OLG Introduces Single-Event Bets at Retail PROLINE Venues

Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) announced on Tuesday that its retail sports betting operations PROLINE are now accepting single-event wagers. This brings the PROLINE offer on par with the PROLINE+ online wagering platform. 

Thanks to the upgraded option, PROLINE retail locations will provide bettors with a number of advantages, including but not limited to new markets to explore, dynamic odds, fresh parlays, and the opportunity to use the dedicated PROLINE Bet Builder App, which will further facilitate the process for sports fans. 

In addition, sports fans may cash out up to $1,000 of their winnings on-site in any of the 10,000 retail locations PROLINE now runs across Ontario. Sports fans would have to comply with the established regulatory measures to participate in any form of gambling in retail venues. 

For retail betting, the legal gambling age set by the province is 18, and PROLINE+ expects participants to be at least 19 years of age. Commenting on the upgrade of retail operations, OLG chief lottery and customer officer Kerstin Lack said: 

“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.”

OLG chief lottery and customer officer Kerstin Lack

Retail to Offer Cushion Against Private Competition 

He reassured that the new offer would bring opportunities for sports fans to enjoy even better and more accomplished betting options and do so in a safe and trusted environment. This would be the first time that retail locations have offered anything different than parlays, which should lead to an overall increase in their handle.

However, this development is not expected to make much of a dint on the province’s online offering. Sports betting is massively shifting towards the online segment. Retail shops do have a small advantage, though, as they still appeal to customers who are not of the legal age for online gambling. This should allow retail venues to stay in business and create strong ties with local communities. 

Both PROLINE and PROLINE+ will have to deal with the pending launch of private operations in Ontario, which will see the likes of BetMGM, PointsBet, DraftKings, BetRivers, Caesars Entertainment, and theScore Bet join the market in April. 

PROLINE+ will now have the retail offer to fall back on, but the market is about to get very busy very soon, and drawing parallels with the United States, state-run sports betting platforms rarely fare as well as their private peers.