The landscape of sports betting in Canada is rapidly changing, and the ever-growing laundry list of regulated sportsbooks in Ontario is allowing bettors in the country’s most populous province to finally get a full-fledged sports betting experience.
In early April, Ontario’s iGaming launch opened the proverbial door to many industry-leading operators in Canada, and the fact that there is a multitude of regulated Ontario sportsbooks to choose from only means good things for bettors in the country’s most populous province.
That said, some benefits are more valuable than others, starting with the ability to have more than one online sportsbook account in Ontario and reap all the benefits that come along with it.
3 reasons to have multiple sportsbook accounts in Ontario
While unregulated sportsbooks have operated in Canada for a long time, it’s Ontario’s regulated betting market that is finally changing the face of sports betting in the Great White North.
Bettors can now stick with regulated sites while receiving the best betting experience they’ve ever had to date. And with so many choices, it will definitely be a benefit to set up shop at more than one sportsbook rather than saddling yourself with just one option. Below, we’ve compiled our three favorite reasons to do so, though there are many.
Effectively shop around for betting lines
Line shopping is one of the most important aspects of being a successful sports bettor. The fact of the matter is that the odds for a given game are not going to match up at every single sportsbook and comparing lines from one site to another is one way to get the best available odds.
Let’s say you only have a DraftKings account and want to bet on the Blue Bombers to win another Grey Cup. You’re locked into +275 odds, while another site such as PointsBet could have a +300 line on Winnipeg. Being signed up to multiple sportsbooks offers exposure to more sets of odds, which helps ensure you get the most profitable line possible.
Shopping for lines is an effective tool for both daily and futures odds, and on a game-to-game basis. The difference of a few cents on the dollar may not seem like much but it certainly adds up over time when you keep getting the best possible number with regularity.
Line shopping actually requires a multi-pronged approach. When it comes to spreads and totals, you’re comparing the actual spread or total between sites, but also the juice that comes along with them.
BetRivers and Caesars may both have Toronto as four-point favorites, but if BetRivers has the Argos’ spread at -4 (-110) and Caesars has it at -4 (-120), then there is clear value with one over the other. The same thing can be done for totals.
Single-game sports betting came into play in Ontario in August 2021 but between then and April 4 of this year, the only regulated sportsbook in Ontario was ProLine+. That means bettors had a serious lack of options: either bet ProLine’s odds or resort to the unregulated market to find a sportsbook to compare odds with.
While that may not seem like a big deal, unregulated sites open the door to privacy, security, and financial issues, in addition to generally awful customer service, signup offers, and promotions (if any). What bettors in Canada have wanted and needed are multiple legal, regulated, and secure sports betting options to choose from.
More offers and promotions to benefit from
Another downside of the unregulated market and one that only has one option is the lack of signup offers for new players along with an absence of promotions for existing players.
One of the first things any bettors notice about signing up for a sportsbook in an open, competitive market is the generous offerings and opportunities that are presented from the start and throughout the sports betting journey. Luckily, Ontario now falls in the latter category.
These offers are not universal, which means each sportsbook has a unique deal. Many of them are designed to offer bettors a chance at getting ahead of the curve from the very beginning, which could lead to opportunities for profits early on.
Splitting up the bankroll and signing up for multiple accounts is one way to take advantage of more than one signup offer as a new player and multiply the number of chances to gain an edge. Having just one account pigeon-holes you into whatever that site is offering, whether you like it or not.
The same can be said for any Ontario sportsbook promotions that are offered to existing customers. The offers will vary based on the site with some only being available for a specific duration of time, but some of what you may come across include but is not limited to:
- Bet Insurance: Sportsbook offers bet token in the event of a lost wager, up to a certain amount.
- Match Offers: Have your investment matched with credit to increase the currency you have to wager with on the site.
- Free Bets: Occasional awards handed out by sportsbook to its players, whether it’s part of an initial offer or one for existing customers.
- Bet & Gets: A common offer that results in receiving site credit in exchange for placing a qualifying wager on a specific market, game, or sport.
While most betting sites in Canada may some version of these promos, each sportsbook has unique offerings that can only be experienced by signing up and comparing with other sites. Even for the promos that are shared, they are not all available at the same time. The best way to stay on top of current offerings is with multiple active accounts.
To find out exactly what is offered by a specific sportsbook, click on one of the links in the table at the top of this page for all information and easy access to the registration page!
Variety/timing of market offerings
Similar to signup deals and promotions, betting markets can vary between sportsbooks. While the basic options for each sport will be offered by every online site you come across, there are plenty of props that will be unique to a specific sportsbook.
This is another great reason to have more than one account: opening the floodgates to the maximum amount of markets to wager on.
For example, BetMGM and DraftKings have a wide range of MLB prop markets including over/unders on runs, hits, and RBIs for many of the players in starting lineups. But BetRivers only has lines for a select few players for each game, and FanDuel doesn’t have these offerings at all.
When it comes to NFL betting, most sportsbooks have winning margin markets beyond the traditional moneyline. Most sites ask you to pick a margin of six points such as 1 to 6, 7 to 12, 13 to 18, or 24 to 30. But FanDuel specifically offers all of that plus a four-way winning margin option, which allows you to pick a team to win by 1-13 points or 14+ points.
The timing of when lines are posted is another aspect of betting that varies between sportsbooks. One site could post odds several hours or a day before other sites get to it and if you like betting early, the sites that are quick with the odds could be for you.
One example would be that DraftKings tends to have MLB odds the night before the games, prior to most other sites getting them up. When it comes to NFL odds, DK usually has them up the Sunday before while other sites wait a while longer.
Split your bankroll in time for CFL season?
As we know, the Canadian Football League season is right around the corner. And if you’re wondering whether or not any of the above applies to CFL betting: yes it does.
With every sportsbook carrying weekly CFL odds, there will undoubtedly be some variance from site to site and the ability to get the best line out there if you have more than one account.
There could also be CFL promotions in Ontario that are specific to one sportsbook or another. By having multiple accounts, you’ve got a much better chance of receiving a deal of some kind in time for kickoff on Thursday night.
When it comes to the actual markets offered, there will be some variance there too. We already see that some sportsbooks carry East and West Division futures in addition to Grey cup odds, while others do not. It wouldn’t be surprising to see certain sportsbooks have far more to offer in terms of props for individual CFL games.
Before the season starts in early June, splitting the bankroll and establishing a presence with more than one platform could be to your advantage.
