Proline NBA Betting In Ontario Isn’t Back Yet

If you`re an Ontario resident looking to do some Proline NBA betting, you`ll have to wait a bit longer.

It had been widely reported that NBA basketball was returning to Proline sheets in Ontario this season after a 15-year absence, but it isn`t back yet.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is still in talks with the NBA and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) as the organizations hope to reach an agreement that will bring Proline NBA betting back to Ontario. MLSE owns the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto FC.

Proline in Ontario and British Columbia took the NBA off its menu when the NBA expanded to Toronto and Vancouver in 1995. B.C. put the NBA back on its Proline when the Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001.

An OLG representative told me Tuesday that the OLG is still hopeful of offering NBA basketball this season.

But, for now at least, offshore sportsbooks are the only option for Ontario residents that want to bet on the NBA.

Pinnacle Sports and

Proline NBA Betting Likely Returning To Ontario

For the first time since 1995, NBA basketball will likely be returning to Proline sheets in Ontario.

Ontario and British Columbia pulled the NBA off their Proline menus 15 years ago when the NBA expanded to Toronto and Vancouver. The move was to accommodate NBA commissioner David Stern, who liked to pretend that no one wagered on NBA games.

B.C. put NBA games back on Proline when the Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, but Ontario has remained without NBA betting. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is currently in negotiations with the NBA and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE, which owns the Toronto Raptors).

The NBA has softened its stance on gambling in recent years, including holding the 2007 All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Employing former game-fixing referee Tim Donaghy didn’t exactly make the NBA look like anti-gambling sticklers, either.

Taking the NBA off Proline in Ontario was met with a lot of controversy. Much of the sports gambling profits from basketball were meant for hospitals, and it took three…

Free NCAA Football Pick For Saturday, Oct. 23

Every now and then here at Sportsbookbonus.ca, we’ll be posting a free pick that we are betting ourselves.

Like anyone else, we’re not going to win every single one of these plays. But over time, we expect these picks to be profitable for both us and our followers.

Last weekend, our free pick of the Indianapolis Colts -3 at the Washington Redskins resulted in a frustrating push. Indy controlled the game but three fumbles and a Washington touchdown in the final minutes saw the Colts only win by three, canceling our wager.

This weekend, we really like the Iowa Hawkeyes to bring the Wisconsin Badgers back down to earth in NCAA football.

Wisconsin stunned Ohio State last Saturday on national television, opening an early 21-0 lead and going on to hand the top-ranked Buckeyes their first loss of the season. That might make a lot of people fall in love with this Badgers squad, but we anticipate a letdown Saturday as they visit Iowa. South Carolina, you might remember, defeated No. 1 Alabama a couple…

NBA Season Will Tip Off Next Week… With A Bang

With football season in full swing, hockey well underway and baseball in the playoffs, it’s easy to forget that the 2010-11 NBA season is not far away.

The basketball season will not just tip off Tuesday, it will tip off with a real bang. LeBron James, Chris Bosh and the new-look Miami Heat will visit the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in a showdown that many project will be a preview of next spring’s conference finals.

The betting public has been in love with Miami ever since King James held his tasteless one-hour T.V. special on ESPN to announce his move to South Beach. Former Raptors star Bosh wasn’t far behind to piggyback on James and Dwyane Wade’s shoulders, making the Heat the popular pick to win this season’s NBA championship.

In fact, Pinnacle Sports has Miami listed as +134 favourites to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy next spring. Last year’s champs, the Lakers, are priced at +269 to repeat.

For as many superstars as the Heat now has, however, there is…

Free NFL Pick For Sunday, Oct. 16

Every now and then here at Sportsbookbonus.ca, we’ll be posting a free pick that we are betting ourselves.

Like anyone else, we’re not going to win every single one of these plays. But over time, we expect these picks to be profitable for both us and our followers.

We’re coming off a 2-0 showing last weekend, winning with the Georgia Bulldogs in NCAA football and the Denver Broncos/Baltimore Ravens over the total in the NFL. Let’s try and continue that roll this week in the NFL, where our favourite play is the Indianapolis Colts -3 over the Washington Redskins.

We’ve been scratching our head a little bit about why this line is so low and why it hasn’t moved much during the week. When a line doesn’t make sense to you, that can be a bad sign. But we just don’t see how the Colts don’t dominate Washington in this one.

Granted, the Colts haven’t looked that impressive so far this year, but that can actually work in our favour. Indianapolis scored only one touchdown…

Winless 49ers Could Still Win NFC West

Looking for a NFL futures bet with some solid value?

