How the sport game changes now that it is completely legal in Ontario | CBC Sports

If you live in Ontario, then congratulations: Starting today, you can legally put your money where your mouth is.

As Ontario becomes the first province to expand its sports betting market, here’s what you need to know:

Wait, wasn’t sports betting legal already?

Before the passage of Bill C-218 last June, the only legal type of sports betting in Canada was through accumulators (bets where you choose multiple outcomes that everyone must achieve to win) and horse racing.

House Bill C-218 changed that, removing the federal ban on sports betting and paving the way for more types of gambling to be allowed, such as futures (for example, a Stanley Cup bet placed at the start of the season) and single game bets (for example, the Leafs to beat the Lightning tonight).

Ontario is the first province to launch its regulated sports betting program, with multiple sportsbooks officially opening today. With a population of around 14.57 million people, Ontario is expected to generate $800 million in gross revenue from sports betting this year, a tough bet for the provincial government.

The United States passed a similar bill in 2018, and 30 states now host legal sports betting.

This doesn’t seem to change much to me.

So you were probably already betting on what is known as the gray market, with an online sports book abroad. He can also place bets in person with a bookmaker, in which case his game may not be affected at all.

In the first case, the transition seems to be quite simple. If your current sportsbook has an agreement with the Ontario Gaming and Alcohol Commission, it will likely require some verification of your age (you must be 19 to bet) before you can proceed. For your troubles, you can offer some kind of promotion via betting credits, but don’t confuse credits with real dollars. There are often many conditions before credits become withdrawable money.

How will this affect my sports viewing experience?

Aside from endless sports betting announcements after every whistle, betting should make your end-of-season NHL game a little more exciting—and hey, maybe you’ll even win some money while you’re at it. (This is where we note that the book always tastes better, and will probably lose. Fair warning.)

One way to bet on the game is through prop bets, which you may be familiar with from the Super Bowl. Props can be anything from the length of the national anthem (usually only offered for the NFL championship) to player-specific stats (Auston Matthews to score in any game seems like the safest bet out there these days) . Some people’s vision for the future of sports betting is to have fans in the arena making these kinds of bets, and professional leagues are slowly getting used to that idea with each additional dollar of revenue.

What are the disadvantages?

Gambling addiction is one. The government is providing online support to curb that problem, including an online self-assessment questionnaire. In the meantime, automatic controls where you can set deposit limits and a maximum loss should be included in all sportsbooks.

The other drawback involves the athletes themselves. The NFL recently suspended Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for a full season for betting on his team’s games, even though he reportedly bet Atlanta would win as part of multiple combinations. But it all falls apart if players rig the games, part of the reason some think single-game betting was banned in the first place, and the reason names like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are considered infamous. .

So how can I get started?

Some basics: If you see -110 next to a bet, that means you need to bet $110 to win $100. Conversely, something like +220 means that a bet of $100 would pay out $220.

A money line bet is when you pick a winner of the game, with odds skewed towards the favourite. Betting with the point spread evens those odds. For example, Kansas is favored by 4.5 points in tonight’s title game against UNC. If you bet on the Jayhawks with the spread, they need to win by at least five points. Meanwhile, a UNC bet would be successful if the Tar Heels lose by less than five points or win.

Quickly…

Canadian swimmers are back in the pool. Fresh off a six-medal run at Tokyo 2020, Canada’s swim team is back in the starting blocks for a new season, beginning with the national trials in Victoria. The entire event will be broadcast live on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and the CBC Gem, with action starting tomorrow at 12:27 pm ET and running through Sunday. The tests help determine Canada’s team for the world championships, which will take place in June in Budapest. For the first time in a decade, the event will take place without former head coach Ben Titley, who parted ways with Swimming Canada in March despite his success overseeing Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse and Summer McIntosh. McIntosh, 15, is the name to watch this season. The Toronto native narrowly missed out on a medal in her debut at the Tokyo Olympics, placing fourth in the women’s 400m individual medley. But after posting the third-fastest time in the event last month, McIntosh looks destined for many podium finishes to come.

Brad Gushue is off to a good start in the world of curling. After winning bronze at the Olympics, Gushue and his track won the Brier just weeks later to book a ticket to the world championships in Las Vegas. The Newfoundland b’ys have won each of their first four games in Nevada to move into first place in the 13-team round robin. Gushue is back on the ice today at 5 pm ET against Italy. The biggest surprise so far is Sweden’s Nik Edin, who won Olympic gold but is 1-2 so far at worlds. Gushue said ice conditions on the Las Vegas steamer may be to blame. Watch the highlights and read more about Canada’s last two wins here.

In case you missed it…

Kyle Lowry finally came home. As of Sunday, the last time Lowry played a game in Toronto was Feb. 28, 2020. In between, the greatest Raptor of all time essentially moved to Florida, playing home games for Toronto in Orlando (in the bubble) and Tampa (last season) before signing with the Miami Heat. And so Lowry’s homecoming last night became a long-awaited celebration of his nine seasons at the club, filled with reunions and cheers. Lowry’s Heat went on to win almost at the last moment of a game. The Raptors, despite the loss, still seem confident of being in the top six in the playoffs to avoid the precarious entry tournament. But there are four games left, and they will go a long way in determining the final standings and playoff matchups. Watch the Raptors tribute to Lowry and read more about the game here.

#TigerWatch is officially underway. Tiger Woods hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since a car accident 13 months ago that damaged his right leg so badly that doctors considered amputating it. In fact, the last time Tiger played on tour was at the pandemic-delayed Masters in November 2020. Yesterday, with the 2022 edition of the tradition just days away, Tiger tweeted that it would be a “decision in game time.” to play in the tournament, which starts on Thursday. His practice round soon after has already been deeply dissected, right down to his shoe brand (particularly not Nike). Take a look at the scenes of the round. hereand read more about the possible return of the storybook here.

The Ryerson Rams hoisted the Bronze Baby. That’s the trophy awarded to the U Sports women’s basketball national champions, and it seemed destined for Ryerson all season as head coach Carly Clarke and her team went undefeated. The Rams also left no doubt in the title game, outscoring Winnipeg by 22 points. Meanwhile, men’s powerhouse Carleton won their third straight title after defeating surprising Saskatchewan in the final. South of the border, US Women’s National Team coach Dawn Staley led South Carolina, with Canadian player Laeticia Amihere, to her second championship by defeating traditional powerhouse UConn. The men’s final between eighth-seeded UNC, who beat archrival Duke in the semifinals, and top-seeded Kansas goes tonight.

And finally…

A 93-year-old man broke three Canadian racing records. Canio Polosa is a retired doctor from London, Ontario, who finished the 10K on Sunday in just over an hour and 14 minutes. That was good enough to break the record for Canadians in the 90-95 age group. For good measure, he also broke records for the 8K and 5-mile distances along the way. And in case you don’t feel bad enough about skipping your planned weekend race, 18-month-old Luke Bell also competed in part of the race. See a photo of Polosa and Bell together and read more about Polosa’s accomplishments here.

You are up to date. She talks to you tomorrow.