Getting Started with Sports Betting in Ontario

Odds are always a big factor to consider when it comes to choosing a betting site because a bookie that consistently offers good odds has the promise of offering long term value.

If you’re new to betting, odds may be a little difficult to measure and compare yourself, but we make use of a margin calculator, to see what kind of value different sportsbooks are offering.

Betting lines refer to the different bet types that can be found on a sportsbook, and in this case, it’s the more the better.

Who doesn’t love having options?

With more betting lines comes more possibilities to win. More betting lines also mean more possibility to diversify your bets, which can make encounters far more interesting to follow.

Support is another factor that holds great importance for users, both new and old.

If you’re having issues with your account, or with placing bets, you’ll want to know that a bookmaker’s support staff has your back.

Over the years, betting sites have become better at implementing more sophisticated support options for users - but it is still an area several betting sites could improve on.

Payment methods tend to be quite an underrated feature of betting sites that a number of people often overlook.

Not having access to the right payment methods will inevitably make your life more difficult, so make sure to check that the sportsbook you’re interested in accepts payments through methods that you’re familiar with, and feel comfortable using.

Features refer to all the nifty ways sportsbooks can make your life easier. Features involve everything from parlay builders and cash out to live streaming and betting tips.

With all the new betting sites that have begun popping out all over the show, there are plenty of new and exciting features available.

Features truly have the power to make or break a betting site.

The money line is the most common bet type available on Ontario sportsbooks.

Simply choose between whether you think the home team will win, the away team will win, or whether the event will end in a draw.

Another highly popular and common bet type to become available to Ontario bettors, spread betting is a little harder to explain but can be best described as applying an advantage to a particular team.

When betting on the spread you’re essentially betting on one team to win or lose by a certain number of points. You’re betting on whether they will “cover the spread”.

So if a - 2.5 spread has been applied to the Eagles, and they beat the Commanders by 6, they will have covered the spread.

If you’re a newbie, we recommend sticking to the money line, and learning a bit more before you start betting on spreads.

Betting on totals is another common bet type found on Ontario sportsbooks, and refers to a bettor betting on the total points or goals scored in a game.

What’s important to remember is that totals refer to all points. We’ve had a few buddies in our time think that totals refer to a certain team, but if you bet on the 3.5 Totals for the Maple Leaves vs. The Senators, and the game would somehow end 2 - 2, you’d win your bet.

Popular in North American sports, betting on periods involves betting on a certain team to win a certain period in the game.

So if the Maple Leafs go into the second period 3 -2, and end the period at 3 -3, they would have won the second period, and if you had placed a bet on them winning the second, you would win your bet.

A term Ontario residents may be a little too familiar with, parlays have been the go-to way to bet legally since the 90s.

Betting on parlays involves betting on a number of different outcomes with the same stake. You need all of your selections to be correct for the bet to win.

The truth is that Parlays can return great value, and on the betting sites available in Ontario, the value in terms of odds is far better.

You can see a small stake get turned into big winnings when betting on parlays, and while the odds are long, parlays can be exciting to follow.

Live streaming allows you to watch games as they happen, which can better inform your betting strategy.

Usually, all that is required of you is to create an account to access this feature, but in some cases, you’ll need to place a bet to watch some streaming.

Another classic feature on a lot of international betting sites, cash-out enables you to reclaim some of your stake once you’ve claimed a bet.

Cash out ensures you a little more security, so that if that bet you placed is looking like its going sideways.

You can cash out your bets after your bet has been placed. Usually, there’ll be a button toward the bottom of your bet slip that says cash out, with the amount you’d be able to receive back.

Partial cash out follows the same model, where you’re able to claim back some of the stake, but this time around, you get to choose how much of your available stake you’d like to receive back.

Whether you’ve been betting on parlays this whole time, or not, we all know that placing a winning bet feels a little like rocket science.

The good thing is that you’re not alone, it’s hard for everyone. That’s why a lot of betting sites have detailed blogs that include betting tips and news to keep you update.

These are the perfect resources to use when you’re not sure about which bets to place.

Parlays are great, but we love to see a bookie that offers same game parlays.

Same game parlays allows you to bet on different lines within the same game.

You can bet on the Maple Leafs to win the game, score first, and for the total goals to be over 2.5 for example.

Good question!

You can head over to the “open bets” tab to view any bets that you have placed.

We’re not really in a position to tell you how much you should or shouldn’t bet.

All we can tell you is that we never advise placing an amount of money down that you’re unhappy parting ways with.

We feel this question has two real answers.

Physically selecting odds involves clicking in the little box that the odds are placed in.

Choosing which odds to select takes a little more intuition, which we feel is best aided by reading betting tips, sports articles and the like.

This is again something that can be aided by the reading of betting tips or blogs that can be found on betting sites.

We aren’t a betting tips service, unfortunately, so we’re unable to help you here.

If you’re a newbie, we recommend betting on money lines to start off with.

As you gain more experience, you can start betting on more lines, and eventually make the jump to live betting.

One of the areas that the AGCO wants operators to improve is when it comes to the monitoring of any suspicious activity.

The issuing of the Ontario license will be based on the tenet that operators will be expected to work in tandem with iGaming Ontario to highlight any suspicious activity.

At the end of the day, sportsbooks are financial institutions that handle large sums of money, which could lead to unsavoury characters using these services for the wrong reasons.

iGaming Ontario has also tasked themselves with ensuring that insiders, in the forms of coaches, players, and referees are prevented from betting to ensure that sports games are kept free from the (not so) invisible hand of bias.

We’ve seen it a number of times in the past, players and referees have discarded their integrity to swing games for the promise of a large payout.

Part of the goal of the AGCO is to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

Part of the update to Ontario sports betting legality is the clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the various actors and shareholders.

The main players in this regard are the operators - to make sure that they’re complying with the standards set out by the iGaming Ontario

iGaming Ontario has also taken these matters into their own hands by ensuring that they appoint “registered independent integrity monitors”.

This point is touched on briefly by the AGCO, and mainly targets the age of event participants and certain financial type bets.

The main goal here is to ensure that betting criteria are kept fair, and within reach, so that betting operators don’t set ridiculous requirements for bettors to be able to withdraw their money.

To ensure clarity when it comes to certain events, the AGCO aims to add sport, and event betting related definitions, to ensure all parties are aware of the options they have.

This change revolves largely around the improvement of advertising practices to ensure that all advertising is in fact truthful, ensuring that all parties involved have all the information they need when consuming information.

It was estimated that Ontario lost out on an estimated $1,5 billion in tax revenue as commercial sports betting was not live for the superbowl.

OLG Proline product secured a partnership with the NFL in what was Canada’s first official sportsbook partnership.

Pointsbet announced that it was a licensed operator in Ontario, which would be effective from 4 April.

The province also announced that the sports betting in the province would be live from 4 April, and theScore, another sportsbook was awarded the license too.

OLG announced new retail sports betting products in the province.

Ontario announces that legal sports betting will launch on 4 April 2022.

Toronto Star reports that 42% of bets on ProLine+ have been placed on in-game wagers.

Entain and MGM Resorts announce plans to launch BetMGM in Canada - both through online sportsbook and online casino products.

Major Casino owners in the province suggest Ontario will lose out on $550 million each year for the next five years by opening up the province to outside operators.

Great Canadian Gaming also try to sway the government from opening up the province to international betting sites.

NorthStar gaming announces a partnership with market leading sportsbook providers PlayTech to launch online casino and sportsbook products in Ontario.

Pointsbet announced a partnership with the NHL alumni Association, making Pointsbet the NHLAA’s exclusive sports betting partner in Canada, as well as an official partner in the US.