The market for online legal Ontario sports betting providers is now many months old. Some top providers have become licensed by the AGCO & integrated into the iGaming Ontario system. However, the reality is that these bodies provide little-to-no consumer protections in disputes between players and operators. If you pick a provider with a terrible approach to their terms of use, or how they process withdrawals, you are at the mercy of that operator, with little recourse to get your money back in a timely manner, if at all. If you file a complaint with iGO, they will persistently tell you to sort it out with the operator - not great.
That's why you still may need help finding sportsbook brands that will treat you and your money with respect, while giving you a gaming platform that you'll enjoy. We know sports betting and we know the brands that will treat you and your cash with respect (as well as those that don't). We've been writing about all the brands that would come to Ontario legally. Now it's time to name our top Ontario sports betting providers, with a bit of a snapshot about each and why we recommend them. They are bet365, Betway, Sports Interaction, BetRivers, BetVictor & Proline+. We also explain the reasons why we will not recommend various new Ontario sportsbook brands out of the USA. All recommended iGaming Ontario operators support Interac for both deposits & withdrawals. Proline+ will be adding Interac very soon.
Yeah, sorry about that. If you're in Ontario, to keep in line with AGCO rules, we have to keep our content to those about official iGaming Ontario providers. We can't even mention those brands you should avoid. So if you clicked for a search listing of ours about a brand that is not licensed in Ontario, or for a topic that covers issues regarding Canada's "grey market" for betting, we've had to force you here as your starting point with us, in order to maintain regulatory compliance. Forgive us, there are lots of resources for you here on this page. Click here to scroll directly to links for all our Ontario sportsbook & casino reviews.
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Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Visit ConnexOntario.ca for help. Eligible iGames conducted & managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in Ontario. |
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If you are truly new to online betting in Ontario, we have two big tips for you: 1) If possible, avoid using credit cards for your sportsbook or casino deposits. Even though Ontario is a fully legal market, credit card companies treat transactions to any gaming provider as cash advances, not purchases. Thus, even if you pay off your balance every month, interest will begin to accrue from the moment of the transaction, plus your card company will charge a $5 fee for the privilege. In other words, even though the betting site will not charge a fee for their use, credit cards are a convenient, but expensive payment option. Look to use quick & secure bank debit or transfer services like Interac, Instadebit, iDebit or debit cards.
2) iGO sportsbooks & casinos must be sure to only serve people located in Ontario. Operators thus use location detection services within your web browser, or may even use location authentication apps that triangulate your location. Be ready and familiar with these settings in your web browser. Sometimes these geolocation permission settings may need to be turned OFF then ON again. It can be a quirky bit of technology, so you might need to persist a little. If your betting site uses an authenticator app, they are super simple to use: simply download and use it to scan a QR code shown on your computer screen. No sign up, and you can delete the app when you are done your session. Let's get to our list of top Ontario sportsbooks.
With over 80 million customers, bet365 is essentially the biggest sports betting brand in the world. With bet365, you get the most intuitive, quickest betting platforms, the most extensive betting market coverage across all sports, which includes world-class in-play betting. Their 'same game parlay' feature lets you build a combination bet your way for NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB & big soccer matches (many betting sites are limited to soccer for SGPs). They also have the most robust 'early cashout' feature we have ever reviewed, which lets you potentially secure a partial win before your event reaches its natural end. Plus you get access to their top-tier online casino and unrivaled esports betting within the Ontario context.
How is bet365 so good? A long time ago, their CEO knew that the trend for sports betting was toward mobile. She started bet365 on a path that would ensure their product was unbeatable from your phone, well over a decade ago, even while we were on 3G services. Now on 4G & 5G, it just does not get any better. The numbers don't lie, the bet365 product wins - and we haven't even mentioned that you can stream NFL regular season games, La Liga & thousands of other live events on their platform with a funded & active account.
bet365 cares about Responsible Gambling too, which is something we want to see in the providers we recommend to our fellow Ontarians. Their Responsible Gaming ads were the ones we noticed most often during the NHL playoffs in 2022, highlighting important player tools like "taking a time out" or setting deposit limits. It's not just in Ontario where they care this way. In the UK, the most mature betting market in the world, they are the number one monetary contributor to RG charities & initiatives.
If you want to get started betting with an iGaming Ontario brand and you've never bet online before, there is no better option for you than bet365 - period. Play using 'Decimal' (Proline's odds format), 'American' or 'Fractional' formats. Switch this at the base of their site. As you will read below, this optionality is not a given at several Ontario licensed operators. Deposit via debit cards, Apple Pay, Interac, iDebit, Instadebit, paysafecard & now PayPal, and their withdrawals land very quickly. All our own withdrawals have landed in under two hours with bet365.
