Sports betting in Ontario is 100% legal and the best operators are there to make sure you can enjoy a safe betting experience. We'll keep you updated on the current state of Ontario sports betting scene and list the best sportsbooks operating in the province. We present only iGaming Ontario licensed sportsbooks.

Sports Betting in Ontario 2023

Online gambling such as casinos and sportsbook have been considered as grey area activity in Canada until the 2020's. It has been technically illegal to play online but at the same time offshore gaming companies have not been blocked or controlled until recently.

Since April 2022 Ontario became the first regulated province in the country after the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario became the governing body for all online gambling activities. Today also sports betting is regulated by AGCO meaning all legal operators have to apply for a license before offering services to Ontarians of legal age.

With one of the richest sporting cultures in the country, Ontario and especially Toronto are one of the hotspots of Canadian sports betting. As the only city in Canada having teams in the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS, it is safe to say that also the sports betting scene is one of the busiest locally.

Is Betting on Sports Legal in Ontario?

Wagering on sports has always been a very popular past-time for sport-loving people of Ontario. The roots of gambling go back centuries and among the first settlers continuing strong until today. In principal all gambling is deemed illegal in Canada unless it is organized by the province.

This is exactly the case in ON as the province started to regulate gambling since the 4th of April 2022. Currently sports betting is legal in Ontario as long as the user selects to play with a registered operator. Offshore gambling remains illegal but from the players' perspective betting on sports has never been more safe, transparent and reliable.

Online Sports Betting sites in ON

For being such a young market after regulation, Ontario sports betting scene has already grown significantly. Players can choose from over 30 different sportsbooks so there are plenty of options. First months have been encouraging so we can expect more brands joining in the fun in the near future.

We are constantly monitoring the situation with the launch of new ON sports betting brands to keep our information always up-to-date. Since transparency is our core value, we are only listing regulated and verified casinos and sports betting sites in Ontario. Safety is sexy also in the world of online gambling.

How We Rate Ontario Sportbooks

To keep our content and reviews of Ontario sports betting sites fully transparent, we'd like to shed a light to our rating process. The rate of a brand is dedicated based on several key areas that are:

• Safety
• User experience
• Payments
• Odds
• Sportsbook quality and quantity

The most important aspect of a sport betting brand is their reputation and trustworthiness. Since we are dealing with real money, it is utterly important that there is no room for any foul-play. The second most important area is the RTP (return-to-player) that indicates how much the house is cutting from the odds in their own benefit. Obviously the higher the RTP the higher the chances for a player to win.

Especially online sports betting is a world of quick turns and fast pace. That's why the speed of payments is more crucial compared to for example casino gaming. Large numbers of players are engaged in mobile sports betting, in which the convenience and promptness of deposits and withdrawals is almost crucial. That is why we give high importance on smooth payment processing by the operator and appreciate a good selection of recognized banking options.

We cannot undermine the importance of the event and market selection of a sportsbook. Luckily many Ontario sports betting brands are localizing their services to better suite the needs of Ontarians. If for example your team is having a big playoff game tonight, it would be nice to be able to make a bet on it, right?

Toronto - Canada's Capital for Sports and Betting

When it comes to Canada and their sport-loving people, there is nothing like Toronto, Ontario. Hockey is Canada's game and it is not coincidence that the famous Hockey Hall of Fame is located at the Brookfield Place, Toronto. The Maple Leafs has been offering years of highs and lows (very low lows...) for the citizens in the National Hockey League but other sports have become popular too.

Toronto Raptors won the NBA recently in 2019 and have raised some basketball fever in whole Ontario. The Blue Jays have played in the MLB for 50 years now and won the World Series twice in the 90's. The Argonauts have dominated the CFL for years and Toronto FC has managed to draw bigger audiences to soccer (football).

Every week and almost every day there is something happening in Toronto and Ontario in terms of sports. Thus, it is not a big surprise that The Big Smoke and the whole province have become the center of Canadian sports betting online. We also give extra credit to brands that have taken this into account in their offerings.

Remember Responsible Gaming

The recent step into a regulated market has brought many benefits for the players. Especially considering responsible gaming aspects of online sportsbooks. A local gaming authority can be easier to approach in any disputes and you can trust that they have your back. In addition the whole license registration process guarantees that all operators running Ontario betting sites have committed to principals of responsible gaming.

Always remember to gamble with money you can afford to lose. This is the rule number one to keep gaming fun at all times. You are able to set deposit and wager limits to your account with daily, weekly or monthly limits. Using these tools to control your betting can be a good idea even though you don't identify as a problem gambler.

If you ever think that gambling is:

• Interfering with your work or school
• Harming you mentally, physically or socially
• Causing you financial trouble

Any of these issues is already a sign that you might have a gambling problem. For further help and guidance you can read more from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Also you can seek direct help from:

• Connex Ontario - 24/7 gambling live chat, email and phone support | 1-866-531-2600
• Credit Canada - Non-profit organization helping with debts | 1-800-267-2272

If you ever experience any issues with the operators such as technical problems, issues with banking or have dispute over terms and conditions, you can always contact the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. They offer a separate Complaints & Inquiries form on their website you can fill with your details. Also iGaming Ontario has an extensive Player Support service on their website.

Ontario Gaming License

To be more clear, there is not a gaming license for Ontario per se. All operators offering sports betting in Ontario are required to register themselves with the AGCO and iGaming Ontario before they receive a permit to start on-boarding players from the province. It does sound a lot like acquiring for a license but the officials decided to call it rather a registration.

Well, potato potatoe. All Ontario sports betting companies need to match several criterias set by the authorities. This means that the integrity and quality of the games, safe data storage and handling and financial background of the operator are all verified. Something that your every other offshore casino or gambling site never had to do before offering their games for you.