According to William Woodhams, the CEO of Fitzdares, the current existential problem for Ontario betting sites is that there aren’t enough sports to bet on. He points to the short season for the main sports, with low margins.
“A European punter will be betting on 36 races during the day in the UK, or in Ireland, France, all that racing product, with all the soccer happening all the time, tennis being a top-five sport, in-play there is insane. But it’s not happening here yet because it’s a newly regulated market,” he said during a panel discussion at last month’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto. “The opportunity here is to lessen the reliance on casino and get day-to-day sport up, because that will help the margin of the business as a whole.”
So data released by Proline on Blue Jays betting at its Ontario sports betting app isn’t a surprise, then. With the MLB the only one of the four traditional major North American sports leagues in operation, Jays games are consistently among the most popular games of the week across all sports, from a betting perspective, according to OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti.
Jays Dominate Popular Bets List
The Jays have featured prominently in the top events for July, taking five of the top 10 spots so far:
- Blue Jays vs White Sox, July 6
- Blue Jays vs Mariners, July 22
- Astros vs Angels, July 16
- Mets vs Padres, July 9
- MLB All-Star Game, July 12
- Blue Jays vs White Sox, July 5
- Blue Jays vs Tigers, July 8
- Alouettes vs Lions (CFL), July 9
- Twins vs Mariners, July 20
- Blue Jays vs Tigers, July 9
Betting on these games was almost always in favor of the Jays as their customers continue to back the team. Toronto is in the thick of the wild card race, despite a somewhat up-and-down season. For example, despite being underdogs in Tuesday’s game versus the Dodgers, 70% of customers picked the Jays to win (they blew a four-run lead in the ninth and lost 8-7 in extra innings).
Ontario Online Casino Numbers Strong
Ontario online casino games (slots, live and computer-based tables games and peer-to-peer bingo) accounted for almost $11.6 billion (83%) of total wagers and 72% (or $392 million) of the gaming revenue generated between Jan. 1 and March 30, 2023, according to the recently released Ontario market performance report for that first quarter of the calendar year.
Betting on sports and esports as well as proposition and novelty bets accounted for $2 billion (14%) of total wagers and $138 million (25%) of gaming revenue in Q1. The market for both sports (mobile and retail wagering) and online casinos in the province launched in April 2022.
Peer to peer (P2P) Ontario online poker accounted for $350M (3%) of total wagers and $15M (3%) of gaming revenue.
The betting stats go back to Woodhams’ point – Ontario bettors need more selection on sports to bet on, or, conversely, there needs to be better education by sportsbooks on the choice Ontario bettors have.
Jays-Angels Series Opens Tonight
It will be interesting to see where betting data falls this weekend as the Jays open a three-game series tonight at home against the Shohei Ohtani-led Los Angeles Angels. This week the Angels committed to keeping the Japanese-born superstar past the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline as they try to make a run at an MLB playoff spot (they are three games out of a wild card entering Friday, with the Jays currently holding one of those three spots in the American League).
Check out our analysis of who the Blue Jays might acquire as the trade deadline nears.
This week the Angels acquired right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (6-6. 3.79 ERA, 131 Ks) and right-handed reliever Reynaldo Lopez (four saves, 4.29 ERA, 52 Ks, 121 IP) from the Chicago White Sox for prospects.
With the Jays starting top-line RHP Kevin Gausman in tonight’s opener (7-5, 3.18 ERA, 162 Ks, 121.2 IP), Proline has the Moneyline at Jays 1.53 and the Angels 2.55, and the Spread at Jays -1.5 (2.05) and the Angels +1.5 (1.80). Over/Under is 8.5 (1.94 on the Over, 1.89 on the Under).
Newly acquired Giolito starts for the Angels. The good news for the Jays is that Ohtani won’t be pitching in the series. The bad news, of course, is they will have to face him as a hitter, where he currently has 38 HRs, a .298 average and 80 RBIs.
The NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook has the Moneyline at Jays 1.51 and Angels 2.65.