You might recognize the Betway brand from over 20 club and league partnerships they have around the world, including several NHL, NBA, EPL, Bundesliga & La Liga teams. Betway is also known for its super-quick and highly intuitive sportsbook platform. Their Ontario site is now properly tailored to Canadian tastes and terminology. Find excellent in-play betting and a Bet Builder feature for same game parlays on top soccer matches. You will also find their early 'Cash Out' feature is widely available and noted next to each available betting market with a little green 'CO' symbol. This feature lets you potentially secure a partial win before your event reaches its natural conclusion.
Betway also provides access to live dealer and online casino games from the same account, as well as one of the best Ontario esports betting experiences you can find. With millions of customers around the world, Canada and now Ontario is perhaps the most important market for Betway and its parent company, "Super Group", which is traded on the NYSE.
The default odds format is 'Decimal' (Proline's odds format), but 'American' or 'Fractional' formats are available to switch at the top of the site from your computer, or within the mobile menu from your phone. As you might read below, this option to switch is not always given at certain Ontario licensed operators. Like all our recommended brands, Betway supports Interac payments, but they are the only Ontario sportsbook we recommend that supports the MuchBetter e-wallet platform for payments.
The answer is simple, but it's a bit of a secret that no one will talk about. There is more opportunity for 'sportsbook review sites' to make more money in referring other brands that are completely new to the Ontario market.
Think about this for a second. Both bet365 and Betway have attracted and retained thousands and thousands of Ontario players with their world-class gaming products in their time as 'grey market' operators since the years 2000 & 2006 respectively. All of these Ontario players will have been shifted to the new legal market platforms on iGaming Ontario. This is why bet365 & Betway can likely account for more wagers within the annual Ontario sports betting handle than any two operators you could name.
Here's the rub however: Once a person has a bet365 or Betway account, a 'sportsbook review site' cannot refer that person to bet365 or Betway again. They can only refer 'new players' in order to get credit, and earn a commission. However, since new US brands like FanDuel and BetMGM have never served Ontario, the opportunity for 'review sites' to refer new customers and leverage their reader traffic efficiently with them, is far, far greater - even though the gaming products and operations are inferior for you the player, in our opinion.
We understand this dynamic fully. There is more 'opportunity' for us at SNBET to recommend 'new' brands. But here we have bet365 at #1 and Betway at #2 as our top Ontario operators because at this moment, that is the honest truth, despite these already being the most dominant brands in the province, with the most players. We want completely new players to online betting in Ontario to know where the truth lies - these are the best betting platforms. So when you see a 'sportsbook review site' for Ontario that has different brands at or near the top of their recommended lists, you KNOW they are merely looking to maximize their own opportunities.
Who is SNBET & why might you care? Since you can't access our 'About us' page in Ontario at the moment, we're actually a Canadian company that knows the global online betting business. We were tired of all the foreign-owned 'sportsbook review sites' that take advantage of Canadians with poor information & lies in order to profit. SNBET.ca was developed in 2020 in part to reveal these shady practices & help point Canadians toward the most reputable online sportsbook providers in the market and this includes the newly legal Ontario sports betting marketplace. |
Prior to the opening of iGaming Ontario, Sports Interaction was as close as you could come to a true Canadian betting site, run from First Nations sovereign lands and the remote gaming jurisdiction of Kahnawake, southwest of Montreal. For years, SIA has been investing in Canadian sport, sponsoring numerous CFL clubs, which it still does. Furthermore, profits in part, went to Kahnawake First Nations communities, rather than simply to a truly "offshore" betting company. Now that they are owned by gaming giant, Entain, traded on the LSE, they have become an official iGaming Ontario provider, & Mohawk communities still have a stake in the company. That's their story, but what's on offer?
With SIA, you used to get a super-quick & light betting site, with no app or the related data privacy concerns. This has changed now however, as SIA has moved to the Entain sportsbook platform, which does not have American odds format (-110 / -110). So if you vastly prefer American odds, SIA is no longer really a good option for you. However, as they are now part of a much larger operation, that serve a global market, outright winner odds at SIA can now be more competitive. When they served just Canada, their customer-base would skew the odds value lower on "public teams". There is less risk of this skew now as part of Entain. Deposit via Interac, Trustly online bank payments, credit or debit cards, Apple Pay or paysafecard prepaid vouchers.
After reading our discussion above about various new US brands, some might simply say: "Hey, you guys are just being negative about all the new American entrants to Ontario." If this is you, it's a good time to talk about BetRivers. As one of the completely new entrants to Ontario, their offering is the best of these in our opinion. Their implementation of the Kambi sportsbook platform is truly excellent, no matter your device of preference. With the Kambi platform, you get access to BOTH a mobile betting app AND a mobile betting site. This addresses one of our main concerns, for those that care about their data privacy with regard to app usage.
