Almost Half of Bettors in Ontario to Wager on Super Bowl LVII

According to a report from the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), 49% of all sports bettors from the Canadian province intend to wager on the upcoming Super Bowl championship game that will be disputed between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Ontarians Are in the Lead at Super Bowl Betting 

As compared to the 20% of Americans of the right age to gamble who have expressed the same desire to wager on the big event, Canadians from the Ontario province are in the lead. RGC data from a survey reveals that 54% of Ontario sports bettors who have expressed their intention to wager on Super Bowl LVII plan to place just one bet on the outcome of the game. 

Close to one-quarter of respondents said they would wager on each outcome using several sportsbooks. At the same time, 41% of bettors announced their intention to use legal sportsbook platforms to place their wagers, 29% said they would rather place their wagers in a pool while 36% expressed a preference for dedicated sport-based tickets sold by lotteries. 

Also, two in ten bettors in Ontario claimed they would make their bets using the online sportsbook that would offer the best odds while 46% of respondents said they would bet with friends. 

As for the actual size of their wagers, 54% of the bettors who participated in the RGC study revealed they are ready to bet as much as $50, 26% between $50 and $100 while 19% are willing to bet at least $100 on the game. 

Data from the same survey showed that 73% of betting Ontarians feel like their sports knowledge can give them an edge when trying to predict the outcome of a game. 

The percentage reaches 91 points when it comes to bettors who wager periodically. This belief can easily lead to bettors feeling overly confident in their ability to win bets, causing them to bet more money than they can afford to lose and thus considerably increase the risk of gambling problems. 

The good news is that the same survey has shown that as many as 88% of this year’s bettors on the Super Bowl are ready to use at least one gambling risk management strategy. 

Close to 40% of bettors expressed their intention to remain in a pre-set wagering limit. Around a third of them said they regard betting on sports as a form of entertainment and not a means of making a profit while 24% said they are committed to never betting on sports while under the influence. At the same time, more than 20% of the study respondents said they never bet when they are feeling anxious or depressed.

Among the most popular gambling risk management tools used by online bettors, the study mentioned personalized spending reports. These reports that display win and loss information, along with the amount of money and time spent wagering online were used by 22% of bettors ages 18 to 34. 

RGC’s chief executive officer Sheila White called the use of online and offline responsible gambling tools a positive thing, adding that having a risk management plan in place was “key to enjoying the game.”

The online survey was done January 6-January 8, 2023 on 1,001 Ontario residents ages 18 and above via Leger’s online panel. The independent non-profit organization with a clear goal to prevent problem gambling determined a margin of error of +/-3.1%.