Results from the Responsible Gambling Council’s Ontario betting behaviours survey
23 per cent of Ontarians said they bet on big games when asked about their betting frequency, according to the results of a recent survey about betting behaviours in Ontario that was published by the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC). Examples of big games are the Super Bowl, playoff games, March Madness, and the FIFA World Cup. The RGC published results from a survey about the betting behaviours of Ontarians last week. The survey was conducted by Leger from November 22 to December 6. The margin of error for the survey is +/-2.9 percentage points.
63 per cent of those surveyed plan to place a single bet on the outcome of a big game. 38 per cent plan to place multiple bets throughout the game on one sportsbook. A quarter of Ontario bettors plan to bet on the game with multiple sportsbooks.
Here are the five most popular reasons why Ontarians bet on a big game (in order)
- To win money
- To make the game more exciting
- Because I am knowledgeable about the teams/players
- Because my friends and/or family are placing bets
- Because I feel confident about my chances of winning
Here are the five most popular features used on a sportsbook to help manage betting (in order)
- Read online information about the odds of winning and how certain sports bets (e.g., moneyline, spread, player props, etc) work
- Money limit setting tools (e.g., deposit limits, spending limits, loss limits)
- Personalized reports on my spending (e.g., win/loss information, time and money spent)
- Take a short break from gambling or placing bets
- Time limit setting tools )e.g., session time limits, weekly/monthly visit limits, limits to time of day)
20 per cent of respondents said they bet on sports weekly. For this survey, weekly betting is placing a bet two to three times a week or more. 18 per cent said they bet regularly. Regular betting is placing a bet three to four times a month or more. And 39 per cent said they bet occasionally. Occasional betting is placing a bet two times a month or less. According the survey, females — 28 per cent compared to 20 per cent for males — and bettors aged 45+ tend to bet on big games. Males and bettors aged 18-44 tend to bet weekly. Men are more likely to bet on big games overall.
Betting trends during the regular season and more
The survey also revealed a lot of other information about Ontario betting behaviours. Almost half(43 per cent) of bettors agree that they tend to bet more when they are with friends and/or family. Just over two thirds agreed that having more sports knowledge helps them predict the outcome of games.
In regards to betting on the regular season, a little under half(42 per cent) expect to bet occasionally during the regular season. A little under a quarter expect to bet weekly or monthly. Males tend to bet more weekly and monthly during the regular season. Females tend to bet more occasionally. On average, bettors expect to spend $303 on bets during the regular season. Most bettors use either one or two sports betting sites. On average, Ontario bettors use 1.8 sports betting sites, and more than half of those sites are Ontario sportsbooks.
How often do bettors feel anger or frustration after losing a bet? 25 per cent always or often have those feelings after losing a bet. Females and people aged 18-44 are more likely to feel anger or frustration after losing a bet, according to the survey results. 7 per cent of Ontario bettors overall always have those feelings. 18 per cent often have those feelings. On the other hand, 23 per cent rarely have those feelings. 13 per cent never feel anger or frustration after a loss. 36 per cent responded sometimes.
