European Online Casino Brand Bet365 Showing US Peers How It’s Done In Ontario Launch

The April 4 launch of the Ontario online casinos market was an exciting day for betting fans and brands alike but it is a familiar firm from across the pond that is making a great first impression in the Great White North.

Bet365 is getting excellent feedback from bettors online, who heralded the UK-based brand as 'the best product out there', while readers of a major Canadian sports betting information site voted Bet365 their favourite mobile casino after one week of legal betting.

In this poll, Gambling.com Group’s (GDC) US partner BetMGM also made an appearance with 11% of the vote, although it was well behind Bet365’s 36%. Senior betting strategist, Adam Chernoff, who ran the poll, agreed with the praise of Bet365, saying it 'Has been the best product for a long time and still is by far'.

Canadians on Twitter said Bet365 has the best user interface, 'which is huge for casual bettors', although there was criticism of its prices. Twitter user Michael Wood said: “Bet365 is easy to use and navigate for any bettor.”

On the other hand, bettors remained loyal to GDC’s US brands like Caesars and BetMGM, with @BlaketheMega on Twitter saying, “Depending on sport, my favourite is Caesars or BetMGM.”

Ontario Betting Launch 'Not Without Its Issues' For Stakeholders

Despite the enthusiasm among Ontario bettors, there have been teething problems across the market relating to Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, betting site sign-ups, payouts and geolocation data collection.

A geolocation glitch in Ontario, which meant players’ location could not be accurately detected, left some Bet365 users unable to bet. In fact, some Ontario-based Caesars Sportsbook & Casino players had to create accounts through its customer support team due to glitches preventing automatic sign-ups.

James Brotherton, Director of Sales North America at GDC, said: "It's been clear from the initial data that the Ontario launch has not been without its issues for everyone concerned, with our US partners particularly affected on the KYC and customer verification fronts.”

Out of the GDC partners already live in Ontario, Caesars has been affected the most by these growing pains and its mobile app is yet to go live. In contrast, BetMGM has enjoyed a smoother start, while BetRivers is also performing at a normal level. Caesars said on its app: "Our team is currently working on the release of the Caesars app in Ontario, which we will be announcing very soon!"

Bet365 users did not escape the Ontario casino launch issues totally unscathed, with some facing verification problems. One frustrated bettor said: "Bet365 has been not allowing bets from Ontario-located customers for two days now. Be better please and be fast about it."

Bettors said the transition had been a little rough, however some were pleased to receive a CA$250 Bet365 betting voucher. You can read our Bet365 casino review today.