2024 BetMGM sportsbook review for Ontario

I will start with the positives of this review of the BetMGM sportsbook. The BetMGM mobile app and website have a strong selection of sports and markets, boasting 26 different sports options. Overall, BetMGM is a solid choice for a wide variety of betting options, comparable to other online sports betting sites such as Sports Interaction and Rivalry.

Another good thing about the BetMGM online sportsbook is its same game parlays feature. These parlays allowed me to combine all my bets for a single game. This is a great feature not found on many of the sports betting sites I have visited. The BetMGM sportsbook also scores over others because it has less popular sports like Biathlon and Alpine Skiing. 

Lastly, I would like to mention that the BetMGM live streaming capabilities are top-notch and provide quality entertainment, especially for those using the BetMGM sportsbook app. Not only do you have access to a full range of sports and markets, but its live streaming capabilities make it a rare find in the online sports betting world. 

Though the BetMGM sportsbook has many betting options, a few interesting ones are missing. For example, I couldn’t see any prop bets for basketball or hockey. Prop bets are side bets placed on specific events or performances within a game. 

Since Canada has a major hockey team, I had also expected FIH matches to be on the BetMGM sportsbook. Sorry to say, but this deficiency is jarring, as is the absence of some athletic events, such as track and field or Esports. I feel that incorporating these sports would make the BetMGM betting site an even bigger leader in the sports betting industry. 

At the time of writing, there are 52 College Football and 21 NFL events to choose from on the BetMGM sportsbook. Clicking the Game Lines tab shows which team has a better chance of winning its match. This bookmaker also lets you place futures and specials on these events. While writing about other online betting sites, I have yet to see this range. 

Canadian bettors will be pleased with the large selection of hockey games. The highest number of sporting selections at the time of writing is for the National Hockey League (14), and the SHL and Liiga (7 each). After seeing all the wagers placed on this online sports betting platform, you can lay straight bets on each hockey game.

Here are the main reasons why BetMGM Ontario impressed me with its sportsbook. The top part of the platform lists a few games that the sportsbook wants to promote to sports bettors. These games offer spread betting, moneyline options, player and game props, same-game parlays, and more. 

Moreover, bettors need not go by the player props set by the bookmaker. They can click the dropdown arrow, select a player, and then place their bets. What’s more, BetMGM Canada sportsbook indicates which games are at home and which ones are on the road. Another notable feature of this betting platform is the parlay insurance, which helps you recover some of your betting losses. 

Bettors know the importance of home and on-the-road matches and thus can place appropriate wagers. BetMGM Ontario has a functional in-play area. Here, players can see the different betting types and odds. However, I was disappointed that several games, such as the FC Tucson versus the Omaha SC game, didn’t have any player proposition bets, which were present on other mobile apps like BetRivers. 

If you are wondering what player proposition bets are, these are the bets you can place on individual players in a given game. Many competing sportsbooks and betting apps, such as BetRivers, offer their customers a range of player prop bets, especially for NFL games. 

Sports bettors who create a BetMGM account can access the site’s live streaming options to watch games live. BetMGM Ontario also offers an early cash out facility, which is a big plus in my book. This may encourage players who are used to this feature on sites like BetVictor and Caesars to try out BetMGM. 

At the time of writing this article, BetMGM Ontario has over 34 events lined up in its sportsbook for hockey, including the NHL, SHL, Ligga and the National League. The bet types available are spreads, totals (including overtimes and shoot-outs), and moneyline. Bettors also have the option to place futures and specials on these games. Similarly, bettors can place the three basic bet types plus futures and specials on NFL games.

BetMGM could do some things to give itself a better rating in the odds category. For instance, it could provide an easy method for bettors to switch the odds format to American or fractional if they prefer those formats. 

Many sports betting websites in Ontario, for example, DraftKings, show odds in the American format, giving them an advantage over BetMGM. 

I also didn’t see any payout-related information on the BetMGM Ontario sportsbook and had to calculate those percentages myself. As a bettor, this information is critical in deciding whether or not the odds are reasonable. 

It would be nice for this sportsbook to help its customers understand the odds. Newbies have trouble comprehending sports betting odds so BetMGM Ontario could do something here. 

This sports betting platform compares favourably with its key competitors, such as DraftKings and BetRivers. 

BetMGM Ontario releases funds to the same payment option used for depositing money. If your deposit option, such as Mastercard, is unavailable, the sportsbook will ask you for an alternate gateway. However, you must prove your ownership of the secondary payment option before any withdrawals can be made. While BetMGM Ontario doesn’t charge for deposits and withdrawals, third parties, such as banks, card providers or e-wallets, may impose fees on your online transactions. 

