THE LIFE OF A BOOKIE – ONTARIO

Undoubtedly if you are a sports fan in the province of Ontario, you are beaming with pride right now, though not completely satisfied.

Let’s focus on Toronto and the surrounding are, because it is truly a bigger-then-life place; one of the great cosmopolitan cities in the world. And as such, it is fertile ground for those who aspire to be a successful bookie, under the right circumstances.

Canada is a very good place strategically for sports betting, as there is the blend of both the North American flavor with an international twist.

• The Toronto Raptors, after years and years of playoff disappointments, finally ascended to an NBA championship. And there were six Canadians taken in the NBA Draft, setting an international record. The future is bright, whether the team will have Kawhi Leonard in the fold anymore or not. Management has been successful in keeping this team a contender, and will continue to do so in the future.
• The Blue Jays have existed for more than 40 years, and won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. A number of Hall of Famers have passed through town, including Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Roberto Alomar, Jack Morris and the recently-elected Roy Halladay.
• No professional sports team in North America has been in operation continuously with the same nickname for as long as the Toronto Argonauts. And they have experienced recent success, with a Grey Cup title in 2017.
• Toronto also has an association with Major League Soccer (MLS) at present. Toronto FC won that league’s championship in 2017, with Sebastian Giovinco becoming a folk hero in the city on his way to winning the MLS Most Valuable Player award.

But you know what? When all is said and done, this is a hockey town.

• As one of the “Original Six” NHL franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs are always going to hold a special place in the history of the game. And for us to go through all the Hall of Famers that have worn their sweater, it would be exhausting.
• There has been a lot of glory. But there is also a certain level of anguish they have created among the fan base, as they have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. All of the other original teams- Boston, New York, Detroit, Chicago and Montreal – have won the Cup since they have.
• But fans have supported the team to the extent that the Leafs’ franchise is ranked as the second most valuable team in the NHL in the annual survey done by Forbes Magazine.

If you are aspiring to be a bookie operating in Ontario, especially in major cities like Toronto and Ottawa, you should understand that hockey – particularly as it is played in the NHL – is going to be a major focus of your business.

And this is something that has to be handled very carefully. Bookies in the United States are aware that members of their clientele who wager on hockey as a major interest are generally pretty “sharp,” and it is a good thing that they have the benefit of access to the tools provided by the PPH service so that they can adjust the limits of customers who are proficient at hockey, make their own adjustments to the numbers, or decline to offer it at all, although be cautioned that such a thing might risk losing the player.

If you do not understand the “puck line” in addition to the money line and totals, you are going to be lost when taking action on hockey, because without question your customers are going to understand it. And in an area like Ontario, the hockey fans (and bettors) are about as knowledgeable as they are anywhere in North America.

• Thankfully, there are so many tools at your disposal with Price Per Head (PPH) software that you should always be in a position to see where you are potentially weak and take counter-measures against it. As we mentioned, you can make adjustments on lines. You can also hold back posting lines until you are absolutely sure about certain factors, like injuries.
• You can also utilize tendencies on the part of your clientele in the process of making these adjustments. And in the “player management” part of the back-end, you can observe all of the action your customers have put across, and you’ll be enabled to do certain things on a per-customer basis./
• You’ll also see your overall position at any given time, and that’s obviously helpful because you are always trying to manage downside. So as far as risk is concerned, there is no better way to go than using PPH.