Bwin Ontario sportsbook review: 2024 ratings

If you’re a fan of the most popular sports in Canada such as ice hockey, football, soccer and so on, you’ll be very happy with Bwin sports betting. Things get a little tricky if you’re looking for a unique betting experience though. 

However, there is the option for less common sports for betting in Ontario such as Alpine skiing and snooker. These are perfect for anyone like me looking to expand their betting market options. 

Personally, I’m glad to see sports such as rugby and cricket from Bwin. These sports have millions of fans worldwide, but it’s rare to see them at smaller sportsbooks like Bwin. 

I do, however, wish the site included special events as market options. Politics, TV and movie award shows and so on are missing from Bwin. These types of events are great to bet on for people who’re not big on traditional sports, but still want to place a wager. 

The search box is probably my favourite feature. With so many games happening at any one time, it’s a convenient way of finding out what’s available to bet on now or in the near future. 

Regarding the American football betting market, you can expect to find the Canadian and American professional leagues. These are the Canadian Football League (CFL), the National Football League (NFL) and American college football. 

Hockey, on the other hand, is a lot more interesting. There are leagues and tournaments from 11 countries in North America and Europe. The USA’s NHL, Europe’s Championships Hockey League, Finland’s Liga and many more can be found on Bwin. 

I was impressed as soon as I started this Bwin review. And that’s because there are a range of different betting options for sports bettors on this site. Bwin Ontario kicks things off with cash out and bet builder options. 

I do love a good bet builder as it allows me to pick the specifics that really interest me. Additionally, there are often better odds in place for some of these bet types. 

A real standout for me was the live betting on sports. This is carefully labelled, so I could find which of the sports currently have live betting options. In fact, there’s a pretty big selection. 

However, where this sports betting site really put itself head and shoulders above the rest was by offering live streaming. Yes, Bwin sports can be live streamed! 

So many online sports betting sites do not give this option, so it was a pleasure to be able to enjoy this here. I really did push up the Bwin sportsbook score just for this! 

In terms of additional features, I will say that the football section is the highlight of this online sportsbook. There are nearly 100 different mini bet types available here. In fact, I was able to find almost all the bets I would usually make on the NFL. And, all of them were in one easy place. 

When it comes to the odds and payout percentages, you really should be paying attention to everything that’s offered online. Luckily for you, I was pleasantly surprised by the Bwin sports betting options. 

Rather unexpectedly, the overall payout rate is actually 95-96% which is definitely at the higher end of the scale. This was specifically matched in the American football section with a 96% payout. 

However, it’s not as consistent as I’d like, which is why this doesn’t score as highly as you might expect. Other favoured sports such as basketball and hockey do actually dip rather at 94 and 95%. 

That being said, maybe this is me being picky because this is still better than other sportsbooks such as Betway sports for example. 

Similar to other sportsbooks, the big drop comes with the live games. I guess I can’t complain too much, but it still does seem to me a little cheeky for sportsbooks to do this.

While there are 11 different payment methods, this is something I have come to expect at sportsbooks in Canada. In fact, if there were fewer, I’d have been disappointed. 

The payment section is very nicely laid out showing al the payment options clearly. I even found that there were some help sections on how to set up and deposit for some of the methods too. 

I really like that there’s a very low minimum limit for all transactions. However, initially, I was a little put out that there aren’t any maximum limits listed at all. 

But, it turns out this is because players are encouraged to set these limits themselves. This means you will have to set these when making an account, and it’s all part of the responsible gaming protocols the site offers. 

While I did like this, I would still prefer to have some upper limits in place so that I could get an idea of what to expect. It was also somewhat frustrating that more detailed payment information is only available when you have an account. 

These days, I don’t expect anything less than the absolute max when it comes to security. Bwin ticks most of the boxes here as it, first up, has an Ontario iGaming licence. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Bwin also makes use of the highest level encryption protocols on their site. At 256-bit this is actually better than the vast majority of sportsbooks out there. 

Additionally, the sportsbook has a very strong set of responsible gaming protocols. These are all on-site options with very detailed sections on how to use them and get help. 

This was evidenced in the fact that they encourage you to set your betting limits on your own account right from the off. I’d like to see some external limits imposed too though. 

Finally, we come to the auditing. Now, the sportsbook says it’s audited by a third-party company, but all the documents online are from Entain which is the parent company. This is a little confusing and is the reason why this site doesn’t get a top score. 

Increasingly, it appears to be the norm to hide the live chat deep within the Help Centre and this is really beginning to frustrate me. Is it really that hard to put a little live chat icon on the main page? 

Unfortunately, Bwin is one such sportsbook. To get in touch with anyone, you have to go through the Help Centre and find the section on how to get in touch, then click around some more. Frankly speaking, it’s a bit concerning.

That being said, the Help Centre is actually very helpful and may save you from the frustrations of getting in touch. I found it very comprehensive, and it did go into detail in almost all areas. 

Fortunately, bwin also seems to be listening. Last time I visited, live chat was only available to punters who are logging in. I’m pleased to say that this is no longer the case! If you can find the live chat button (good luck), you can reach out and get a response in seconds (huge plus for me).

Despite my annoyance, I still gave bwin a decent score because when I reached out, the live chat (24/7 availability) was very prompt, friendly and professional.

Let me tell you, I really enjoy the betting interface at Bwin sportsbook. I am a big fan of the simple black and white display as this really makes it look stylish and professional. 

Once in the sports section, everything was very easy to find. I particularly liked the different shortcuts, filters and dropdowns, which helped me to navigate my way around. And, it was great when looking at the bets available that I could choose popular bets as a filter option. 

I loved the fact that there is a favourite function too, so that I could create my favourite competitions and tournaments for even quicker access when needed. 

If this wasn’t enough, I also liked the fact that the interface remained the same across all the mobile options. You can access the site via the mobile browser or by downloading the betting app for Android or iOS. 

Whichever option you choose, the site was responsive and optimized for mobile devices. I tried it out on a phone and a tablet and was impressed at the ease with which the site changed to fit the screen size. The only thing is that some sections get condensed to fit the screen, but none of the features are lost.