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Ontario Best Bets

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Congrats sports betting fans in Ontario, Canada!
Your province has finally welcomed you into the world of legal sports betting!

So what does that mean for our NFL fans in Ontar-e-air-e-air-e-oh?
Some great betting opportunities, which we will break down as we look at some of the companies setting up shop in our Ontario Best Bets.

Ontario Boys

Our own Wade and Ryan hail from the province of Ontario, Canada, so they know the pains and perils of having to use the antiquated ‘Pro Line’ parlay.
They have also lived in England long enough to know what makes a good betting company.

Pro Line was great in the early days, especially when they didn’t realise they didn’t keep on top of their Premier League product, and punters were able to bet on soccer games that already happened.

Canada has been WAY behind the world when it comes to the world of betting, so bettors are in for a quick, and steep learning curve.

What it Is

Ontario’s can now bet online on sports and casino games from April 4, 2022.

This was a pretty grey and dodgy market, as numerous casino providers have found ways to target Canadians with free to play slots and other late night shenanigans.

Sportsbooks must register with the provinces iGaming Market must first register with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, and since Canada loves ‘rules’, the arduous process has weeded out some of the less enthusiastic providers.

Bettors can be registered anywhere in the world, but they need to be in Ontario to make the bets.

Major sports are fair game to bet on, but amateur sports (CHL) and virtual sports are off limit.
Horseracing is run the federal mafia…government, so those betting companies looking to lock up the ponies will need to tweak their products.

Foreign Influence

As you can well imagine, all of these betting companies are foreign (The Score has Canadian roots), and have very little experience with Canadian betting habits.

What we have seen from the rapid expansion of America, is that many European betting companies run roughshod into the market, without even knowing the nuances of what audiences are looking for.

Odds that are formatted in European standards, failing to comprehend nuances in sport selection, and a general arrogance of ‘we know what you want to bet on’ attitude has actually frightened as many people as it ha enticed.

Canada (and Ontario) are massive territories and markets with incredibly diversity.
Hopefully these companies don’t attempt to shoebox bettors into limited options like they have south of the border.

Best Bets

So which of these betting companies is going to offer you not only the best selection, but also the best learning curve to getting your bet on?

There are two that we would recommend given previous experience, but of course we are UK based now, and haven’t used these Ontario products (yet).

We do have decades of betting experience, and have worked with many of these companies, so we will tap into that.

One thing to note is the variety of new players to the market (or those who renamed themselves).

Just because it has a fancy new name, doesn’t mean that you should trust them with your money.

So the two betting sites that we as Ontarian’s with sports betting experience would suggest?

1. The Score

Ontarians will be familiar with The Score, a mainstay of sports TV in the early 2000s.

After being tucked into the belt of Rogers Media, then Penn National Gaming, The Score has positioned itself as one of the emerging sources of Canadian sports media.

The Score app constantly wins rave reviews for its comprehensive lineup of sports content, and has been a driving force into tapping into emerging platforms.

Canadians LOVE a consistent Canadian brand that provides them with that they need (Tim Horton’s, Swiss Chalet, PornHub) & The Score offers the best betting options that we have seen for the Canadian betting market.

A good betting option, despite their cringe-worthy commercials.

https://www.thescore.bet/

2. DraftKings

After years of spending fast cash on countless commercials, Draftkings has solidified itself in the eyes and minds of Ontario bettors.

Despite starting our as a DFS only option, Draftkings has matured its offerings by pivoting to the demand for traditional sports betting options.

Draftkings has had a presence in Canada for the past 7 years, so they stand to transition to this whole new provincial positioning.

DK was late to the party in Ontario in terms of license application, but it’s safe to say that DraftKings will be able to get in the game in 2022.

Hit up Draftkings here.

https://www.draftkings.com

Notable Mentions

European bookmakers Bet365, 888, & Unibet all make the splash across the pond in April, as they attempt to do what Marks & Spencer failed to do, sustain a British invasion.
All three of these providers are noticeably tone deaf to North American sports, with Bet365 offering a shambolic NFL product that’s so bad, it’s deletable.

Poinstbet, the thunder from down under is another new player to the North American betting scene.
Despite not having much experience in global sports betting, Pointsbet has decided to splash the cash, tossing toonies at the likes of Curling Canada and the Trailer Park Boys.
It’s like they Googled ‘What do Canadians Like?’ without actually talking to Canadians.
Canadians are happy to take free money, but we don’t appreciate being fed the same diet as Americans.
A cautionary tale for other big brands who have tried to roll onto the tundra with deep pockets, only to realise Canadians don’t think this way, in fact-it turns them off.

