The Top 5 Betting Companies in Ontario
For the longest time, the Ontario gambling industry was technically dead, bogged down by decades of state-run lotteries. The iGaming enthusiasts in the province who, for a long time had to frequent dodgy and illegal offshore sites were thus pleasantly surprised when the Government of Ontario announced their plans to legalize and regulate internet gambling starting February 2021.
This decision was ostensibly to raise more revenue to help overcome the economic downturns brought by the COVID-19 epidemic, but to the wider gambling community, it was a godsend. As the most populous province in Canada, Ontario's betting market potential is massive - totaling over $460 million per year, according to the Canadian Gaming Association, and it's not even near its peak performance.
To help you navigate the new world of legal sports gambling in Canada's premier province, here's an overview of the top 5 betting companies in Ontario:
Bovada
Originally known as Bodog, Bovada is one of North America's largest and most popular sports betting companies. Although it was originally designed for U.S players, it is well available in Canada and with the new law changes, Ontario residents have a chance to sample the delectable offers and bouquet of specials that the site offers.
The main betting options on offer at Bovada are sports, casino, and poker, but you will also find a decent amount of live table games and horse bets. What more, their bonuses are to die for. For instance, new players are welcomed with a 50% match bonus up to $250 while Bitcoin deposits are awarded a 75% bonus up to $750.
Notably, Bovada does not hold their Kahnawake Gaming Commission license anymore, but the fact that they are approved by a majority of U.S states means they are pretty safe and legit.
Sports Interaction
No discussion of Canuck sports wagering is complete without the mention of Sports Interaction - one of the country's greatest exports. The site first went online in 1997 when iGaming was still a niche hobby. It is currently a major international player with licenses from both Canadian and British regulators. The seal of approval from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, in particular, means that the casino is more than safe for residents of Ontario.
Sports Interaction services range from casino slots to sports and poker. Its live betting feature allows you to wager on ongoing matches across tens of sports leagues in the world, right from your mobile phone.
The site's biggest selling point is the sign-up bonus, which is a 100% cashback on the first deposit to a maximum of $200. The playthrough requirement - 5X - is way lower than you'll get at other online casinos. This means you can get to withdraw your bonus and winnings much earlier.
Betway
While Betway is not a Canadian or even North American sportsbook (it's based in Malta) it is one of the largest betting companies in the world, serving more than 2 million players. Despite their global appeal, they are surprisingly very committed to the Canadian market and offer bets on all the country's major sports leagues, including the NHL, MLS, CFL, AHL, NBA, and even junior hockey leagues. Furthermore, they accept deposits in Canadian Dollars and their banking services (Visa, Mastercard, Interac, iDebit, and MuchBetter) are widely available in the country.
The Betway Casino feature offers a great collection of casino slots, table games, poker and blackjack, provided by reputable developers like Microgaming and NetEnt. But like other online sportsbooks, Betway is not regulated in Canada but holds licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission.
Spin Sports
Spin Sports is one of the few Canadian-based online sportsbooks, and with most of the restrictive regulations gradually getting eased, its star is fast rising. It started out as a casino - which explains its large portfolio of video slots and table games - but expanded its mandate to sports in 2017.
Today, the Spin Sports franchises cover all thinkable sports, from boxing to soccer, tcao basketball, cricket, hockey, and even MMA. Depending on the league and match, you can get some crazy odds, presented in all the main formats (American, decimal, and fraction) and you can place both single bets and parlays. If you fancy event-based betting, there are Live Bet features on all the top sports like soccer, hockey, and boxing that you can make use of.
Spin Sports is approved by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and also holds a license from the Malta Gaming Authority.
OLG Group
Last on our list of the top 5 Betting Companies in Ontario is arguably the province's largest sportsbook. OLG, originally known as Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, is owned by the Government of Ontario and operates 10 land-based casinos across the vast province. These include Casino Sault Ste-Marie, Casino Thousand Islands, Casino Brantford, Great Blue Heron Casino, Casino Point Edward, and Casino Rama.
As part of a state-owned company, OLG casinos are super legit and maintain advanced levels of player protection mechanisms such as strictly enforced codes of conduct for retailers, and the Data Analytics and Retrieval Technology (DART) that allows the company to detect incidents of fraud and insider betting in real-time. As an exclusively Canadian sportsbook, OLG offers bets on all games on NHL, MLB, and even the NBA but there are also lots of video slots, classic reels, and online table games offered at their numerous facilities.