There are some deficiencies with the BetMGM Ontario sportsbook regarding the payment methods offered. Newbies and pros will surely want to know the deposit limits on this platform, won’t they? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this information easily on the BetMGM website without creating an account. Second, and very importantly, BetMGM Ontario works with only six payment gateways, which isn’t enough. 

Nevertheless, those gateways that BetMGM does accept include safe and secure options across several different payment types. The sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit/debit cards alongside one of the most secure e-wallets, Paypal. A mobile pay option is available to iOS users through Apple Pay and Interac’s famous Canadian online bank transfer option. 

Other sportsbooks like BetVictor and Unibet incorporate a far less number of payment options. I would still like to see BetMGM Ontario also offering more payment methods. In particular, I’d like to see a more excellent range of eWallets, perhaps including Skrill, ecoPayz and Trustly. A prepaid card option such as Paysafecard would also score a few more points. 

Apple iPhone and tablet users can rejoice because they can pay and receive money from BetMGM Ontario on the go. If you are one of those users, please note that you can make deposits and request payments only via Safari. Overall though, I think the BetMGM betting site has a decent payments section. 

Sports bettors can see all the pertinent information by clicking the Banking Information tab. Furthermore, if they have questions regarding a particular payment option, they can click the PayPal option and see all the articles related to that gateway.

To be honest, all these safety features are standard and fully comparable to other sportsbooks. For instance, Caesars and BetRivers also have the same security features as the BetMGM Ontario sportsbook. I would have been more impressed if the BetMGM Ontario app had a two-factor authentication in place. 

This means every time you log in to this website, you receive an SMS or email carrying a code. You have to enter this code into the login box of the sportsbook to verify your identity. I also found this feature available on BetRivers and PokerStars Sports websites while writing this BetMGM Ontario sportsbook review. 

Additional marks would have been given to BetMGM if it had a biometric security feature. This would involve simply putting your finger in the Sign-In box to prove your identity using the BetMGM sportsbook Ontario app.

Overall, though, BetMGM Ontario takes security seriously. It has a licence from the Ontario authorities and encrypts its data. This betting platform encourages everyone to stick to safe betting practices through the Responsible Gaming policy that it has in place. 

I don’t know what encryption the BetMGM Ontario sportsbook app uses. Is it 256-bit or 128-bit? It would be nice if BetMGM Ontario advertised this information. Lastly, I’d advise this sportsbook to advertise its Responsible Gaming policy a little more so that the users of its online platform feel more informed and comfortable.

I think BetMGM Ontario has acquitted itself well in this department. Its live chat window is available 24/7, and the customer agents are polite and crisp. Besides, they always ask whether you have any more questions to ask and provide links for detailed answers. 

I also found the web form email valuable functionality while writing this BetMGM review. You can add multiple attachments in the contact form and get replies within 24 business hours. I sent BetMGM Ontario an email and was surprised to receive a reply within 5 hours. 

As stated earlier, the FAQs section helps you in many ways, but some answers are missing here. You can get those answers by speaking with someone in the live chat or by email, and they won’t disappoint you. However, it was disappointing to discover that this betting entity has no phone-based support. 

Many Ontario-based sportsbooks offer phone-based customer support to their customers to provide more options for instant customer service. A couple of these are PointsBet and Caesars. The BetMGM Ontario mobile app and website check most, if not all, the other major boxes in the customer support area. 

However, I would like to see the Live Chat window visible on the home screen. Similarly, the FAQs section must be easily accessible on the website and the app. Don’t hide it behind endless pages. With these improvements in place, the BetMGM Ontario sportsbook would be among the best in Ontario. 

There’s no doubt that the BetMGM Ontario online sportsbook has excellent usability. Players can easily log in, find their desired information on the platform, wager on their favourite sports, and log out. However, there are a few suggestions I would like to make. 

There should be a download link for the BetMGM app on the website, but I could not find it. The BetMGM sports betting app was also not easy to find in the Google Play Store and was more readily found through an internet search engine. 

This can confuse many mobile-first bettors, who may turn away from BetMGM Ontario in favour of competitor online sportsbooks with easier app access. Second, some duplicated information on the website can be removed. For example, there are two Casino tabs on the home page, one of which can be removed. 

I will also point out some flaws with the search bar. When I typed ‘Payments’, there were no results. Again, errors like this can turn off several first-timers from this sportsbook. BetMGM Ontario can also try to make its mobile offerings better. 

Some information doesn’t fit on your mobile screen, and this error isn’t limited to just one phone model. For instance, certain information was missing on Samsung Galaxy, Sony, and iPhone 13. I would request the BetMGM Ontario managers look into this issue and make the necessary amendments. Competing online sportsbooks like FanDuel don’t have these issues.