Sports Betting in Ontario

Author: Lewis Humphries, Fact Checked by Kayleigh Williams, Last Updated on 10.04.2024

There has been a staggering growth in the iGaming and Ontario sports betting markets since the launch in 2022. Punters will currently find eight dedicated sports betting sites and a further 20 sites offering both sports and casino wagering.

This comprehensive guide will detail what the best regulated sports betting sites in Ontario are, which markets you can access through these platforms, and much more.

Casimoose's Recommended Sportsbooks in Ontario

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🏆 Best Sports Betting Sites in Ontario

I’ll start by appraising the best Ontario sports betting sites, from the growing number of reputable and licensed platforms that are currently available. Remember, Ont sports betting is the only Canadian market that accepts international gambling operators, so you can take your pick from some of the best-known brands around.

1️⃣ Betway

Where else but to start with Betway? This is a globally renowned sportsbook and undoubtedly one of the best sports betting sites in Ontario.

Here, you’ll find access to more than 30 different sporting categories, unlocking thousands of betting markets for disciplines such as ice hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis and even global MMA tournaments.

Betway is also an Ontario betting site that live streams a large number of tournaments within these sports, including iconic soccer events such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League. Its cash-out feature is also among the most generous around too, while you’re able to customise your bet slips with Betway and benefit from highly competitive odds.

Go read our comprehensive Betway Ontario review for more on this world renowned sportsbook.

2️⃣ 888Sport

Like Betway, 888Sport is a much-loved and trusted betting site, and one that has been quick to make its mark in Ontario.

You can also access more than 30 sports at this Ontario online sports betting platform, including ice hockey, American football, tennis, and horse racing. These disciplines also unlock a large range of in-play betting markets, making 888Sport the home of live and micro wagering in Ontario.

I also particularly like 888Sport’s ‘Bet Builder’ feature, which allows you to create unique wagers that combine alternative markets. This type of wager can include both ante-post and in-play markets, while it can unlock generous odds and generous returns.

Check our deep dive 888 Ontario review and discover what else this ON sportsbook has to offer.

3️⃣ PokerStars Sport

No list of betting sites in Ontario would be complete without including PokerStars Sport, with the iGaming giants currently the primary sponsor of the Toronto Maple Leafs (who are a professional ice hockey side that plies its trade in the NHL).

The brand has certainly become an increasingly a key player among the leading Ontario sports books in recent times, despite only offering access to 23 sporting categories. This number at least includes ice hockey, American football, soccer and basketball, while PokerStars Sports has developed a range of features to keeps its customers engaged.

There’s the ‘RequestABet’ feature, for example, which allows you to request odds for an outcome or sporting event that isn’t listed on the site. PokerStars Sports also offers highly competitive and enhanced odds, making them an attractive option when wagering on major sporting events.

Stay up to date through our PokerStars Ontario review where we delve deeper into the full spectrum of services this legendary betting site in Ontario has to offer.

4️⃣ LeoVegas Sport

Similar to PokerStars Sport, LeoVegas started out as an iGaming brand before developing a highly competitive sportsbook that’s accessible across the globe. If you want to bet in Ontario, LeoVegas Sport is undoubtedly one of the market-leading, with 30 different sporting categories available including ice hockey, baseball, soccer and golf.

LeoVegas is another betontario site that enables you to construct bespoke bet slips and wagers, while the platform’s comprehensive VIP membership enables those of you at Level 30 or above to make an unlimited number of withdrawals each month.

LeoVegas is also home to arguably the best sports betting app in Ontario, and one that earned an award for the ‘Best Native App’ at the EGR Marketing and Innovation ceremony in 2017.

This brand has more to offer. Go read our LeoVegas Ontario review for all the information you need to know.

5️⃣ Royal Panda Sports

At Royal Panda Sports, you can also bet on more than 30 different sports and thousands of associated markets, with ante-post and in-play wagers both well represented. You can wager on the NFL, MBL and NBA through Royal Panda Sports, along with prominent soccer competitions including the Canadian Premier League.

Royal Panda is also arguably the best sportsbook in Ontario for providing gambling insights and up-to-the-second gaming statistics to punters. This data can be used to inform both ante-post and in-play wagers online, while it’s also useful when formulating micro bets profiting from seemingly insignificant in-game events.

Read Kayleigh's Royal Panda Ontario review for further details on what makes it the best sportsbook to bet in Ontario.

