Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) announced some big changes to its retail PROLINE sports betting operation Tuesday. Players can now place single-event wagers at roughly 10,000 retailers across the province, bringing the retail experience up to par with its online sports betting platform, PROLINE +.
In addition to single-event wagering, the new PROLINE at retail locations will give players access to expanded event offerings, dynamic odds, system bets, and novelty betting, and will give them the opportunity to build their tickets using the new PROLINE Bet Builder App, which produces a barcode for quick and easy scanning at stores. Bettors can cash winning tickets for wins of $1,000 or less at these retail locations, and no signup or account is required to play.
The new PROLINE products are expected to generate more player interaction at retail locations, contributing to retailer commissions and aiding economic recovery in Ontario due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Players must be 18 years of age or older to play the new PROLINE at retail locations and 19 years of age or older to register and play PROLINE + on OLG.ca.
“We are especially proud and excited to be bringing the new PROLINE to Ontarians through our almost 10,000 retail partners at convenience stores, gas, grocery, and drugstores across the province,” Kerstin Lack, chief lottery and customer officer at OLG, said in a press release. “This will bring an exciting new offering to customers and support our front-line partners, who have been so instrumental in supporting their communities throughout the pandemic.”
OLG has offered parlay sports betting products at retail locations for almost 30 years, before launching the PROLINE + online platform last August following the legalization of single-event wagering in Canada with the passing of Bill C-218. Essentially, the retail product will now reflect the advancements already being offered online with PROLINE +.
PROLINE + expanding offerings
Last week, PROLINE + began offering pre-match NFL player props for the first time. Four more prop markets were introduced for this past weekend’s NFL games, including longest touchdown, longest rush, longest pass completion, and longest field goal. The sportsbook plans to continue expanding its offerings, teasing a special announcement coming soon regarding the Super Bowl, which is now less than two weeks away. Bettors can also wager on the Winter Olympics, which officially open Feb. 4.
The challenge for OLG and PROLINE + moving forward will be modernizing its product and maintaining its customer base, as private operators, such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, BetRivers, and theScore Bet, get set to entice players with their array of offerings and potential promotions once the market opens in a few months.
Currently, OLG and PROLINE + have a monopoly in the legal sports betting space in Ontario. However, with the announced launch of the regulated open sports betting market on April 4, dozens of private operators will be crashing into the market to compete for the sports betting dollars of Ontarians. All of OLG’s proceeds are reinvested in Ontario as the corporation is run by the provincial government.
