If the Ontario gaming revenue numbers from july to september are any indication, bettors across the province love their NFL. Operators took in $6.04 billion in wagers, through Sept. 30, up from just over $4 billion in Q1. That was for all platforms (sports and iGaming) combined.
That puts the focus squarely on traders and oddsmakers to offer their expertise and stay on top of NFL news headlines and focus on every game. Especially with Ontario NFL betting, the constant race for information becomes that much more important in laying down lines.
OntarioBets.com spoke with Will Twinn, one of FanDuel’s traders and NFL experts, for his thoughts on the inaugural season for betting in a provincially regulated iGaming market. For FanDuel Sportsbook Ontario, the NFL continues to be the most popular sport for the province’s bettors (that should stay the same even after the launch of NHL and NBA seasons).
The market for Ontario gambling sites launched on April 4.
For information on FanDuel and many other Ontario sports betting apps, check with OntarioBets.com whatever your favorite sport is.
Emerging NFL Betting Trends in Ontario
OntarioBets: It's early in the season, but what has stood out so far, in terms of betting trends, when it comes to the NFL and Ontario sports bettors?
Will Twinn: “NFL and sports betting go hand in hand, so we’ve seen a ton of interest from Ontario sports fans since the season began. As expected, we’re seeing popularity with the Buffalo Bills, as well as all of TSN’s prime-time games, and games including popular teams such as the Cowboys, Packers or Giants. Ontario sports bettors have embraced FanDuel’s Same Game Parlays and are betting not only on their favourite teams but on their favourite players.”
OB: What is FanDuel doing to set it apart from competitors when it comes to the NFL and Ontario sports betting?
WT: “Our team of traders are the people behind the odds — we use our knowledge and expertise of the markets, and constantly monitor what’s happening on and off the field to allow us to be reactive and offer the most up-to-date offerings, including a wide variety of markets for every NFL game.
“FanDuel has also teamed up with TSN to create FanDuel Sundays, a unique broadcast segment on Sundays where fans get a glimpse of what happens on the trading floor during game day and can stay on top of the offerings and news with great commentary, insights and bets built by Luke Willson and Davis Sanchez.”
A Typical NFL Sunday at FanDuel Sportsbook
OB: What goes into a typical Sunday for you, staying on top of games, so people can bet in real time, as games are progressing?
WT: “On a typical Sunday once games kick off, our proprietary models will incorporate actual game inputs such as possession, down and distance, score and game clock to deliver up-to-date prices for the array of live markets we have on site. If there are any notable factors observed live that weren’t considered sufficiently pre-game, such as weather or injuries, then the trader must re-calibrate the live prices accordingly.
“Via access to reduced latency streams of the game, traders enter the inputs above as they occur in real time. If there is any uncertainty a trader can decide to suspend that game momentarily if needed though that is a last resort as it isn’t a favorable customer experience.
“Player markets also need to be managed due to updated information that is different from what was projected pre-game. For instance, if there is an injury or a player’s usage is greater than initially thought then the trader must make the necessary adjustments during the game to ensure as many player markets can be offered as possible with the most accurate prices they can.
“Traders will also endeavor to manage certain futures markets such as the Super Bowl outright, accounting for live scores and how they impact each teams’ chances in the longer term.
“In addition, there’s heightened awareness for any tech or customer-related issues that may have been raised to ensure we get ahead of any potential wider problems before they happen. Throughout this time any games that are yet to commence still need to be attended to as they see high engagement in these periods as well.”