Note: Players need to be 19+ and its important to gamble responsibly. Visit: connexontario.ca

📱 Sports Betting Apps Ontario

It's no surprise people are looking for more conveniences in their lives. Sportsbooks have listened to this growing demand by creating dedicated and accessible channels through which punters can wager. Mobile betting is available at most, if not all, sportsbooks.

Responsively designed mobile websites or even dedicated apps on iOS and Android, is the preference among many punters to place their sports bets.

But what can you expect when using the best Ontario sports betting app software, and what are the key design features to keep in mind?

🔐 Secure and Transparent Payments

The single most important consideration is an app’s security and transparency, as you must use software that has been developed by licensed sportsbooks and designed using a number of encryption fixtures.

These include SSL and 128-bit data encryption, which help to secure the transfer of data and any financial transactions that are completed through the app. Similarly, the market-leading betting apps tend to deploy two or multifactor authentication to secure your account, requiring you to enter a unique code that has been sent to another registered device in addition to your password.

Betting agencies and their apps tend to be underpinned by secure codes. An example of secured programming, such codes follow strict principles and are designed to eliminate bugs and prevent vulnerabilities from appearing in the software’s architecture.

According to a report from IT Pro Portal, 82% of app vulnerabilities appear in the application source code. So, the best betting apps in Ontario negate this threat by using secure codes that are incredibly robust and less likely to be targeted by hackers.

📌 Ease of Use and Navigation

While security is undoubtedly the most important consideration when engaging with online sports betting in Ontario through a mobile device, it’s also important to ensure that you can navigate the app’s interface with ease.

More specifically, the best apps will be designed to provide consistently fast loading times and accessible drop-down menus, while key headers and information pertaining to high-profile sporting events should ideally be positioned above the fold.

Overall, you should prioritise apps that have simple and logical navigation, regardless of whether they’re accessed in landscape or portrait mode. It should also be easy to process deposits and withdrawals through your app, with the fewer actions required to securely complete transactions the better.

The installation process should also be quick, simple, and completely hassle-free, although you can help in this regard by ensuring that you’re downloading the very latest compatible iteration of the software on your device.

📌 Customer Support on the App

Whether you gamble through a desktop device, mobile browser or native app, it’s crucial that you can access responsive and helpful customer support as and when required.

When wagering on a native app, you’ll want to ensure that the platform’s ‘Live Chat’ feature is readily accessible at all times. This is achieved by apps that deploy so-called “floating action” buttons, which appear in the same place on every screen and can be accessed with a single touch.

Of course, mobile sportsbooks in Ontario that offer 24/7 live chat support provide far greater peace of mind than others, but regardless of the channels in play and their accessibility, you should be able to contact agents quickly and easily.

The best sports betting brands also integrate a comprehensive FAQ resource into their apps. This will enable you to access answers to the most common and generic customer queries, which can potentially negate the need to speak directly to an agent in the process.

📌 The Best Ontario Betting Apps

The question that remains, of course, is which Ontario sports betting apps best tick these boxes and deliver the most immersive mobile gambling experience to punters? I’ve outlined five of the most impressive Ontario betting apps below.

Brand/App	Operating Systems	Key Features
	Android and iOS	Extensive live streaming of major sporting events Fast withdrawals Ease of navigation
	Android and iOS	Accessible menus and fast load times Diverse in-play betting features Comprehensive FAQ resource
	Android and iOS	Access early cashout features Extensive live streaming and live score commentary In-play betting markets across more than 30 sporting categories
	Android and iOS	Access to award-winning casino and sportsbook verticals ‘Best Native App’ Winner (EGR Marketing and Innovation 2017) Downloadable straight from the online sportsbook’s site
	iOS	Access to a huge range of mobile payment options Maximum deposit limit of $15,000 across all methods Increased withdrawal thresholds

✅ iGaming Ontario List of Approved Sportsbooks

When the Ontario betting market launched in April 2022, it became the first Canadian province to accept license applications for international gambling brands. As a result, the Ontario single-game betting market is one of the largest and most competitive in the whole of Canada, and one that granted iGO and sportsbooks licenses to 27 operators so far.

These include the best online sports betting Ontario sites listed earlier in this guide, alongside similarly reputable brands such as BetVictor, Bwin and North American market leaders BetMGM Sportsbook.