Furthermore, the BetRivers same game parlay feature works on all the big leagues, including the NHL - which is not a given, even at our top providers. This is key for hockey fans. Their odds margins also tend to be really competitive. Most sportsbooks have a 5% to 6% margin on the popular betting markets like the Totals, Spreads & Money Lines, whereas BetRivers is often closer to 4% or even under it - meaning higher odds for you, more often. Coverage of more 'international' sports is also solid, (since they are on Kambi).
Finally, they have also shown a commitment to Responsible Gambling, holding themselves to a higher standard of RG than that which is mandated by the AGCO. From a marketing perspective, they also do this in a responsible way, through their podcast network which includes "The Bob McCown Podcast". This is something we really respect, and want to see from the brands we recommend. Beyond this, our interactions with their customer support team have been top class. They are quick, effective and super nice to deal with via online chat.
In the end, BetRivers is our top, truly new entrant to Ontario's regulated market (they were never in the so-called "grey market"), and they make it easy to get started with PayPal, Interac and Trustly online bank payments. (PayPal is a rarity as a payment method in Ontario. If you like it, BetRivers is a great option for you.) Our withdrawals landed very quickly from BetRivers, same day. You cannot say this about every Ontario provider. Ranked at #4 for us, they are a truly solid operator, with a great platform & excellent customer service when you require it.
Founded in the UK as "Victor Chandler" in 1946. BetVictor is the best of both worlds when it comes to sports betting in Ontario: You know you get amazing European and international sports coverage from a brand with significant UK heritage. Moreover, with a large Canadian customer base, grown through their various Premier League club marketing visibility, they have moved to offer highly competitive odds and coverage of the leagues and events that Canadians love most - the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and more. They have moved to have some really competitive NFL odds - better than all of the most visible, most advertised brands in the market. Serious NFL bettors need to check these out.
For years, on their international site, BetVictor offered a dedicated Canadian version of their service, and now they have moved to bring their excellent gaming platform within the regulated Ontario sports betting and casino market. This includes both a Bet Builder and Cash Out feature. Default odds format at BetVictor Ontario is 'Decimal', but you can switch to 'American' or 'Fractional'. While their service is extremely well rounded, if your sports priorities are basketball, soccer, tennis and now NFL, you must look at BetVictor seriously. Payments at BetVictor come via Interac, Visa or Mastercard debit or credit cards. Our Interac withdrawals landed very quickly from BetVictor, in less than two hours.
The Proline brand is unfortunately often associated with very low odds and the formerly-required parlays that came with the old-school game played at lottery retailers around the province. Proline+ online sportsbook couldn't be further from the old Proline game in these respects in terms of the bones of the offering
Firstly, Proline+ odds are not only far improved over the old-school Proline game, they are actually better than most other official Ontario betting sites. Proline+ uses significantly lower odds margins or "sportsbook hold" on the most important betting markets across the sports that Ontarians play the most. Furthermore, single-event betting and live in-play betting is available at Proline+, which now has one of the quickest & most intuitive online sportsbook platforms in the province. Thus, on its own merits as a sportsbook, Proline+ is in the top tier of Ontario brands in these respects. Where they do need some work is on the smoothness of the customer journey, especially on the payment side of things. If you'd like to play at Proline+, you may need to persist a little.
Lastly, but perhaps most important for some readers, since Proline+ is owned by OLG and not part of the iGaming Ontario market, know that all gaming proceeds stay in Ontario for reinvestment in the province. iGaming Ontario betting brands, while compelling in many respects, only share 20% of gaming revenues with the province. This revenue share level was necessary to attract a large number of brands to Ontario, and is competitive with other jurisdictions around the world. However, if you'd really like all potential proceeds to stay in Ontario, Proline+ is your only option in this regard - hence their tagline: Not just another sportsbook.
This really comes down to two points. 1) Can you deposit and withdrawal significant amounts quickly and relatively seamlessly? 2) What are the available win limits at the given sportsbook?
When it comes to payments in Ontario, Interac can have transaction limits as high as $15k, however, some companies may not be able to transact more than $3k. Instadebit can transact as high as $20k and credit or debit cards can transact as high as $50k. Ideally, if you are a high roller, your betting site is offering you transaction limits like these, and we can tell you that bet365 works at the top of the range for all these methods, though Betway will also allow for transactions at elevated levels for various Ontario sportsbook payment methods.
When it comes to win limits, these tend to be segmented into tiers by sport, the various leagues, and by bet type. The bigger the leagues or competitions & the more popular the betting markets, the higher the limits. When it comes to iGaming Ontario betting sites with the highest win limits, bet365 has them as high as $4 million per day within its top tier soccer competitions & $1 million per day for main markets within NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, ATP & top golf events. When you combine these two aspects, this is why we rank bet365 as the number one Ontario betting site for true VIPs & high stakes bettors.
