BetRivers Sportsbook Breaks Down Most Popular Sports in Ontario's First Week

Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers Canada Sportsbook was one of the first to go live in Ontario when the province’s new private gaming market went live on April 4.

The launch came at an ideal time in the sports world. The NBA had several key games as the regular season came to an end, with the playoffs set to start soon. Golf saw the Masters Tournament take place over the weekend, while the MLB season officially started.

BetRivers released the betting data from tis first week, and it’s clear Canadians have been eager to back the hometown teams. The Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors were the most bet on teams in both the MLB and NBA at BetRivers Sportsbook.

The Masters golf tournament took in the largest handle of any event, receiving 17% of all the bets over the weekend. Tiger Woods’ return certainly increased interest around the event, while Scottie Scheffler continued his dominant run by securing his first career major title.

The second most-bet on event was the regular-season finale between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, which received 5% of the handle. Los Angeles ended its disappointing season with a 146-141 double-overtime win over the Nuggets in a game that saw mostly reserve players take the court.

The NBA has taken in the most action at BetRivers, with the league receiving 36% of the handle. Golf was second at 17%, while the MLB was third at 14%.

Slots have been the favorite online casino game during the first week, with blackjack and table games second and third in casino activity.

Ontario’s New Gaming Market

BetRivers was one of 27 online sports betting and iGaming operators approved to launch in Ontario on April 4. Of the popular brands not on the list, DraftKings is the one that sticks out the most. A spokesperson for the company told Ontario Bets a DraftKings launch is planned.

“DraftKings is working closely with provincial regulators to bring our top-rated mobile sportsbook and casino products to Ontario as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.

In addition to BetRivers, bet365, 888 Holdings, BetMGM, Coolbet, Caesars, FanDuel, theScore and PointsBet have also went live with their sportsbook and online casinos.