Here is my comprehensive list of the sportsbooks that are licensed in Ontario at the time of writing this guide.

🍁 How Online Sports Betting in Ontario Works?

Now that you know where to engage with sports and single-game betting in Ontario, the next step is to understand exactly how the broader market works in more detail. I’m going to drill down into the key elements of Ontario sports betting below, starting with the most popular markets and wager types in the province.

1️⃣ Moneyline or Win Bets

I’ll start with the single most popular and easy-to-understand betting market, albeit one that’s known by different names across the globe.

Of course, I’m talking about ‘moneyline’ betting, which requires you to wager on the winner of a particular game, match or race. This may also be referred to as a ‘win’ bet in Europe, while it also underpins single-game sports betting in Ontario and similar provinces.

In some markets (such as tennis betting, for example), moneyline wagers are even money bets that requires you to choose from two potential outcomes. However, it’s a little more complex when betting on soccer matches in tournaments such as the English Premier League, where the draw is a viable option and one that decreases your chances of winning.

In horse racing, it can be even harder to select the winner of a particular race, although this market enables you to leverage ‘each-way’ betting and recoup at least some of your stake when your runner finishes in second, third or fourth place (depending on the size of the field and any special promotional offers that may be in play).

2️⃣ Totals or Over / Under Betting

You’ll regularly come across ‘totals’ betting at the best Ontario sportsbooks, but what exactly does this mean and what does the market look like?

Well, the type of wager (which is also referred to as over/under betting in Europe) is an even money bet that can be applied to individual matches across a broad range of sports. For example, you may be able to bet on the total number of points to be scored during a particular NBA game, with sportsbooks setting theoretical totals before publishing the relevant odds.

You can subsequently bet on whether the actual total will come in over or under your preferred threshold, based on your knowledge of the competing sides and relevant datasets such as form and injury news.

To provide some context, let’s say that you’d chosen to bet on the recent NBA clash between the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons. This thrilling and high-octane clash resulted in a 119-118 win for the Raptors, so if your preferred sportsbook set a totals line of 199 points you wagered on the combined points total being higher than this, your bet would have been successful and you’d have banked a return.

Conversely, if you’d bet on there being less than 199 points scored, your bet would have been unsuccessful and your stake lost.

3️⃣ The Points Spread Wager

Points spread betting is also referred to by another name, as it may be described as ‘handicap betting’ in some jurisdictions and markets across the globe. This is a slightly more complex and niche betting market, not least because it’s best deployed on matches where there’s a clear and relatively short-price favourite.

In this instance, sportsbooks may assign a theoretical number of points that they believe the favourite will win by, with this creating a points spread betting market that offers superior value and slightly longer odds.

The nature and scale of the available points spreads will vary depending on the sport and participating side (as will the odds), but this is another excellent way of creating value while leveraging any particular sporting knowledge or insight that you have.

If I use the previous example of the NBA clash between the Raptors and the Pistons, the ante-post prices suggested that the Canadian side were heavy moneyline favourites to prevail (as they ultimately did). However, sportsbooks also created markets where they assigned a five-point spread in favour of the Raptors, and those of you who thought that the Canadians would win by at least five points would have taken this wager.

However, if you believed that the Pistons would win or lose by four points or less, you’d eschew the points spread and wager on the side to win at the published moneyline odds.

In this case, your points spread bet would have been unsuccessful, which highlights how important it is to be selective in this market and use your sporting knowledge to create a competitive advantage.

4️⃣ Parlay and Accumulator Bets

You may have heard the terms ‘parlay’ and ‘accumulator’ betting, however, you may not be aware that they describe exactly the same type of wager and are used interchangeably in different parts of the world.

Parlays and acca bets include multiple selections within a single wager, while they’re typically deployed when betting on soccer match results or the winners of multiple horse races.

You can include anywhere between four and 20 different selections in your bet, with each outcome’s individual prices multiplied together to create extended odds that reflect your increased risk. All of your selections must come in for a parlay or accumulator bet to be successful, which is why you’re best served by incorporating relatively short-price favourites into your wager.

However, many Ontario sportsbooks offer so-called “acca insurance”, which will ensure that you can recoup a percentage of your stake if all but one of your accumulator selections wins, with this typically awarded in the form of free bets cashback offers. Look out for acca price boosts too, which have the potential to increase your returns without overly compromising your chances of winning.

