For Ontario Sports Bettors, A Whole New World Awaits

By David Caraviello

Apr 20th, 2026 4:26 PM EDT

Used 35 Times Today

Bet $10 Get $200 Win or Lose

Bonus Code

BOOKIES

Visit Site

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (AZ, CO, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ). Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). CALL 1-877-770-STOP (LA). 21+ only (18+ in KY). Please gamble responsibly. Must be present in AZ/CO/IA/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA (select parishes)/MD/MI/MO/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA. Licensee partner Amelia Belle Casino. Minimum $10 deposit required. Minimum odds -500 or greater. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

Historically, sports betting in Canada hasn’t exactly been an exhilarating experience: Bettors could choose only hard-to-win parlay wagers offered though provincial lottery corporations, and inserted a punch card at a kiosk. But now that Canada has legalized single-game sports betting and Ontario has opened its market to commercial sportsbook operators, a whole new world awaits.

Canada’s federal government last year legalized single-game betting, after which Ontario began licensing online platforms that include the Canadian operations of some of the industry’s biggest names. It all led to Monday, when commercial and mobile sports betting launched in Canada’s most populous province, opening an entire range of wagering options to bettors who were at last welcomed into sports betting’s modern age.

“I think people are just going to be excited about the opportunity to learn about betting, to have all these different sportsbooks where they can they can sign up for those apps. And I think people are really going to be excited about the end-game betting opportunities—you know, the opportunity to go to a bar with your friends and watch a Maple Leafs game on a Saturday night and be able to place bets on Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews and their favorite NHL players,” said Steve McAllister, president of Sports Media Canada and editor-in-chief of The Parleh, an online Canadian sports outlet.

Used 18 Times Today

Bet $10 Get $200 Win or Lose

Bonus Code

BOOKIES

Visit Site

“You know, we have the Masters coming up (this) week, and you’ll have people getting together at someone's house watching the Masters on Sunday afternoon and being able to make bets during the final round of that golf tournament,” McAllister added in an interview with Jasmine McKoy of Bookies.com. “So I think there's just going to be a lot of a lot of interest.”

How Sports Betting In Canada May Be Different

Indeed, anticipation has been high for the launch of sports betting in Ontario. The Canadian divisions of many popular online sportsbooks and betting apps have worked hard to give their platforms a distinctly Canadian feel, trying to mirror what bettors in Ontario are most looking for. They’ve also tried to entrench themselves in the Great White North by striking partnerships with distinctly Canadian organizations, as PointsBet Ontario has done in signing deals with the nation’s sanctioning bodies for curling and ski racing, as well as the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League.

Used 20 Times Today

Bet $1, Double Your Winnings Your Next 10 Wagers Up to $25 Max Bet Per Boost Promo Code: BOOKIESDYW

Bonus Code

BOOKIESDYW

Visit Site

Must be 21+ and physically present in AZ, CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY or Washington, DC. New users only. Must register using eligible promo code. Min. qualifying bet amount: $1. Tokens max. bet amount: $25 per token. Tokens bet max. add'l winnings: $2,500 per token. Token(s) expire 14 days after receipt. Not reissued for voided/pushed bets. Void where prohibited. See Caesars.com/promos for full terms. Know When To Stop Before You Start®. Gambling Problem? CO, IL, KY, MD, MI, MO, NJ, TN, VA, WV, WY, KS (Affiliated with Kansas Crossing Casino), ME (Licensed through the Mi’kmaq Nation, Penobscot Nation, and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, federally recognized tribes located in the State of Maine), NC (Licensed through Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise), PA (Affiliated with Harrah's Philadelphia): If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) or MD: visit mdgamblinghelp.org or WV: visit 1800gambler.net; AZ: Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP; IN: Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT; IA: Call 1-800-BETSOFF; MA: Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org, NY: Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369); LA (Licensed through Horseshoe Bossier City and Caesars New Orleans) Call 1-800-522-4700, Washington, DC (OLG Class A licensed Operator): Call 1-800-MY-RESET. ©2026, Caesars Entertainment

That effort is reflected in the sportsbook advertising McAllister saw in Ontario in the run-up to Monday’s launch. “It isn't just around bonuses,” he said, “and it's forcing the sportsbooks to be a little bit creative in how they market their products.”

And even though Canadian sports bettors have close ties with their brethren in the United States, McAllister believes that the sportsbooks that thrive in Canada will be the ones that recognize the differences.

“The Canadian sports fan is truly unique. The (Toronto) Blue Jays play in Major League Baseball and the Toronto Raptors are Canada's only NBA team. But Canada is a very diverse country, and there is a rabid, rabid base of cricket fans. We have a big base of rugby fans in this country. Women's sports are top of mind, and increasingly so with Canadian sports fans. And then you know, our men's soccer team just qualified for the World Cup, and we already have this base of soccer fans,” he said.

“In the past, if you lived in the Little Italy part of Toronto or Montreal, you're waving Italian flags during the World Cup. Or, there's a Portuguese community in many Canadian cities. Well now, Canadians for the first time since 1986 are not only going to be able to cheer for Canada in the World Cup, but they can actually place a bet on the Canadian team. So I think the sportsbooks that recognize and enact on that unique sports fan are the ones that are going to get a leg up on the competition.”

Which Sportsbooks Have Ontario Licenses?

In the days prior to Monday’s launch, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario had approved 25 entities for gaming operations licenses. That number included a number of brands familiar to bettors in the U.S., including Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM ON, FanDuel, PointsBet, Unibet and BetRivers, in addition to theScore, a well-known Canadian operator.

Other operators approved by AGCO in the days prior to launch included LottoGo, Coolbet, Fitzdares, LeoVegas, WSOP, Rivalry, Royal Panda, 888, the Ontario Lottery Commission, and eight separate platforms such as Hello Casino and Jackpot Village operated by the parent company White Hat Gaming Limited. Other commercial operators are expected to be added around the Ontario launch date, or shortly thereafter.

Used 35 Times Today

Bet $10 Get $200 Win or Lose

Bonus Code

BOOKIES

Visit Site

About the Author

David Caraviello

More About David

Veteran sports journalist David Caraviello has covered college football, college basketball, motorsports and golf, covering all three US golf majors, the Daytona 500 and SEC football.

For Ontario Sports Bettors, A Whole New World Awaits

How Sports Betting In Canada May Be Different

Which Sportsbooks Have Ontario Licenses?

About the Author

Comments