Sport Select

Last updated

Sport Select is a group of sports betting games offered by Canada's lottery corporations. In Quebec, the program is known as Pari sportif; in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, it is known as Pro-Line while in British Columbia, it is known as Sports Action. However, the rules for the games are similar in all provinces. Initially created to offer betting primarily on the North American major professional sports leagues, Sport Select has expanded to offer betting on competitions such as the English Premier League and college sports.

Contents

Sport Select (or equivalent) tickets are sold across Canada, through Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Loto-Québec, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Western Canada Lottery Corporation, and British Columbia Lottery Corporation

. In addition, some provinces are now accepting wagers over the Internet.

Sport Select games

Each province offers versions of these three games under rules similar to those described below:

Pro-Line

Known as Oddset in British Columbia and Mise-O-Jeu in Quebec, Pro-Line offers fixed-odds sports betting, and is the most popular Sport Select game. It does not offer betting on individual matches, partly because betting on a single sporting event was illegal under the Criminal Code up until 27 August 2021. [1] Therefore, Pro-Line is a parlay game where bettors wager on the outcome of anywhere from two to six (BC and Atlantic) and three to six (Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada) of the matches offered by the lottery corporation. Decimal odds are quoted for individual matches, the odds for each selection being multiplied to calculate the potential payout of the ticket. For the ticket to pay out, all selections must be correct. Some provinces offer Combo Play which does not require all selections to be correct for a payout, but a Combo Play ticket is effectively nothing more than a number of similar, individual Pro-Line tickets rolled into one. Overtime is considered when determining results, but overtime in soccer is not.

In June 2022, Proline sportsbook announced themselves as the first Sportsbook partner of Major League Baseball (MLB) in Ontario. [2]

PROLINE+

On August 27, 2021, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) launched PROLINE+ to expand the sports betting selection in the province of Ontario. This coincided with the legalization of single-event betting in Canada, which opened the doors for provinces to start regulating and offering single-event betting as they wished. [1] PROLINE+ is a mobile-optimized site that offers betting markets for at least 12 popular sports, including hockey, football, MMA, and tennis. Bettors can also bet live thanks to a built-in live event tracker.

Point spread

Point Spread is similar to those games offered by other bookmakers where bettors are wagering against a quoted point spread. Bettors can make predictions on the outcomes of two to twelve games, depending on the province. The payouts offered vary by province.

Over/Under

Also known as Total in Quebec, Over/Under is similar to over–under games offered by other bookmakers where bettors are wagering that the number of points scored in each match are over or under the quoted total. Bettors can make predictions on the outcomes of two to twelve games, depending on the province. The payouts offered vary by province.

Controversy

Odds

In recent years, Sport Select has come under increasingly heavy criticism from Canadian gamblers due to the poor odds it offers (from the gambler's perspective). A private bookmaker licensed in the United Kingdom or Nevada generally maintains an overround (or "vig") of about 110%, meaning the bookmaker can expect to pay out $100 for every $110 that is wagered. In Canada, however, the overround for an individual match in Sport Select odds often exceeds 130%. To make matters worse for the bettor, the parlay requirement compounds the overround - the actual vigorish is a minimum of 160% but can rise to well over 300% (if six selections are made). In jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom where genuine competition is allowed, bookies often pay bonuses for winning parlay bets to help offset the compounded vig. Sport Select does not.

Another controversial frustration for Pro-Line players in Atlantic Canada is the occurrence of Atlantic Lottery (ALC) 'capping' wagering on combinations and, on rare occasion, individual selections. This occurs when a significant amount of wagering is placed within a short span of time, typically on a specific combination of outcomes. The reasoning behind having such caps is to dissuade professional, or 'block', bettors from attempting to take advantage of potential flaws in the posted odds, and thus limits the liability for the corporation on a given combination of outcomes. Typical block betting behaviour involves placing large sums (often thousands of $) on a very small amount of combinations, trying to focus on perceived flaws as much as possible. Ultimately the Pro-Line game is meant to be recreational and not for professionals. Unlike online-only betting operations where all transactions must be submitted by identity verified accounts, Atlantic Lottery operates across a network of retailers where wagers are accepted anonymously, thus making it more susceptible to such 'block' bettors. The capping of combinations serves to limit pro-betting while keeping all outcomes open for betting, in any other combination. If a combination of outcomes is capped, any subsequent transaction submitted to the system attempting to wager on this particular combination is rejected. This can be an annoyance to non-professional (casual) bettors legitimately trying to wager on a capped combination, but experienced bettors have come to understand the reasoning and adjust their wagers accordingly.