5️⃣ Prop Betting on Players and Games

Prop betting is slightly different from the wagering markets referenced above, in that it isn’t tied to the final score or result of one or more matches.

Instead, they focus on specific in-game events and individual player performance, opening a huge range of ante-post and in-play markets and micro bets in the process.

A game prop may focus on events such as the first goal scorer in a particular soccer match, or the first side to score 20 points in a game of basketball or American football. In the case of micro-betting, you can even place in-play bets on the team that will win the next corner in a soccer match, creating the opportunity to make small but recurring profits when watching a particular game.

A player prop bet will relate to specific performance metrics, such as how many passing yards a quarterback makes in an NFL match or if a basketball star achieves a ‘double-double’. This type of bet usually offers extended and competitive odds, although this reflects the increased risk in play and the need for specific sporting knowledge and insight.

💯 What About the Odds?

In Ontario, odds are likely to be displayed in either decimal or money formats. However, prices may also be presented in fractional form, with this often preferable if you’re a beginner as it makes it much easier to determine the value and calculate returns.

For example, let’s say that English Premier League side Arsenal is 2/1 to beat Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. This means that the sportsbook (the first party in the fraction) is willing to lay twice the amount staked by a punter (the second party) that this particular outcome won’t happen.

This represents a ‘lay’ wager to your ‘back’ bet, while the sportsbook in question will pay out at a ratio of 2/1 if you back Arsenal to win and the wager is successful. If you place this wager and lose, however, your stake will be lost along with the chance to bank a profit.

But how do sportsbooks set such odds in the first place? Well, they factor in a number of variables, which in this instance will include analysis of each participant’s form (including a breakdown of form both home and away), historic performance and the latest injury or suspension news. Similarly, published odds may shorten or lengthen in real-time as bets continue to flood in, as bookies readjust their expectations and account for potential payouts.

Single-game sports betting Ontario sites will also include the so-called “vig” (short for “vigorish”) in their calculations. This refers to the commission charged by a sportsbook for placing your bet, and this typically ranges between 5% and 10% depending on your choice of market and wager.

The odds published by sportsbooks can also be used to calculate both your own potential returns and the implied probability of a particular outcome happening. In fact, there’s a calculation that can be used to understand implied probability in relation to specific odds, although this varies slightly when dealing with the moneyline format and positive or negative prices. For example:

Negative odds: Odds / (Odds +100) * 100 = Implied Probability

Positive odds: 100 / (Odds +100) * 100 = Implied Probability

To understand these equations further, let’s take a look at the aforementioned and recent NBA game between the Raptors and the Pistons in Toronto. I’ve applied the moneyline format here while taking the average prices from prior to the match:

Toronto Raptors -310: 310/(310+100) * 100 = 75.6%

Detroit Pistons +245: 100/(245+100) * 100 = 28.9 %

As you can see, the Raptors were the heavy sportsbook favourites to prevail here, reflecting an implied probability of 75.6% in relation to a Toronto victory. Conversely, the Pistons had just a 28.9% chance of winning statistically, and understanding this ahead of time can help you to make more informed betting decisions and determine your optimal stake values.

🧾 Understanding Bet Slips

Typically, your bet slip will appear in the top right-hand corner of your display when you start loading selections. Of course, there are variations from one sportsbook to the next, but selected outcomes will appear on a virtual slip alongside the relevant odds (at the time the wager was placed), your stake amount and a description of your wager type.

Before you confirm your bet, you’ll also be able to see your potential returns, based on the precise type of wager that you’ve placed and your selected stake.

When you’re building accumulator bets, you can incorporate between four and 20 selections into a single wager. Of course, the wager’s odds will continue to change with each new selection, so it’s imperative that you review this constantly as you try to strike the ideal balance between risk and reward.

On this subject, I’d recommend limiting your accumulator or parlay bets to between six and eight selections. While you can increase this number to around 10 when accessing acca insurance, operating at this level helps you to manage your risk while still accessing competitive and rewarding odds (depending on your selections, of course).

On a similar note, you may want to consider prioritising short-price favourites when building your accumulator bets. After all, this will increase your chances of winning markedly, while it may only have a slight impact in terms of lowering your final acca odds.

🏅 What Can You Bet On in Ontario?

Not only do Ontario sports betting sites offer a broad range of sporting categories, but many also enable you to wager on a much more diverse selection of markets, events and outcomes. I’ll touch on these in a little more detail below, just in case you want to broaden your betting horizons and diversify into other markets.

