Results from a recent poll on sports betting in Ontario revealed that brand trust and usability — and not big promotions — were the most impactful tools for online sportsbooks launching in the first regulated Canadian market.
Betting Hero's survey, which polled 115 Ontario residents from May to June, provided insights into bettor habits, behaviors, and preferences, highlighted by 51% of respondents saying they had used a grey market sportsbook before betting was legalized in the province on April 4 — plus promotions were not overly useful incentives.
It provides an interesting revelation for legal sports betting operators still looking to crack the Canadian market: don't follow their U.S. or European business plans.
"Unfortunately for new entrants to Ontario’s emerging legal sports betting market, that loyalty seems to be heavily weighted in favor of companies previously operating in Ontario’s gray market,” Jai Maw, President of Betting Hero, said in a press release. "Legacy U.S. and European sports betting companies entering Ontario could greatly benefit from tailoring their marketing and retention strategies to meet the unique needs of the Canadian consumer and regulatory environment."
bet365 tops in Ontario
Of the 51% of respondents that had already been using a sportsbook prior to legalization, 30% had said that the book they were using was bet365. The report found that of those pre-existing bet365 users, 84% still consider it their favorite app today, with 38% of overall respondents citing the U.K.-based book as the preference.
Following bet365 in overall popularity was the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s PROLINE+ sportsbook (14%), theScore Bet and FanDuel (11% each), then BetMGM, Unibet, and DraftKings (4% each), and PointsBet at 2%. Six other betting sites also garnered 1% each.
Of the 115 participants, 85% were male and ranged in age from 19 to 66, but it's worth noting that 53% of female participants indicated they preferred the OLG.
Usability over promotions
Unlike a similar market launch such as New York, promotions were not an influential incentive to use a particular sportsbook. Only 8% of participants said promotions and rewards were a factor in choosing a sportsbook app, compared to 17% of New Yorkers polled in similar surveys. Only 39% of bets were reported as placed because of promotions (compared to 51% in New York), with 25% of respondents saying they were likely to try a new app because of the range of promotions (vs. 49% in New York).
User interface (58%) was the biggest reason those polled in Ontario cited for choosing an app, with a strong brand name and good customer service as the second most important factor (15%) — it was the least important consideration for New Yorkers (4%).
Shopping around wasn't an immediate priority either, as roughly a third of respondents said they use just one app, while 22% use two, and 19% have three, with 12% actively on four platforms and 15% utilize five or more. That's a stark comparison to New York, where the highest response (24%) was using 5+ apps — and only 17% of participants have just one platform.
Fifty percent of the participants in Ontario said they bet on the NBA most frequently, 47% cited the NFL, and 35% on the NHL. They averaged $512 in monthly wagers and 20% percent bet on sports more than once per day.
Initial Ontario figures underwhelming
That was a higher amount than the average monthly spent by the 492,000 active player accounts, which was reported at $113 per player, in the Q1 figures released by iGaming Ontario on Monday. The $4.076 billion in handle brought in comprised both sports betting and online casino play but did not include promotional/bonus wagers.
The iGO generated $162 million in gaming revenue for the initial three months post-launch. That number was lower than what analysts had predicted, still, Dave Forestell, iGO’s Board Chair, was satisfied with the figures.
"Our aim is to be the best gaming jurisdiction in the world and these positive results are an early sign that we’re on our way," Forestell said. "With a competitive revenue share rate and low barriers to entry, Ontario is an attractive igaming market with a strong player base."