Yankee Doodle Dandies like BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook have been on a mission to conquer the world!
Sadly they should first conquer their products, which pale as cheap imitations compared to some of the more established players.
Just like Vegas, these products are new, cheap, and filled with smoke.

Who the what now? Other new brands like Coolbet, Casimba, Fitzdares and Rivalry are also new to the province, but will mostly be targeting the elderly with their casino products.
Time will tell if they last or go the way of Nando’s.

Smart Bets

If you’re new to sports betting, take it slow.

There’s no need to rush into the sports betting game if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

And never spend more than you can afford! Keep it less than your weekly coffee spend if you just want to have some fun.

Keep watching this space. We will update on the progress of Ontario and Canada betting as we know more.

Any remember, it’s yours to discover.

 

 

 

Tides of March

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If the 2022 off season was a dancer, we would all be shouting out ‘check out those moves’, as the NFL break provides us plenty of entertainment.

Aaron Rodgers immunises himself against teammates, Matty Ice switches to Matty F-U, and Tom Brady finds a new lease on life.

All of these things and more, as Wade & Ryan break it all down in this Tides of March podcast.

Apologies to the delay in this release, Ryan did a filthy thing and got himself the COVID last week.

Watson Lottery

The Browns took the big stain, and harnessed Deshaun Watson under the helm for the 2022 season.

Anyone who took on the weight of the Watson contract was bound to be gagged by accusations of Cosby’ism, depravity and an insensitivity to women’s rights.

Cleveland will be hoping that people forgive and forget, which is a common play in this type of social formation.

The state of Texas decided not to charge Watson, so it will be up to Cleveland what kind of pressure that they want to put on this young man.

Cheetah Sprint

No sooner could you say ‘Wanna do a Tik Tok?’, and Tyreek Hill has bolted from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Maybe it was the signing of Juju that put him off, or maybe it was seeing Davante Adams getting paid to think ‘I could do that’?

The Cheetah is off to the Dolphins and the limp-dicked arm of Tua. Given that Ty has lost some of his sprint in recent seasons, maybe they will be able to connect with each other.

Wherever he goes, these massive WR contracts are going to pile a lot of pressure on young talent to deliver the touchdowns for these massive paydays.

TB Dolphin

The rumour mill is crank-yanking this week, with the latest doozy that Tom Brady will use his latest unretirement to return to the game, to get traded to the Dolphins.

Apparently, Tommy had wanted to join the Fins prior to Brian Flores’ who ‘Miami hates black coaches’ kerfuffle, and the Dolphins have been as sweet on him as well.

It doesn’t really make sense given how the Bucs brought him back, and the supporting talent that responded as a result.

Could just be the dreams and creams of some ‘Florida Man’ conspiracy theory.

Matty Horse

Matt Ryan took a big slap of disrespect from the Falcons to finally move on to the middle ground of Indianapolis.

The Falcons were dickish in their chase of Deshaun, effectively saying ‘yeah, but you sucked’ to Ryan as they made offers for disgraced Watson.

The Colts we so close to getting in last year, if it weren’t for their horrific QB play.

Indy has all the tools to make it back to the playoffs this year, and maybe Matty Ice will turn into Matty Fire.

Jack it Up

Jacksonville has been big pimping during the off season, splooging over $250 million on player contracts since they boot scooted Urban Meyer.

While the team has made the commitment to Trevor Lawrence, they have also been throwing around a lot of cash without really seeming to negotiate.

The Jaguars have been ‘re-building’ since they came into the league as a franchise, and watching them do it has been about as frustrating as watching an amateur driver attempt to parallel park the same way 50 times with the same result.
‘Just park on the grass!’

If they can’t get a winning season this year with an extra bump of cash and the talent on the roster, maybe it’s time to move to Austin.

London Games

Jaguars, Packers and Saints are all hosting games in London this year.

What’s the dealio?

We will be back shortly with our London Game preview, so that you can make your plans for attending one of these awesome contests in the UK in 2022.

Watch this space!

Make sure you follow us on Insta!

https://www.instagram.com/nflinlondon/

 

Rough Trades

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The off season continues to chug a long at its March pace, and then last week happened, adding a whole lot of drama to the NFL.

Deals, trades, and releases o’plenty this week in the league, as players got paid, and got laid..off, in another shakin’ bakin’ week in the NFL.

Wade and Ryan look at all of the league news in their latest podcast, called Rough Trades.

Rodgers

Way to go Packers! You did the dirty deed and got the Rodgers deal done.