🏒 Sports

As I’ve already touched on, most of the best Ontario sportsbooks offer access to 30 or more sporting categories, including stapes such as ice hockey (which is Canada’s national winter sport), American football, soccer and tennis.

This includes access to potentially thousands of markets and sporting events, including iconic examples such as the NHL (National Hockey League), NFL (National Football League in the US) and the English Premier League.

The Canadian Premier League (which launched in 2019) has also popularised soccer betting in Ontario, with moneyline and outright wagering particularly popular across such markets.

More niche sports are also represented in Canada too. These include darts, Rugby Union and international MMA events, while you can also wager on selected horse races and events at Ontario sportsbooks.

🎮 Esports

Esports is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, from the perspective of viewership figures, sponsorship contributions and the amounts wagered on competitive tournaments every year.

Some of Ontario’s best sportsbooks offer access to a broad array of esports betting markets, with Betway offering a relevant case in point. This operator provides competitive tournament odds on games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Dota 2, League of Legends (LoL), Call of Duty, Overwatch, Rainbow 6 and FIFA.

What’s more, Betway is the official sponsor of associated events such as BIG, Invictus Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Made in Brazil, Blast Premier and Dreamhack Masters.

While the range of betting markets associated with esports isn’t particularly large, you can wager on the outright winner of specific tournaments and the individual matches that take place during the competition.

📣 Politics

Politics betting remains a relatively niche market, but one that receives regular boosts during national elections in Canada, the US and Europe (especially high-profile and developed countries such as the UK).

In terms of general wagering, you can bet on markets such as the next Prime Minister or President in a specific country, while also speculating on the date that a nation’s current leader will leave office.

With an American election scheduled for November 2024, Ontario sportsbooks are already offering ante-post odds on the identity of the next US President. At the same time, you can wager on the most likely Democratic and Republican candidates for office, along with their respective Vice President nominations.

Like sports betting, those of you with political knowledge and understanding can gain a competitive advantage in these markets, especially when it comes to identifying odds that offer genuine value.

🎤 Music and Entertainment

Last, but not least, I’ve come to music and entertainment betting, which also unlocks a huge and diverse array of markets from across the globe.

Perhaps the best and most popular example is the Oscars, with this annual event celebrating Hollywood’s best films, actors, directors and screenwriters. In excess of 40 million US citizens alone regularly watch the Oscars each year, while people from a large number of countries are intrigued by the event and regularly wager on outcomes and winners.

Another popular betting market is the ‘Eurovision Song Contest’. This iconic European event is hosted on the continent every single year, with the beleaguered nation of Ukraine the most recent winner following a groundswell of emotional support from their European neighbours.

In this market, you can wager on the next host country (with Ukraine unable to fulfil this duty due to the ongoing war) and the outright winner, while also betting on which nation will perform bet in a particular region (such as Scandinavia or Eastern Europe).

💳 How to Fund your Ontario Sportsbook Account

By this stage, you should have a clear idea of where to wager in Ontario and some of the most popular betting markets. But how can you about funding your chosen Ontario sportsbook account, and what are the primary payment methods available to players?

🔔 How to Credit Your Ontario Sportsbook Account

Let us start by outlining the basic process when funding your Ontario sportsbook account. This includes the following steps:

1. Create Your Sportsbook Account

You’ll first need to register for an account and verify your ID manually (if prompted). At this stage, head to the online cashier section.

2. Hit ‘Deposit’ and Choose Your Payment Method

At this stage, simply click through the ‘Deposit’ button and select your preferred payment (I’ll touch more on your options in Ontario below). Then, choose the amount you’d like to deposit and ensure that this is above the minimum threshold allowed by the payment provider.

3. Confirm the Transaction

Then, simply check the relevant details and confirm the deposit. You’ll have to enter your password at this stage, or may be sent a unique verification code to one of your registered devices and asked to use this as confirmation.

4. Check Your Account and Start Wagering

You’ll now be redirected to your main account page, at which point your cash deposit should have been added to your balance. If not, you may want to contact customer support, while noting that some deposit methods take a little longer to be processed online (such as debit card transactions or wire transfers).

