In the past, if a sports bettor wished to place a bet on a sports game, it was often quite a clunky experience. It involved ringing up a bookmakers and requesting a bet directly, or sifting through a slow PC site and depositing money into potentially suspicious sites.
Cut to 2026, 4 years since Ontario has legalized sports betting in the region, and the modern reality is almost unrecognisable. Bettors are able to wager instantly through their phones, deposit safely, and protect themselves with a variety of safeguards. Sports betting has been completely transformed by the increased use of betting apps, especially because of its boost in popularity to ‘micro-betting’
The micro-betting revolution
With the technological capabilities of betting apps, the way people bet has been transformed. While moneyline bets, straightforward bets on the outcome of a given game, or point spread bets, bets on an outcome by a certain margin of victory, are still widely popular, micro-betting has become hugely popular.
Micro-betting involves a small wager on a smaller aspect of a game, even a single play or pitch. For example, it turns a Toronto Blue Jays game from one opportunity to bet into hundreds of opportunities to place bets: individual pitches, pitcher tallies, home runs, bets on innings, and plenty more.
The number of active player accounts on licensed sports betting apps in Ontario has increased by 250% since their launch in 2022, according to the most recent iGO report. Micro-betting has caused an exponential growth in the possibilities of sports betting, drawing swathes of new customers looking for the best deals and special offers. It’s no wonder that insights into sports betting have now become incredibly valuable.
How technology has transformed the betting experience
It’s become even more important than ever for bettors to understand the sport they’re betting on, the market they’re betting in, and their own safety while wagering.
Mobile apps now operate at such a speed that live micro-betting is now easy from any device. Latency issues with streams and betting apps used to be a major issue for bettors, but now some games can even be streamed from within betting apps.
The increased use of betting apps also correlates with the increased use of data and analytics among fans and bettors. Many of these apps offer advanced metrics and insights within the apps to help bettors make informed decisions. Fans can now track these advanced stats and be more informed than ever about where they are wagering their money.
Depositing money is now safe and easy through licensed apps. Apps now accept payment directly, and crucially offer deposit limits in order to keep people safe while betting. Betting apps also have ‘time out’ features that are integrated directly into the app, keeping players safe and making help as accessible as possible.