Green Bay should be playoff contenders in 2022, and are already fan faves because of their London trip scheduled for this fall.

Aaron and Devante now make up 25% of Green Bay’s overall salary, which means that the other 50 players get the other 75%. Sounds a bit like capitalism!

Anything less than a Superbowl win over this next few years will feel like a massive failure.

Wentz

On the other end of the spectrum is Carson Wentz, who blew the wad big time when he failed to take a prime Colts team to the post season.

Wentz has a bad rep on pretty much every team that he ends on, and his anti vax stance might make him a pariah on most teams.

Indianapolis is able to offload Wentz to the Commanders, but who will lead them to victory in the 2022 season?

Wade & Ryan think Matt Ryan, Ryan Fitzpatrick, or Jimmy G will all be better upgrades to compliment that fierce rushing game.

Russ Cooks

Russell Wilson is finally away from Seattle, and off to the mile high lifestyle of the Broncos in a major trade this week.

Russ suffered his first losing season last year, while Teddy Bridgewater was able to sling together some wins in an impressive depressing season for Denver.

The Seahawks are going to need more than Drew Lockett, and all signs point to them going hard after Deshaun Watson.

Joe Buck Off

Joe Buck gets paid!

If you haven’t seen the hilarious sports series ‘Brockmire’ starring Hank Azaria, then you should watch it only for his countless Joe Buck burns.

To be honest, if you don’t like Joe Buck, then you might actually like him after watching the series.

Here are some of the funniest lines from the show.

Joe Buck got paid this week, after leaving FOX Sports for ESPN in a major deal that sees him reunite with Troy Aikman.

Broadcasters are going nuts this week, offering pundits big money paydays to front big sports shows.

Do fans really care though?
Anyone watching the NFL in a bar could care less about what these guys say, as they are busy watching 4 games at once.

Just a sign that everything in the NFL is going overboard since our return from COVID.

Lamar

Lamar Jackson is apparently ghosting the Baltimore Ravens as his contract negotiations draw near.

The former player of the year has struggled in the past few season, despite Harbaugh and the Ravens committing to him in public and on the field.

With Kyler Murray struggling to get a big deal, it might be that the Ravens are feeling him out to see if this will be Lamar’s last season in The Wire.

Saves them a heck of a lot of money in the long run if he turns to bust.

London Games

Packers, Jaguars and Saints are heading to London this year!

Who are they playing and when? We don’t know all of that yet, but will keep you in the loop for everything NFL in London.

We are looking to host some big parties, tailgate events around the London games, and more fan fun as the spectre of COVID disappears and normality returns to some degree.

We are looking forward to a bigass year of NFL action in London, hope you can join us for this wild ride.

 

 

London NFL 2022

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Well if that wasn’t a nice surprise, as the NFL announced some of the teams that we can expect in London in 2022.

The New Orleans Saints will come marching back this fall, the Jaguars will once again host a London game, and the Green Bay Packers finally make a much awaited visit to Blighty in 2022.

When and where do all of these games take place?
No idea.
But we do have some ideas, so let’s break them down.

International Games

We know that every team will have to play at least once every 8 years in an international home game either in the UK, Germany, Mexico or Canada.

While the exact number of games each year is up in the air, we know that in 2022 England will get 3 games, Germany 1, Mexico 1, and Canada can suck it.

We also know that the general rule is that AFC teams will be playing NFC teams, so that the games don’t affect their divisional standings as much.

Mexico

Who can forget the Mexico City game a few years back when thousands of laser pointers found Tom Brady’s eyes in Patriots beat down.

This time fans will struggle with their pointers, as the QB coming this year is the diminutive Kyler Murray.

Fresh off a disappointing 2021 season, Kyler and the Arizona Cardinals will be saying ‘Ola’ to Mexico City in one of the shortest international trips for a team.

While no team has been submitted as the opponent of the Cards, we would like to think that it will be a garbage team with a minuscule Latino connection.

Their home opponents for 2022 include: Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Chiefs, Chargers, Buccaneers, Saints, Eagles and Patriots. 

Given that the Patriots and Saints are already playing internationally, we are predicting their 2022 Mexico opponent will be the LA Chargers.

Germany

As the biggest NFL fanbase in Europe, Germany is finally due to host its first international game in Munich 2022.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be heading to Germany in 2022, without Tom Brady and many of the stellar stars who won the SuperBowl last year.

Despite not having the marquee line-up of years past, German fans will be in for a real treat as the Florida men make an international trek to Bavaria.

Looking at the Bucs 2022 home opponents, there are several teams that can be discounted as potential rivals.
The Packers, Saints, Rams and Bengals all seem unlikely given their own schedules, leaving a few options as to their German counterparts.