💰 Online Payment Methods in Ontario

Your preferred payment methods can have a significant bearing on your choice of Ontario sportsbook, as each operator offers a variable range of options, limits and potential charges. Below, I’ve outlined the most popular and secure Ontario payment methods, while taking a closer look at their potential pros and cons.

💲 PayPal

PayPal is the world’s leading e-wallet and one of the fastest-growing payment options in Ontario. This is inherently secure and enables you to link multiple credit and debit cards and bank accounts to your PayPal, so you can access multiple funding sources through a single interface.

💲 Visa Debit and MasterCard

Visa and MasterCard are the two most popular payment services in the world and are widely accepted across all Ontario sportsbooks. Renowned for its high transaction limits and instant deposits (although withdrawals can take up to five working days), Visa debit cards and MasterCards are also highly secure among the most trusted payment partners across a broad range of industries and markets.

💲 American Express

Similarly, you can credit your sportsbook account securely using American Express and your AMEX card. While this allows for instant deposits, however, you won’t be able to withdraw winnings from your sportsbook through this method, while there are usually transaction fees to consider too. However, this does enable you to deposit a larger single amount than other debit and credit cards.

💲 Neteller and Skrill

Neteller and Skrill are two incredibly popular and widely used e-wallets, which are secured by 128-bit SSL encryption and renowned for processing instant deposits and withdrawals within 24 hours. However, the fees and charges utilised by Neteller and Skrill mean that they’re always widely available at online sportsbooks in Ontario, so you’ll need to review an operator’s full range of payment methods before making an informed decision.

💲 InstaDebit

As the name suggests, InstaDebit acts as a de facto extension of your bank account. This lends itself to incredibly secure (albeit relatively slow) withdrawals, although deposits should be completed instantly and show in your account immediately. However, there’s a $2 fee when completing a deposit or withdrawal, making it unattractive in instances where you’re completing small-value transactions.

💲 Paysafecard

The Paysafecard is a prepaid deposit method and one that takes the form of individual vouchers. These are both secure and ideal from the perspective of responsible gambling, as they enable you to manage your bankroll carefully and cannot be reloaded once they’ve been used. Paysafecard vouchers are available at a range of Ontario retailers, while there are no fees involved and you process transactions without sharing your most personal data.

💲 ecoPayz

Similar to the Paysafecard, ecoPayz is another secure and largely prepaid option that enables you to gamble responsibly and store your funds safely online. Ultimately, it’s also quick and easy to deposit funds from your ecoPayz wallets into your Ontario sportsbook account, while once again, you won’t have to share bank card details or sensitive information with the operator. The only downside here is that ecoPayz withdrawals command a nominal fee, depending on the size of the transaction in question.

⭐ How Casimoose Reviews and Rates Sportsbooks in Ontario?

When the team at Casimoose compares the best online sportsbooks in Ontario, the range of payment methods available is one of five metrics that are used to rank these operators accordingly. Here’s my breakdown of this five-star system and what to look for when analysing individual operator reviews which is similar to the format we use to rate betting sites in canada in general.

#1. License and Reputation

As I’ve already touched on, every sportsbook in Ontario must be fully licensed and regulated. More specifically, they must have been awarded an official iGaming Ontario (iGO) license by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), with 27 different sportsbooks from around the world having earned this accreditation to date. These credentials should be displayed on each sportsbook’s website, while I’d also recommend checking out some independent player reviews to determine an operator’s wider performance and reputation.

#2. Betting Markets and Key Features

While some Ontario sportsbooks offer access to more than 36 sports categories, operators such as PokerStars Sport are limited to just 23. This highlights how each sportsbook differs in terms of its total betting markets, while this can have a key bearing on your experience when wagering at a particular sportsbook. Sites are also appraised according to the range of features that they offer, including profit boosts and enhanced odds promotions, acca insurance and real-time data analytics in relation to certain events.

#3. Payment Options with Quick and Secure Transactions

I’ve already discussed the acceptable range of payment methods available in the Ontario marketplace, but this is just one consideration when judging online sportsbooks. It’s also important to appraise the speed of deposits and withdrawals, while factoring in each sportsbook’s internal processing times and whether or not transactions are completed over the weekend. All betting sites and apps should also deploy 128-bit SSL encryption as a minimum standard, in order to secure every transaction that you process.

