Guides

Betting with Proline VS Private Sportsbooks

Learn about the Major Differences Between Betting on Proline or with a Private Sportsbook


Proline VS Private Sportsbooks Guide

For decades if you wanted to place a bet on sports in Ontario, your only option was to find a registered OLG retail location and place your bet in person. Not only was this not an ideal way to bet on sports, but you were also constrained in how you could bet, limiting you to only placing parlays as single-event betting became legalized in 2021.

But just like everything else in the world, times are changing and this rings especially true in regard to sports gambling.

On April 4th, 2022, Ontario became the first province to legalize privatized sports betting in Canada. With this change, the entire landscape of sports betting has changed in the province and has left many sports bettors torn as to what is the best way to place their wagers.

In this guide, we will go over the pros and cons of betting with Proline versus at Private Sportsbooks, providing you with all the necessary information needed to decide how you want to place your next bet.

Proline/Proline+ Pros & Cons

  • Losing Bets Go Back into the Canadian Economy

  • Multiple Ways to Place Bets


  • Fewer Sports Betting Options

  • More Betting Restrictions

Private Sportsbooks Pros & Cons

  • Terrific and Timely Sportsbook Features

  • Expansive Betting Libraries

  • Looser Betting Restrictions


  • Funds Lost do not Funnel back into the Economy Directly

How and Where Do you Place Bets?

The most important aspect of any betting service, how you place your bets should always be the first thing you look into before gambling. When it comes to sports betting, depending on where you are located geographically or based on your resources, you will need to ensure that you’re able to place bets with ease before signing up.

How you place bets with Proline versus private online sportsbooks can differ so be sure to learn the major differences so you can bet with your preferred method.

Proline

There are two ways players can place wagers using the Proline service. The first and more traditional option is by heading to a licensed OLG vendor and placing your Proline wager in-store. This betting option allows you to physically place your bets as well as receive a physical copy of your wager.

Another way to bet on sports through Proline is with their new online hub, Proline+. Acting similarly to a private sportsbook, this service allows bettors to register and place their bets through their phone or web browsers.

If you prefer the hands-on experience of sports betting then Proline is a great option for you, while still providing an online alternative.

Private Sportsbooks

Betting with private sportsbooks in Ontario is a purely online activity. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can place a bet as long as you have a stable internet connection.

This is a game changer for many avid sports bettors as this provides you with instant access to your sports betting library so you can place opportune bets as news is released pre-match, or you can live bet as a shift in momentum occurs in a game.

While you can’t wager in person anywhere with private sportsbooks, the online betting hubs provided by these sportsbooks have nearly limitless options and are sure to satisfy all of your sports betting needs.

Who Provides the Best Odds Value on your Bets?

Getting the best bang for your buck when placing a bet should always be high up on your list of priorities. Depending on where you decide to place your bets you may receive differing odds from each bookmaker. This is no different from Proline and private sportsbooks as their odds are comparable but not the same.

While both private sportsbooks and Proline offer the same amount of juice/vig, (amount taken from the sports betting platform as payment for taking your bet) their odds multipliers are certainly varying. When compared directly, private sportsbooks provide a far greater winning potential when compared to Proline.

If you’re looking to cash in on a big-time payday by placing a parlay, we recommend using a private sportsbook rather than Proline.

What Kind of Prop Bet Markets are There?

One of the most exciting ways to bet on sports, prop bets allow bettors to wager on more specific markets surrounding a game. Prop bets include but aren’t limited to wagering on the performance of a player competing in a matchup (i.e. anytime goal scorer), race to “X” amount of points, and several other props that encompass nearly every part of a matchup.

Player prop bets are not just fun to bet on but can also be extremely profitable once you’ve developed a reliable betting strategy. Between Proline and private sportsbooks, find out which offers more prop betting markets below.

Proline

Currently, on Proline as well as Proline+, you cannot wager on prop bets. While they do offer you several alternate point total/point spread wagers as well as the ability to bet on teams to win halves or quarters, there are no player prop bets available on their platform.

This is a major downside to betting with the Proline platform as this prevents you from expanding your sports betting repertoire and limits your winning ability. If you are looking to place a prop bet on any game, steer clear of Proline as they will not be able to accommodate your betting needs.

