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As a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), iGaming Ontario launched regulated and legal gambling on April 4th – and since then, a UK-based company called Bet365 has been regularly reviewed as the best operator on the market.
An intuitive and easy to navigate user interface is just one of the reasons that various online gambling providers become so popular. In particular, Bet365 favorite sports betting provider in Ontario is dominating the newly launched market already, according to user opinion. But how has Bet365 managed to launch itself into the Ontario market so successfully, nudging out homegrown operators for the coveted top spot?
The Ontario Gambling Market
Prior to April 2022, the lottery previously held the legalized and regulated gambling monopoly. Ontario was one of many jurisdictions considered a gray market, where gambling is not illegal, but it isn’t regulated. For those who want to bet, using providers in a gray market leads to a lack of shared laws and ambiguity in processes – so this launch of a regulated market has been a big deal.
iGaming Ontario has licensed several operators to provide betting services, with stipulations about the nature of the games that can be played by residents, including:
- No autoplay on slots
- No split-screen or multiscreen playing
- No games, characters or themes that might appeal to minors
- The minimum spin speed of 2.5 seconds
- Net position must be shown at all times in Canadian dollars, not credits or points.
These rules are mostly similar to the regulations in the UK and Europe that have been implemented by the leading providers of betting services.
Why Ontario?
The opening of a brand new, legalized, and regulated market in a nation that hasn’t had one aside from the lottery is a big deal – for both Canadian-based companies and more international operators. A whole fresh market dominated by one brand represents a real win for that company in terms of users and revenue, so it is unsurprising that there is a lot of competition from hungry betting operators.
It would seem that Bet365 have taken this challenge seriously, pivoting their international provision to suit the Canadian market from top to bottom – and the approach seems to be working.
Who are Bet365?
Sports fans in North America and Canada would be forgiven for not thinking much of this seemingly small and unobtrusive British company, but Bet365 have a long and strong history of providing leading online betting opportunities. Launched from Staffordshire in England back in 2000, Bet365 became the online branch of a family-run estate of betting shops going back to the ‘70s.
Their exponential growth – including dominating Europe, operating in a couple of states in the US, as well as Mexico and Australia – could be credited to the company’s focus on developing new games and taking advantage of new technology that makes accessing the games and sports to bet on simple, fast, and fun.
Bet365 have been an award-winning betting operator for many years, recently picking up top gongs from the Global Gaming Awards, the EGR Operator Awards, and the SBC Awards. Of course, for users in Canada, what really matters is the service that they provide – and they are getting noticed for that, too.
Betting with Bet365
Canadian gamblers have it good with the provision that comes from Bet365 – from games to sports, there are so many ways to play.
The casino games on offer range from blackjack to roulette and all the slots. Sports fans can bet on the ‘Big Four’ national leagues (NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB), but as an international company, one of the biggest draws for sportsbook fans is the access to the best early and in-play odds on sports from around the world. Soccer, golf, Formula 1, MMA, and boxing events are all available.
What sets Bet365 apart from the competitors in terms of available betting is the opportunity to gamble on the outcome of esports competitions, like Rocket League and CS:GO.
Competitors
In terms of market share in these early days of Ontario gambling, it would seem that the biggest competitor for Bet365 is the Canadian company theScore Bet. A subsidiary of theScore, which is a leading sports media company throughout Canada, the home team advantage from this well-known brand has seen theScore Bet take up to 50% of downloads in the first three weeks – but that isn’t stopping the growth of the plucky English upstart.
Other competitors, including BetMGM, FanDuel, and Caesars are able to draw on their reputations in the US market to gain a following in Ontario, but early indications is that it is not enough to catch Bet365 and theScore Bet for market share.
Leading the Market
With access to national and international sports and games, popular casino games and slots, and an interface that is intuitive and simple, it is no wonder that Bet365 is really leading the market in Ontario.