#4. Site Safety and Responsible Gambling

Of course, Ontario sportsbooks and betting apps can also feature 256-bit encryption, which offers even greater security and peace of mind to players. At the same time, it’s also important that sites are reviewed in terms of their data protection policies, which must take steps to safeguard players information and comply with provincial laws in Ontario. On a similar note, the best Ontario sportsbooks also take responsible gambling incredibly seriously and are required to offer direct links to relevant support groups and charities for problem behaviour.

#5. Available Support Channels and Response Times

The five-star ratings system at Casimoose also look at the customer support channels offered by Ontario sportsbooks and how frequently they’re available to punters. The most common and popular customer support channel is live chat, with this available 24/7 at the best Ontario sportsbooks. Email and telephone support may also be offered within limited timeframes, while additional weight is given to operators that have developed an insightful and comprehensive FAQ resource.

🎯 How to Choose the Best Ontario Betting Site for You

This five-star ratings system may also help you to choose the best Ontario betting site for you. However, how you analyse the data will differ depending on your unique tastes and preferences, as well as your starting bankroll and betting frequency. For example:

🔍 What are Your Preferred Betting Markets?

Each Ontario sportsbook will offer a different number of sporting categories and associated markets.

However, if you like to wager primarily on soccer and ice hockey, you’ll of course judge potential sportsbooks based on their coverage of these categories and the number of markets pertaining specifically to tournaments such as the Canadian Premier League and NHL.

The task of finding a relevant sportsbook is arguably easier when betting on virtual sports and esports, as only a few of Ontario’s 27 betting sites offer access to such markets.

🔍 Odds Comparisons and Features

When looking to bet on specific markets, you’ll find that both ante-post and in-play odds can vary significantly from one sportsbook to another.

Because of this, you’ll want to identify the sportsbook that offers the most competitive odds on your preferred betting markets and selections, before locking in these prices and achieving the best value in relation to your stake.

You should also look for enhanced odds and price boosts, which are regularly used by sportsbooks as part of broader customer incentives. So-called “acca boosts” can also add 10% or more to the price of your accumulator wagers, with even incremental improvements delivering superior returns.

🔍 Loyalty Programs at Ontario Sportsbooks

If you consider yourself to be a high roller or wager frequently online, you’ll want to identify sportsbooks that offer access to generous and tiered loyalty programs.

Take LeoVegas Sports, for example, which operates a comprehensive VIP scheme that incorporates 99 different levels. Some of the benefits featured here included access to exclusive events, enhanced odds across your preferred betting markets and priority customer support, with the full package of features available scaling in relation to your spending and activity levels.

You can use the Casimoose reviews to appraise available VIP schemes and their precise terms, before choosing the one that best suits your bankroll, betting frequency and preferred sports markets.

🔑 The Requirements to Legal Online Betting in Ontario

While sports betting in Ontario and Canada has been legal for decades, until recently it was restricted to parlay-style bets placed through provincial lotteries. This was until Canada’s Parliament passed Bill C-218 (the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act) in June 2021, with Ontario being the first province to launch a regulated online market that was open to applicants from around the world.

Sportsbooks must apply to the AGCO for an iGO license, with only a finite number available at any given time. Applicants are also required to pay a $100,000 licensing fee and a flat tax rate of 20% on their revenues, while they must not have an existing partnership with a brick-and-mortar casino or bookmaker.

From the first quarter till the third quarter of the 2022/23 fiscal year, the number of fully licensed and regulated operators in Ontario doubled. It's fully expected this number is likely to increase incrementally over time. Be sure to check out the iGO's Quarterly Market Perfomance Reports to get a better overview of the market.

As for players, you’re legally required to play at an Ontario sportsbook with an iGO licence and accreditation from the AGCO. Similarly, although some Canadian provinces enable punters to wager from the age of 18 and upwards, you’ll have to be at least 19 to place online bets in Ontario.

📝 Lewis Humphries: Ontario Sports Betting Expert and Tipster

He's reviewed some of the world's leading casino and sportsbook platforms in Europe, the US, and Canada, while creating blog posts and landing page content for various sports betting brands around the world.

His content has also featured on several different sites, including Betinireland.ie, Life Hack, US-site Investopedia, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. He also pens regular sports features for sites including 90 Minutes, Think Football Ideas, and Sportsblog.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Betting in Ontario

At this stage, all that’s really left is to answer some of your most frequently asked questions about sports betting in Ontario. I’ve looked to answer a few of the most pressing queries below, but feel free to reach out if you have any more!