Private Sportsbooks

Private sportsbooks provide loads of prop bets to all of their players. Allowing bettors to wager on the individual performances of the top players competing in a game as well as providing betting markets on even the most specific areas of a match, private sportsbooks truly provide everything that a bettor could need.

While each private sportsbook will have their own unique lines & odds within its prop betting markets, they have plenty of options to choose from to help you secure your next winning wager. All of these options make placing same game parlays a dream for sports bettors, something that is not offered by their counterparts in Proline.

If you’re looking to wager on a the performances of the top athletes competing today, head to your preferred private sportsbook and find your perfect pick.

Are there Limits to your Bets?

Betting limits are commonplace for many sportsbooks and can be used in a variety of scenarios. Whether you are setting bet or deposit limits on your own personal account, or the platform you are wagering with has predetermined amounts set for payouts and wagers, knowing the limits and constraints of your betting service is imperative to the enjoyment of your sports betting experience.

Learn about the different betting limits set between Proline and private sportsbooks to discover which will allow you to bet the way you want.

Proline

When betting with Proline you will notice that there are several various betting restrictions/limitations with this service. If you are interested in placing a bet with Proline in-store you are only able to place wagers up to $100. This is far less than what is offered by the typical betting units used by private sportsbooks.

Betting limits with Proline+ are looser but are still lacklustre. Allowing for a maximum wager amount of $20,000 as well as limiting the maximum payouts to $600,000 is restricting to bettors looking to score massive wins. If you are betting in low increments this shouldn’t affect you too much but for fans of cooking up crazy parlays, this can be incredibly restricting.

Private Sportsbooks

While the betting limits are set within each unique private sportsbook, when directly compared to Proline, the betting limits and restrictions are far lighter. Many private sportsbooks allow you to place high wager amounts as well as receive massive payouts depending on the amount being wagered.

Private sportsbooks certainly provide their players with more lucrative betting alternatives and will give bettors the chance to hit insane payouts that hold greater value than what is offered by Proline.

Who Oversees your Bets?

Each and every gambling entity is overseen by some sort of governance or organization. Depending on the business’s structure and purpose this can directly impact the services offered as well as the quality of the product being provided.

Learn more about who oversees both Proline and private sportsbooks and be sure to factor this into your decision between the two sports betting options.

Proline

Overseen by the Ontario government and the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Commission, there are some distinct positives and negatives to being directly affiliated with the government. All losing wagers on Proline instead of going into the pockets of those running the service, is instead funded back into the provincial government to help build the economy.

This is the same practice that is used when placing bets on the OLG lottery and is a great way to find a silver lining to any losing bets.

One downside to having governing bodies involved in Proline is that changes being made are far harder to be passed as it will take multiple stages to complete this process This includes but is not limited to betting libraries, features, and banking options as the governing bodies are far more strict as to what can be done while betting with Proline

Private Sportsbooks

As individually funded and operated enterprises, all private sportsbooks are their own unique businesses that possess their own practices and operations.

With this, these sportsbooks are able to make changes on the fly, constantly updating their betting libraries, sportsbook features, and everything in between to ensure bettors have a fresh and fun experience each time they log into their account. With more creative freedom private sportsbooks provide users with entertainment each time they participate in sports betting using their service.

Which is the Better Way to Bet on Sports?

Once it’s all said and done, if you are going to bet on sports in Ontario, private sportsbooks are the way to go!

With more betting options, fewer limits and restrictions, increased winning potential, as well as several unique sportsbook features that are not available with Proline or Proline+, there are a plethora of advantages to betting with a private sportsbook in comparison to the OLG-affiliated service.

There are several fantastic online sportsbooks to choose from in Ontario and at Canadian Sports Betting, we’ve thoroughly reviewed all the top online betting sites in Canada so you can find the best fit for your sports gambling needs.


Matt Eichhorn

Matt Eichhorn

Having worked in the Sports Gambling industry since 2020, Eichhorn has expertise in all things sports betting. With experience covering various major North American sports leagues he has a wide array of knowledge to draw from when crafting his work.