If the format does indeed favour cross-conference play, then the most likely opponent for the Bucs would be the Baltimore Ravens.

London Games

We have three big games in London for 2022!

What games will we get?

Here we make our predictions.

Jaguars

Like a faithful old dog, the Jaguars are back at our side for the 2022 season in a Wembley Stadium contest.

Fans who were hoping to get a taste of that Urban Meyer wiener will be sadly disappointed, as the Jags will once again attempt to provide us with a ‘new look.’

The Jaguars line-up of home competitors is a lack lustre as one would think, with the Giants, Broncos, Texans, Colts, and Raiders in the mix.

Given the woes of the G-Men the past several years, the New York Giants would be out pick as the Jaguars 2022 opponents.

Saints

The New Orleans Saints were last in London in 2017, when Drew Brees was the gunslinger, and the team felt like it had a chance.

With Taysom Hill under centre, and Alvin Kamara under fire, this is not the same Saints team of years past.

Looking at the Saints home opponents for 2022, including the Bucs, Bengals, Rams, and Seahawks, the one team that sticks out is the Las Vegas Raiders.

Fresh off their own hellish season in 2021, the Raiders could probably use a trip away, to get their players to start using taxis.

So at this juncture, we think that the Saints will be playing the Las Vegas Raiders.

Packers

The latest big news to hit the Uk, is that the Green Bay Packers will finally be making the trek across the pond, making them the 32nd team to do so.

With Drama Mama Aaron Rodgers still on the team, one wonders if a London trip that he would make.

Many players are quite vocal of their disdain for jaunting across the Atlantic, and Aa-Ron has never been one to mince words.

Having Green Bay come to London is obviously a HUGE boost, and will be the most sought after of all the games.

Given that the Packers have home opponents including the Bears, Rams, Lions and Patriots…the most likely of all to return to London, would be the Tennessee Titans.

The New York Jets played here last year, so they might be given a break after their years of hustling to the UK under the Woody Johnson years.

Of course it’s too early to tell, but we will let you know as we know more.

It’s going to be a great season of the NFL in London for 2022!

 

 

Conference Picks

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And then there were 4…teams left in the NFL.

The Bengals, Chiefs, Rams and 49ers all remain, and one of them will be the next Super Bowl champion. Who will it be?

Wade & Ryan break down all of the yimmer-yammer of the league, and compile it in our nice Conference Champs podcast.

Among some of the other things that the guys discuss in this episode.

Divisional Games

What a great weekend of football it was last week, with some truly incredible games.

The Bengals were able to choke out a number one seed, and set the hearts of fans a flutter with the solid play of Joe Burrow.

Green Bay saw green again, once again choking in an important match. San Fran seems to have the Packers number, and called it in once again.

TB12 still has that comeback kid mentality, unfortunately it didn’t help him in the end against Cooper Kupp and Matt Stafford.

The Bills lost in a heart-breaker, but what a game it was, and one of the best games we have seen in a long time.

Big Ben

Big Ben Roethlisberger is punching his card and heading out the door, as the Steelers QB hobbles off to the sunset.

After a season of tossing milk jugs across the field, BB finally swallowed the hard pill and limps his way to the HOF.

Rumour has it a statue in his honour was erected and put in a women’s toilet.

Jason Bell

Meet Jason Bell this Sunday at the Sports Bar and Grill Old Street!

Jason will be hosting a Q&A from 7pm, and tickets are only £5, so get them here while you can.

https://www.sportsbarandgrill.co.uk/oldstreet/01-02-2022/super-bowl-preview?fbclid=IwAR36v2Jc_bm48vuwDsx8F5kG2TY1EX4wGmbnKHOkMZm2m2JcwJ1YnU8jRs8

See you Monday night!

Peyton on SNL

Peyton Manning has a funny history with SNL.

Folks might remember his PSA about helping kids learn football, only to drill them with NFL style speed passes to ultimate hilarity.

Peyton was back on SNL this weekend, professing his love for the playoffs, as well as his love for Emily in Paris.

Take a look at this funny sketch.

Sunday Funday

Where are you watching the AFC finals tonight?

Make sure you head down to the SB&G Old Street and Clapham, where both pubs will be booming the games on loads of TVs.

Book yourself a table so that you can get down and dirty with the action!

Clapham
https://www.sportsbarandgrill.co.uk/clapham/party-booking

Old Street
https://www.sportsbarandgrill.co.uk/oldstreet/party-booking

We will have all of our Super Bowl parties and events up this week.