Betway would rank second in this respect. Their transaction limits are also relatively high. Plus, they have top tier soccer daily win limits at $500k, while NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB & ATP top out at $250k. These are higher than most every other iGaming Ontario operator outside bet365.
While all the brands we recommend are excellent sportsbooks, limits are limits. If you intend to wager at a level that could test the associated win limits of Ontario operators as a true high roller or high stakes player, bet365 and Betway are the top options that we recommend. Learn more about why all this matters to high stakes players on our Ontario VIP sportsbook & casino write-up.
We have also written extensively on the brands that we will not recommend for various reasons. We at SNBET could technically 'work with' just about any brand, if we liked their Ontario sports betting offering. We've received numerous requests from new Ontario brands that wanted to be listed & recommended on SNBET - but we don't recommend every brand to our fellow Ontarians - even though we are foregoing significant potential revenues in doing so. We stick to our principles and only recommend the operators that we feel offer the best options for sports betting & iCasino in the province. Why would we not recommend a given licensed Ontario operator? We have three main reasons.
1) Irresponsible marketing as we define it, not how the AGCO & iGaming Ontario define it.
2) Lack of choice in mobile sports betting: We want to see operators offer BOTH a mobile betting site and mobile app. Only offering an app is unacceptable in our eyes, given their serious data privacy concerns. Forcing app usage indicates an operator that likely wants to leverage your valuable data. We only recommend brands that give you a choice on this matter, or simply provide the more secure option of a mobile betting site. Brands including FanDuel, PointsBet & theScore Bet & DraftKings only offer mobile betting via apps. For us, this is crucial. So while we provide reviews on these Ontario betting providers, we do not include them in our group of recommended ones for this reason.
3) Poor product, with substandard sport & league coverage, which is typical of some US-focused providers. We want to see a great platform with lots of betting markets (ways to bet) and competitive odds value on all the sports that are popular in Canada - not just the 'big four' leagues & sports. If we see a poor platform or poor coverage of F1, cricket, rugby or soccer - we call it out as we see it.
If you don't care if your sportsbook provider advertises responsibly, that's up to you. If you don't care about your own data privacy, that's your preference. If you don't care about events outside the 'big four' leagues or having a top-level betting product, that's also up to you. But these are the things that are important to us in recommending a sportsbook company as we see them.
These are our opinions.
The main reason is the completely irresponsible marketing deal with then 25-year-old, 2021 NHL MVP, Connor McDavid, and in our opinion, some pretty awful advertising choices (see our tweet). Gambling regimes around the world have banned the use, not only of celebrities in gambling ads, but the use of people 25 and under - all in order to protect minors that would otherwise be easily influenced by such ads.
Mr. McDavid is a generational talent and hero to millions of young people across Canada. Even if he is only depicted as part of 'Responsible Gambling' messages that are beamed across the country, on any media platform, the fact remains that his identity as a role-model and hockey icon will be normalizing gambling and sports betting for minors in a significant fashion.
This marketing campaign would not fly in Spain, Belgium, Italy, Sweden or the UK given their regulations. Why is BetMGM pursuing it in Canada? Because the NHL and NHLPA allow it, and the AGCO has no rules against it (yet).
So no, we won't be supporting BetMGM in their efforts in Ontario. If you want to support them, that's up to you. Their betting product is reasonably good, being honest, but certainly not better than our recommended providers, in our opinion. Plus, their site still only uses 'Decimal' odds format at the time of writing, with no option to switch to 'American' or 'Fractional'. So if you like either of the latter two formats, you are out of luck at BetMGM.
All things considered, it's a hard pass on BetMGM from us.
With the influx of national TV ads that came with the introduction of the legal iGaming Ontario market, people across the country naturally have questions about their ability to play on various legal Ontario sportsbook platforms. If you are in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan or elsewhere, you cannot play at several of the official Ontario betting brands, including FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM, PointsBet Canada and theScore Bet among others. These brands do not operate "grey market" site versions that could serve people located in these provinces - they only serve Ontario.
However, nearly all of our recommended official Ontario sportsbooks do serve the so-called "rest of Canada" market segment, with their "grey market" platforms located in Gibraltar, Malta or Kahnawake. If you're not in Ontario, you might want to read about the situation that suits you best. Thus we have write-ups that address the legal and "grey market" online sports betting situations in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. If you're elsewhere in Canada, simply read our general Canadian sports betting reviews for the best "grey market" options. All brands listed are live and licensed in Ontario, you'd just be playing on their "offshore" versions.
We know these words of advice might sound cliché, but here goes: Only wager what you can afford to lose. Keep it fun. When betting stops being fun, it's time to stop. If you set a deposit limit when you register your account, this helpful tool can be a backstop to ensure you do not chase your losses beyond the point you can afford. You've probably got people that rely upon you. Think about these people.
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Updated APR7/2024.
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