Though most experts agree that the odds offered on Sport Select are such that even the sharpest punter would have no hope of making a profit in the long term, some have. See, for instance, the 2007 Tax Court of Canada case R. v. Leblanc, in which two brothers netted $5.5 million on $50 million in bets over five years. The Tax Court ruled the profit was not taxable.

Ties

While ties are a common in soccer and used to be common in ice hockey as well, unlike what would be the case with most bookmakers the rules of Sport Select provide for betting on "ties" in nearly every sport including football, basketball and in some provinces baseball, even though ties are never allowed in basketball or baseball and are rare in football. Consequently, Sport Select mandates that any game decided by five points or less in basketball, three points or less in football or one run in baseball (where applicable) is declared a "tie". Furthermore, when the NHL introduced shootouts in for the 2005–06 season the lottery corporations (in contrast to most bookmakers) quickly ruled that shootout results would not count, specifically so they could keep offering "ties" in hockey. In Ontario, a hockey game that goes to a shootout counts as both a Tie and a Visitor or Home win, depending on the outcome. The rule is loathed by most Canadian gamblers because the size of the winning margin often means little to the teams on the field/court. Many bettors believe the rule's true purpose is to confuse gamblers and allow for larger vigs.

NBA

Wagering on NBA games was an issue when Toronto and Vancouver were being considered for NBA expansion franchises, due to strict league rules at the time which prohibited gambling. The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies began play in the league in 1995 only after the provincial lottery corporations agreed to stop offering wagering on all NBA games. As part of the agreement, the Raptors paid $5 million in its first three years and $1 million annually afterwards to its charitable foundation to compensate the Ontario provincial lottery corporation for its loss of revenue.

When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis in 2001, British Columbia resumed allowing wagering on NBA games. In 2010, it was revealed that the Ontario Lottery Gaming Corporation and the Raptors were in negotiations to return wagering on NBA games to the province. [3] [4] [5] In September 2016, it was announced that an agreement had been reached between the parties to allow betting on NBA games on Pro-Line in Ontario to resume beginning with the 2016–17 season. [6] [7] The move is projected to generate $5–10 million in profit for the province.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling</span> Wagering of money on a game of chance or event with an uncertain outcome

Gambling is the wagering of something of value on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elements to be present: consideration, risk (chance), and a prize. The outcome of the wager is often immediate, such as a single roll of dice, a spin of a roulette wheel, or a horse crossing the finish line, but longer time frames are also common, allowing wagers on the outcome of a future sports contest or even an entire sports season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parimutuel betting</span> Betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool

Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets. In some countries it is known as the tote after the totalisator, which calculates and displays bets already made.

Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds betting or parimutuel betting.

Fixed-odds betting is a form of gambling where individuals place bets on the outcome of an event, such as sports matches or horse races, at predetermined odds. In fixed-odds betting, the odds are fixed and determined at the time of placing the bet. These odds reflect the likelihood of a particular outcome occurring. If the bettor's prediction is correct, they receive a payout based on the fixed odds. This means that the potential winnings are known at the time of placing the bet, regardless of any changes in the odds leading up to the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookmaker</span> Organization or person that takes bets on sporting events

A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.

In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outcome. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. For example for an event that is 40% probable, one could say that the odds are "2 in 5","2 to 3 in favor", or "3 to 2 against".

Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet. It is a prolific form of online gambling.

Vigorish is the fee charged by a bookmaker for accepting a gambler's wager. In American English, it can also refer to the interest owed a loanshark in consideration for credit. The term came to English usage via Yiddish slang which was itself a loanword from Russian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports betting</span> Form of gambling

Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation</span> Canadian provincial Crown corporation

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal casinos, commercial casinos, and slot machines at horse-racing tracks. It was created in April 2000 when the Ontario Lottery Corporation (OLC) was merged with the Ontario Casino Corporation (OCC), established in 1994. Prior to 2006, the combined entity was known in short form as the OLGC. OLG employs over 8,000 individuals throughout Ontario; 1,400 in Sault Ste Marie and the GTA offices. There are approximately 9,800 retailers operating more than 10,000 lottery terminals across the province.

