada, these odds are simplest to calculate. Take your wager and multiply it by the decimal for your potential winnings.
  • Moneyline odds: also called American odds, these manifest as two kinds of numbers: plus and minus. The plus indicates how much you win on a $100 wager while the minus shows how much you need to wager to win $100.
  • Fractional odds: like decimal odds, these indicate how much you win by dividing your wager by the fraction. 

  If you want to determine the implied probability of the odds, use this formula:

  (Odds / 1) + Odds.

• How to compare odds?

  Before you bet, you should compare betting odds. You can compare odds by going to multiple sportsbooks and looking at their lines. Or even better, you can go to Canada Sports Betting's odds page where we have a table that lists the betting odds per select sportsbooks. 

  Usually, betting odds stay within the same area. A sportsbook will be the first to open the betting odds, which will set the mark for the rest to follow. The odds change depending on how much action (how much money is wagered) it gets.

  The more money is wagered, the higher the odds get. Consequently, the other line will also get lower.

  When you have more than one sportsbook, you can get the best possible odds. Some books will set their betting odds lower than the other books. 

• How to identify the favourite or the underdog?

  A: You can identify the favourite from the underdog based on who has the higher odds to win. Favourites have a higher probability of success thus have higher odds. In betting odds, the favourites have a smaller payout and thus have smaller numbers.

  In a win-or-lose scenario (no draws), favourites usually manifest like this:

  • Decimal: 1.80 or lower
  • American: -125 or lower
  • Fractional: 4/5 or lower

  You will need to bet more to win less when it comes to favourites in a win-or-lose scenario while you win more for less while betting the underdog. It all correlates to their chances of success. 

• What is the most popular type of bet in Ontario?

  There are many ways to bet but the most popular type of bet in Ontario is the "straight-up" bet or the "moneyline" going by American terms. This is when you bet on an outright winner. As a straight-up bet, the moneyline is available for almost every type of sport where there is a head-to-head aspect. 

  Betting on favourites will yield less payout than betting on underdogs. But betting on favourites has a higher chance of a payout.

  Next to the straight-up bet is the point spread. This is like the moneyline with an added caveat: a handicap. You bet on a team to "cover the spread", meaning they will win once the spread is added or deducted from them. 

  Different from the moneyline, the point spread usually has even odds. You get the same (or almost the same) from betting either the favourite or underdog. This is another popular type of bet in Ontario. 

• Why can’t I bet on the outcome of multiple games offline in Ontario?

  Betting limitations will keep you from betting on the outcome of multiple games for offline sports betting in Ontario. The Proline will only provide you with a limited selection of games to bet on. 

  Although the Proline's structure is for you bet in a parlay, meaning you need to bet on the outcome of multiple games offline. The catch with Proline is the "tie" option, which is essentially a close game between both teams. 

  This added category is what makes betting Proline complicated and why your odds of winning are even smaller. A "tie" is decided when the result is within 5 points for basketball, 3 points for football, or within 1 run in baseball.

  So even if your teams win their outcomes, they need to do so by more than the point and run totals listed above. Tough. And the payout isn't even as good as betting online.

• Can I bet on the outcome of multiple games online?

  You can bet on the outcome of multiple games online in most sportsbooks. This is also commonly known as "parlays", when you bet multiple outcomes into one collective wager. While many professional gamblers consider this an amateur move, it can still pay off in a big way.

  The way this works is you take one bet on an outcome, such as the Yankees beating the Blue Jays straight-up, and bet it together with another, like Bianca Andreescu winning her first-round match, straight-up.

  You will get a better payout if and only if all your outcomes win. There is also added risk here as your probability of success decreases with each outcome you add. But the payout will adjust to match this. 

  You can bet multiple outcomes into a single bet anywhere from eight to a dozen or more. Of course, the more outcomes you put, the more unlikely you will cash this bet. So bet a small amount and you can still win a lot! Think of it like winning the lottery.

• Who makes the best odds for bettors in Ontario?

  Finding the best odds for bettors in Ontario can be tricky and there are no easy answers. The best way to find out is to familiarize yourself with the different sportsbooks. Each book releases a different set of odds, although most will set odds that are similar to 90% of the rest.

  You can find a list of some betting odds from popular sportsbooks here at Canada Sports Betting. Our table lists these odds side-by-side so you don't have to go to these books separately to see. However, there are hundreds of different books so you may take a while to go "odds shopping".

  Another tip is to find which sportsbooks constantly offer better odds than the rest. Some books, as part of their marketing, will intentionally do this to get more bettors to sign up with them. 

• How to find the best odds for betting?

  To find the best odds for betting, you will have to look through each online sportsbook or check our odds pages to find the odds listed for you. There are hundreds of sportsbooks and it can take you a long time to find the best betting odds. 

  Other than using our tables and widgets, there is no shortcut to finding the best odds. It takes a while to do so usually through familiarity with the books.

  After you've familiarized yourself with odds shopping, you will notice which sportsbooks have better odds than the others. This is why it's useful to open an account for more than book. 

  Also, pay attention to the betting trends. The more action (wagers being bet on) an odd, the steeper it gets. So you will need to move quickly to find the best odds for favourites or popular underdogs.

• Can I bet on Super Bowl in Ontario?

  You can bet on the Super Bowl in Ontario. As the most popular professional sporting event in North America, the Super Bowl is viewed by hundreds of millions of people every year. Football diehards and casuals alike tune in every winter for this game.

  As such, online sportsbooks offer a fiesta of different odds and markets. Even sportsbooks that cater primarily to a Canadian clientele will offer plenty of Super Bowl odds and markets. Canadians also love the NFL and pay attention to the Super Bowl.

  You can find many types of Super Bowl odds from any sportsbook. The odds range from traditional markets like straight-up betting and point spread to both in-game and exotic props. 

  Almost everything including the singing of the national anthem, to the performers' outfits, to political commentary, to social media happenings, can be wagered. 

  Who knows, you may even have your own Super Bowl prop opened if you inquire within the sportsbooks.

• How can I find bonuses if I want to gamble online in Ontario?

  You can find bonuses when you gamble online in Ontario. It's not too difficult once you find online sportsbooks. We display the best sportsbooks with their sign-up offers listed. Most of the top sportsbooks offer a deposit bonus. 

  A deposit bonus comes in two types: the regular deposit bonus, where the books match your dollar deposits with cash to use for bets, or a no deposit bonus, where they will give you free cash for bets just for signing up. 

  Signup bonuses are easy to find, but you'll need to read carefully how to apply them. The other bonuses, which are like promotions, can be trickier to get. And only some sportsbooks offer these. 

  You can find bonuses by frequenting sports betting websites like Canada Sports Betting. Other sports sites should also have ads for online sportsbooks depending on what is currently being sponsored. 

  Narrow your search to the sports you want to bet. If you're into hockey, look for NHL and hockey websites and blogs.