Ontario Sports Betting

Ontario sports betting has changed dramatically as a new rule went into law, legalizing Ontario single game betting and online betting sites. Sports betting is now a fully legal, government-regulated industry in Canada’s biggest province, and much is changing. From NHL betting to NFL betting, Ontarians can now place their bets with fully regulated, authorized sites that are safer than ever before. Because of this, many Ontarians are joining new websites, and new Ontario sports betting sites are flooding in. A lot of changes are happening all at once, and there is a lot to catch up on. In this guide, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about Ontario betting. From Ontario betting apps to the new rule changes, we’ll be covering it all below. Ready? Let’s get started.

There are many different operators that have already received iGaming licenses, are currently waiting for iGaming licenses, or are operating in Ontario under different licenses. Let’s dive into some of the different betting sites that are heading to Ontario or have already arrived

We’ve dived right into it, but there are some important things we have to cover before we get any further. You’re probably thinking to yourself, wait! I was using Ontario sports betting sites well before these new laws. Was I breaking the law? What do these new changes even mean?

To sum a very complex issue up briefly, before these laws were implemented, betting in Canada was a legal gray area. Sports betting wasn’t legal, aside from parlay betting with the OLG and Proline. But using offshore betting sites, which were licensed and regulated outside of Canada, was not illegal and wasn’t punished. So single game betting could only be done through offshore websites.

Then, Bill C-218 was passed. This is a bill that allows provinces to determine their own future with sports betting. They could legalize and regulate it if they decided that was the best path forward.

Ontario jumped on this change first. They established iGaming Ontario, the regulatory body overseeing online sports betting, as an offshoot of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. These two regulatory bodies can now license and regulate sports betting sites within Ontario.

This means that single game and parlay betting are now completely provincially legal as of April 4th, 2022. These are dramatic changes that will have a significant impact on the industry for years to come.

Unlike Ontario, provinces like Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec still needs to open their door for other sportsbooks. They currently offer only provincial licensed sportsbooks that regulated by the government such as Play Alberta, Mise-O-Jeu and Play Now.

Up until very recently, Ontario single game betting was not legal and government regulated. If you were to make a legal bet, the only way you could do this was with a parlay. These could be made at convenience stores or gas stations with OLG and Proline, but online betting sites were not fully legal, and neither was single game betting.

Single game betting is exactly what it sounds like. It is a bet on a single game. Rather than multiple games, single bets only focus on outcomes in one game. These can also include prop bets within a game or things like point spreads, totals, and more. They are one outcome bets.

Then Bill C-218 was passed. This bill has put the power into the hands of the province to oversee legal single game and parlay betting in the region. Each province had the autonomy to allow its constituents the ability to place bets on single games. Ontario was the first to make it happen.

Now that single game sports betting in Ontario is fully legal, sportsbooks want to come to Toronto. Single game betting is a must for operators and bettors, and now it isn’t just a legal gray area; it is regulated and supported by the government.

Parlay betting has long been legal in Canada. This was the only form of betting that the government allowed. It was run through lottery companies that were provincially sponsored, like the OLG in Ontario. Parlay betting ties multiple bets under the umbrella of one. For a parlay to hit, each bet in it needs to hit. Parlays are high-risk, as they need multiple results to occur, but they have a high reward because they pay out big time.

Before the recent changes to Canadian gambling laws, parlay betting was the only form of betting that was government regulated. Bettors could place these bets with the OLG-sponsored Proline. The issue was the odds were significantly worse than what you could find online.

And while parlay betting is a thrill, if the only bets you can make are parlays, this forces bettors to take risks. Parlays are risky because they are multi-faceted. But they can also pay out more than any other form of betting.

Parlay betting is a blast, and at Betpicks, we offer insights into everything from World Cup parlays and EPL parlays and beyond. If done correctly, parlays are a great way for bettors to maximize their earnings, and our picks offer helpful suggestions for you to win big with some parlay bets.

Let’s look at some important information to note about the legality of Ontario online betting.

Is Betting Legal in Ontario?

To put it shortly, sports betting in Ontario is now fully legal if you are of age and using licensed websites. Single game betting is now regulated by the government. It is no longer a legal gray area. It is a bona fide industry.