A video lottery terminal (VLT), also sometimes known as a video gaming terminal (VGT), video slots, or the video lottery, is a type of electronic gambling machine. They are typically operated by a region's lottery, and situated at licensed establishments such as bars and restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportsbook</span> Sports gambling establishment

A sportsbook is a venue where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, such as golf, football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, horse racing, greyhound racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The method of betting varies with the sport and the type of game. In the US, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 allowed only Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware to legally wager on sports other than horse racing, greyhound racing, and jai alai; the law was ruled unconstitutional on May 14, 2018, freeing states to legalize sports betting at their discretion.

A teaser is a type of gambling bet that allows the bettor to combine his bets on two different games. The bettor can adjust the point spreads for the two games, but realizes a lower return on the bets in the event of a win.

Asian handicap betting is a form of betting on football in which teams are handicapped according to their form so that a stronger team must win by more goals for a bet on them to win. The system originated in Indonesia and gained popularity in the early 21st century. It is a form of spread betting. Handicaps typically range from one-quarter goal to several goals, in increments of half- or even quarter-goals.

A parlay, accumulator, combo bet, or multi is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, usually seen in sports betting. Winning the parlay is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. If any of the bets in the parlay lose, the entire parlay loses. If any of the plays in the parlay ties, or "pushes", the parlay reverts to a lower number of wagers with the payout odds reducing accordingly. Parlay bets are high-risk, high-reward; linking the possibilities drastically reduces the chance of the bet paying off overall. The benefit of the parlay is that there are much higher pay-offs, although as usual, casinos and bookkeepers offering parlays often exploit the poor calculation of gamblers by not increasing the pay-out as much as the odds truly demand, with the effect of the house edge increasing in parlays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fixed odds betting terminal</span> Electronic slot machine

A fixed odds betting terminal is a type of electronic slot machine normally found in betting shops in the United Kingdom and introduced in 1999. The terminals allow players to bet on the outcome of various games and events which have fixed odds, with the theoretical percentage return to player (RTP) displayed on the machine by law. Like all casino games, the "house" has a built-in advantage. Typically, slot machine FOBTs have an RTP of 90% to 94% depending on the chosen stake, and standard roulette FOBTs have a long-term average RTP of 97%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Lottery</span>

The Oregon Lottery is run by the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL).

In gambling parlance, making a book is the practice of laying bets on the various possible outcomes of a single event. The phrase originates from the practice of recording such wagers in a hard-bound ledger and gives the English language the term bookmaker for the person laying the bets and thus 'making the book'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinnacle Sports</span> Online gambling website

Pinnacle is an online gaming website that was founded in 1998. Since its inception, Pinnacle has become a medium-sized, fully licensed, online sportsbook. Pinnacle Sports rebranded to Pinnacle on June 1, 2016 after acquiring the pinnacle.com domain name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betting on horse racing</span>

Betting on horse racing or horse betting commonly occurs at many horse races. Modern horse betting started in Great Britain in the early 1600s during the reign of King James I. Gamblers can stake money on the final placement of the horses taking part in a race. Gambling on horses is, however, prohibited at some racetracks. For example, because of a law passed in 1951, betting is illegal in Springdale Race Course, home of the nationally renowned Toronto-Dominion Bank Carolina Cup and Colonial Cup Steeplechase in Camden, South Carolina.

References

  1. 1 2 Evans, Pete (12 August 2021). "Canada legalizes single-game sports betting, opening up billion-dollar market". CBC News . Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. Daniel O'Boyle (21 June 2022). "OLG's Proline becomes MLB's first Ontario sportsbook partner". iGamingBusiness. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  3. Ganter, Mike (2010-01-27). "OLG 'hopeful' of adding NBA to Pro-Line". Toronto Sun . Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  4. "Pro-Line brings back wagering on all NBA games". Sportsnet. 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  5. "Negotiations to add NBA to Pro-Line tickets in Ontario". Toronto Star. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  6. "OLG ADDS NBA TO PRO-LINE". Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  7. "NBA back on OLG's Pro-Line after two-decade absence". Toronto Star . 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-09-17.