How about the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC West? And no, we haven’t been out snowboarding with Ross Rebagliati.

Despite starting out the season with five straight losses, the 49ers still have a realistic shot at winning their division. Their chances of doing so are certainly better than the +550 odds they’re getting at Bodog.ca.

First of all, consider how weak the NFC West is.

Arizona currently holds the lead with a 3-2 record, but the Cardinals have major issues. Max Hall, the third quarterback on the depth chart in training camp, is now their starting pivot after Arizona released Matt Leinart and benched Derek Anderson.

Seattle and St. Louis, who went a combined 6-26 last year, round out the group. They’re a combined 4-5 so far this season, but obviously are still at least a year or two away from playoff contention.

This could be the worst division in NFL history, meaning an 8-8 or even 7-9 record might be…

Betting Unders Isn’t Fun – Except When You Win

Betting unders sucks.

I’m sitting in front of the television tonight watching Game 5 of the Rays/Rangers first-round playoff series. And I’m on the under.

That means every time a batter reaches base, I frown. Every time a runner reaches scoring position, I scowl. Every time a runner comes home, I curse.

I feel like Ebenezer Scrooge or The Grinch or the uptight librarian. I don’t want anybody having fun.

But, hey, if it makes me money, I’m good with it.

Oddsmakers know it’s no fun betting unders. That’s why, more often than not, it’s the better bet.

I’m not saying that you can blindly bet under the total in every game and be on your way to Easy Street.

Last year in the NHL, for example, 51.9 per cent of games went under the total. If you’re laying an average of -110 juice in all those games, you’d still be down money betting the under every game.

But betting over every game would obviously have been much worse on your pocketbook.

(By the way,…

Free NFL Pick For Sunday Oct. 9

Every now and then here at Sportsbookbonus.ca, we’ll be posting a free pick that we are betting ourselves.

Like anyone else, we’re not going to win every single one of these plays. But over time, we expect these picks to be profitable for both us and our followers.

Yesterday in college, we won with the Georgia Bulldogs mauling the Tennessee Volunteers as 11-point favourite. As expected, Georgia came out as the hungrier team and didn’t let up on the overmatched Vols.

This Sunday in the NFL, one of our favourite plays on the board is the Broncos and Ravens to go over the total.

First of all, the total on this game is posted at 39.5. That’s low, considering that totals in the 30′s are usually reserved for two teams with dominant defences and dormant offences. We just don’t see that here.

Granted, the Ravens aren’t setting the scoreboards on fire – yet. It’s taken longer than expected for Joe Flacco and company to get things rolling, but we are seeing some good signs. Flacco…

Free College Football Pick For Saturday Oct. 8

Every now and then here at Sportsbookbonus.ca, we’ll be posting a free pick that we are betting ourselves.

Like anyone else, we’re not going to win every single one of these plays. But over time, we expect these picks to be profitable for both us and our followers.

Saturday in college football, we like the Georgia Bulldogs to pound the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tennessee is a bad team, but the recent results on the scoreboard haven’t shown it. The Volunteers were doubled up in yards in both of their last two games, but still managed to pull out a tight win over U.A.B. (wow, we’re impressed) and a tough last-minute loss to L.S.U. Tennessee was extremely lucky to even be in both games. U.A.B. missed five field goals against the Vols, and L.S.U. turned the ball over four times. Now, coming off that heartbreaking loss to the Tigers last week (Tennessee appeared to have won the game but a penalty gave L.S.U. one more play, and the Tigers scored a TD), we can see the Volunteers…

Buffalo, Montreal Have Been NHL’s Fastest Starters

With so many unknowns at the beginning of the season, hockey betting in October can be a bit of a crapshoot.

But if you can anticipate which teams might start strong and which clubs might struggle early on, it can also be a cash cow.

Last year, for example, no one expected the Avalanche to come out of the gate with a 10-2-2 record in the opening month. Colorado made bettors a lot of money during that stretch, especially considering it was an underdog in 13 of those contests.

We took a look back over the past five years to see if any teams tend to start quickly, and a couple squads emerged.

The Buffalo Sabres have been October’s best team during that time. Last year, the Sabres went 8-2-1 in the opening month, while they went 6-2-2 the year before. And in 2006, Buffalo got off to a 10-0-1 start. Lindy Ruff has been the Buffalo coach in all five of those seasons.

And the Montreal Canadiens’ 7-7 start last year was out of…