Ottawa, Canada’s capital, sits at the border between Ontario and Quebec and is Canada’s fourth-largest metropolis. The city has a rich and long history in sports, dating back to the 19th century.
The Ottawa Senators are the city’s most prized hockey team. In 1917, the original Senators were among the first NHL teams. The “Sens”, which had been disbanded during the Great Depression of 1934, was revived in 1992 as an expansion team. They were moderately successful, making frequent trips to the playoffs. Their peak year was 2007, when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Ottawa Redblacks are second in prominence. They won the Grey Cup 2016 as the third overall Ottawa CFL team. They also have the Atletico Ottawa (CPL), a Canadian Premier League (CPL), and the Ottawa Aces (Liga 1 rugby team).
Two main routes for betting on sports in Ottawa are the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) and its Proline games, which have point spreads, picks and parlays. Or, you can go online to the top-rated and more popular online sportsbooks.
Ottawa betting: Online and Offline Sports Betting
Because Ottawa is the city that has laws, it makes sense to talk about the legality and fairness of sports betting. Sports betting in Ottawa is legal. There are some details that we must be aware of.
It is legal to gamble in Ottawa. This is evident in the few casinos and betting booths that offer sports betting tickets.
The OLG is the provincial authority that supervises gambling.
All gambling is processed through the OLG. Except for online gambling, all gambling goes through the OLG. While some of these books are Canadian-owned, others operate outside the province or even Canada.
These online sportsbooks, while not being affiliated with the OLG are still free to run and are out of government reach because they aren’t physically located in Canada. These online sportsbooks are free to use and you can place bets scot-free.
Best online Ottawa betting sites
The best sports betting sites in Ottawa happen online: with these top online sportsbooks. While there are nearly a dozen that we could recommend, we’ll take a look at three that you should bookmark if you’re serious about sports betting:
Sports Interaction (SIA): SIA has it all: a rich selection of betting markets, solid betting odds, and plenty of ways to deposit money including Interac e-transfer. What sets SIA apart is its near-flawless reputation among the sports betting community. SIA should be one of the first books you think of before depositing.
- Bet365: the only “downside” to Bet365 is how much betting markets it has – almost too many. Take your time in getting familiar with their betting platforms because it’s worth it. You’ll find anything you need. And both their live betting and mobile platforms are top in the industry. Give them a look.
- Betway: one of the newer sportsbooks around, Betway has a few unique features that set it apart including an in-game cash-out option and the Betway Loyalty program, that potentially pays players to play. As a sportsbook, they have a decent selection of betting markets and competitive betting odds. Check them out.
