In an effort to keep competitive in the Ontario sports betting market, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) raised its betting limits for PROLINE retail wagers.
The increase, effective September 1, saw customers go from being restricted to $100 in total bets per day, per PROLINE retailer... to a $100 limit per each individual wager — a needed modernization of a 30-year-old policy.
"We are updating a decades-old (1992) sports betting limit policy for PROLINE at retail that will improve our player and retail experiences," said Tony Bitonti, Director of Media Relations for the OLG. "This update brings Ontario in line with prevailing practices across Canada."
Efforts to boost retail wagering
The OLG is still the only entity that offers retail sports betting in Canada's only regulated sports betting market.
But with the province having more than 20 regulated online sports betting operators, including powerhouses FanDuel, DraftKings, and Caesars — plus the recent regulation of Canadian-based Sports Interaction and the impending launch of Pinnacle — it makes sense for the Crown agency to better entice Ontario bettors to use the nearly 10,000 retail locations in the province.
Bitonti noted that the betting limits on PROLINE+, the mobile component of the OLG's sports betting offering, are different than the retail limits "to remain competitive with the open iGaming market."
Perfect timing
The increase in retail betting limits comes as the OLG has been building momentum prior to the launch of the new NFL season.
They launched a new mobile betting app last month, which in combination with the enhanced retail experience, should better position the OLG to capitalize on the football betting boost — which is much-needed following disappointing numbers released in August that revealed that the first three months of iGaming (sports betting and online casino) in the province saw just $162 million in revenue on $4.7 billion in wagers.
Also, Bitonti noted that any revenue increase for the OLG is directly beneficial for Ontario as a whole, as "100% of the proceeds generated through bets on PROLINE and PROLINE+, made in the new app, are reinvested in the province to help improve the quality of life for all Ontarians."
