Sunday's Super Bowl is set to become the biggest-ever betting event in the short but ever-expanding Ontario legal regulated sports betting market.
According to a survey by the Responsible Gaming Council (RGC) released on Tuesday, nearly half (49%) of Ontario sports bettors intend to bet on Sunday's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
That's a considerably larger figure than that from a similar report, released by the American Gaming Association, which estimates 20% of American adults will be wagering on the Super Bowl.
How Ontarians intend to bet
The RGC poll reported that over half (54%) of Ontario sports betting respondents said they will be placing a single bet on Super Bowl. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter (24%) intend to wager on the outcome of the game by means of more than one sportsbook.
Here's how Ontarians intend to wager on the Super Bowl:
- 46% of Ontario sports bettors will bet with friends
- 41% will bet using a legal sportsbook website
- 36% will buy sport-based lottery tickets
- 29% will bet via a sports betting pool
- 20% will bet using whichever sportsbook site offers the best odds
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, currently hosts 36 online sports betting sites and 68 gaming websites that handle action from approximately 910,000 active player accounts. Average monthly legal sports betting spend currently stands at $167 per account.
Here's how much Ontarians intend to bet on the Super Bowl:
- 54% of sports bettors survey expect to bet $50 or less
- 26% expect to bet between $50 and $100
- 19% expect to bet $100 or more
Regular bettors think they know better
The Ontario RGC poll also revealed that just over nine out of 10 (91%) Ontarians who are regular sports bettors are convinced that their sports knowledge gives them an edge when placing wagers.
With respect to occasional bettors, this figure drops to slightly more than seven out of 10 (73%) Ontario adults who think they know enough about sports to outsmart the oddsmakers.
Bettors beware
The RGC made a point of reminding Ontario bettors that "additional risk is associated with the consumption of substances that can impair judgement and decision-making."
This kind of advisory warning, however obvious it might appear, was issued in light of poll results that found that 77% of those sports bettors surveyed expect to consume alcohol, cannabis, or other unspecified pharmaceuticals while watching the Super Bowl.
For those whose sports betting judgment is not adversely affected by alcohol, weed, or other, the survey said it was "encouraging" to learn that 88% of Super Bowl bettors expect to adopt at least one strategy to mitigate gaming risk.
Accordingly, nearly four in 10 (38%) respondents reported that they will adhere to a pre-set wagering limit while betting on the Super Bowl.
Leading sportsbooks expect to see most action
Since launching on April 4, followed by a subsequent rollout in September, when sportsbooks transitioned to Ontario's legally regulated sports betting market, the province's sports-betting industry has surpassed $21.6 billion in total wagers and reached $886 million in total gaming revenue.
Here is a list of some of the leading Ontario sportsbooks which are estimated to take up the lion's share of the province's expanding betting market.
- bet365 Ontario
- BetMGM
- theScore Bet Ontario
- BetRivers Ontario
- DraftKings Ontario
- Caesars Ontario Sportsbook
- 888Sport
- FanDuel Ontario