What is the New Law Trying to Achieve?

The new law benefits the government, citizens, and sportsbooks. Let’s look at how it benefits each party.

For citizens, this new law offers protection. If bettors use an iGaming website, they have assurances that they are using a fully legitimate operator. To become iGaming certified, sportsbooks have to undergo rigorous testing. Things like security and fairness are now assured.

From the perspective of the government, they can now tax the sports betting industry and regulate it to ensure safety and data security. A huge number of Ontarians were already using offshore betting sites regardless of legality. Now the government gets to tax the operators profiting from Canadians and has a heightened level of control over how these operators work.

For sportsbooks, the legal confusion over gambling disappears. They can now advertise on TV, radio, and billboards. It is no longer a gray area. They can actively recruit new users. They will likely see their user bases grow as their legitimacy in the eyes of the public increases.

This is a rare situation where every party benefits.

Now that betting is fully legal in Ontario, there are a lot of people looking to get in the game. There’s a lot to know about sports betting before you get started. Let’s break down some of the things you need to do before you ever make that first bet.

• Find the Right Sportsbook: Every operator has something different to offer. We’ve listed several top-notch ones above, but there are many other great options for Ontarians.
• Do Your Research: Research is a huge asset in betting. Familiarize yourself with betting trends, recent player and team performances, and read betting articles.
• Find the Features You Like: One thing about sportsbooks is that each one will have different features. Find the ones that are important to you. Whether that is a mobile app or Bet Boosts and Bet Builders, find the features you prioritize and find the sportsbooks that offer them.
• Browse Our Free Picks: We offer an array of free picks in different sports, from NHL free picks to EPL free picks. You can browse our large host of different expert predictions and analyses. These are completely free, no-string-attached predictions for different markets. These can offer you insights and inspiration for upcoming games.

Most popular markets in Ontario

• Moneyline: A Moneyline bet is on one team to win the game.
• Point Spread: A Point Spread bet is on a line that represents the score differential in favor of a team. Bettors can bet for or against that spread. For the spread means they’ll surpass that differential, against means they won’t.
• Total: A Total is a bet on a line that represents the total amount of points two teams will combine to score in a game. Bettors can bet over, meaning they’ll score more, or under, meaning they’ll score fewer.
• Outrights: An Outright bet is a long-term bet on something to occur in a league. This can be something like who will win a championship or MVP.
• Game/Player Props: Game/Player Props are outcomes within a game that don’t necessarily impact the final score. A game prop is based on teams; a player prop is based on individuals. Game props could be something like which team will be winning after the first quarter or how many penalties two teams will combine for. A player prop is something like how many goals a player will have or how many rebounds a player will get.

Just because online betting Ontario is now legal doesn’t mean that anyone can do it. There are still rules in place that govern who can and can’t place bets. Let’s look at who is eligible to bet with the iGaming regulated sites in Ontario.

For starters, one of the most important factors here is that bettors need to be located within Ontario. Some websites require the installation of geo-tracker software that verifies you are within the Ontario borders. Bettors must also have an address in Ontario.

The other important factor is that you are the legal gambling age. In Ontario, the legal gambling age is 19 and over. So if you are 19 years old, reside in Ontario, and are currently located in Ontario, you are free to start your online gambling journey.

The great part of iGaming and the new gambling laws is that bettors have assurances. Not every sportsbook is going to be able to get an iGaming license, so if a sportsbook has that iGaming verification, you can bank on the fact that it is safe and reliable. That means if you want to make some soccer picks and parlays, it is safest to do so with an iGaming website.

This is because there are rigorous standards to get the license. Let’s look at some of the different things that make a sportsbook eligible for a license.

There are a lot of different regulations and rules that a sportsbook must live up to in order to receive its license from iGaming and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

The games on the website must be Independent Testing Laboratory certified, iGaming secure data and information channels must be established, and financial information must be shared. They’ll check operator systems, establish regulatory reporting, and more.

Essentially, there are a lot of hoops betting operators have to jump through to get their license. But this ensures that only the safest and highest quality sportsbooks receive licenses.