By Canadian Press

Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche gave Ontario bettors biggest returns in 2022

Jan 3, 2023 | 11:47 AM

TORONTO — Nathan MacKinnon and the Stanley Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche gave Ontario sports bettors plenty of bang for their buck in 2022.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, MacKinnon and the Avs made Ontario sports bettors the most money overall last year. The province’s sports-betting industry opened fully April 4.

Colorado defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in last year’s Stanley Cup final. After registering 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) in 65 regular-season games, MacKinnon, a six-foot, 200-pound forward from Halifax, added 24 points (including 13 goals) in 20 playoff contests for the Avs.

DraftKings listed Colorado as the NHL team that made bettors the most money overall in 2022, although actual figures were not immediately available. The Avalanche were also listed as the most-bet team by handle and also by bets.

In sports betting, the “handle” is the total amount of money wagered on an event, while “bet” refers to the total number of wagers.

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MacKinnon was ranked sixth as the NHL’s most-bet player by handle and wasn’t listed among the top-10 most-bet NHL players via bets. However, he finished head of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid as the NHL player who made bettors the most money.

MacKinnon’s success came via specific prop bets as there were many different options with MacKinnon during the Avalanche’s championship run

“The Avalanche went on to win the whole thing so they did get a bit more exposure because they were available more than other teams,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of Race & Sportsbook Operations. “I think that’s one of the reasons why they were bet more than others. But everything being equal I did find that quite interesting over Canadian teams.”

Colorado finished ahead of the New York Rangers among the NHL’s most-bet teams by dollars. Edmonton was ranked fourth overall, two spots ahead of Calgary as the Oilers and Flames were the lone Canadian teams among the top-10 listed.

Colorado and the Rangers were also 1-2 in most-bet NHL teams by wagers with Calgary (No. 6), Edmonton (No. 8) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (No.9) cracking the top-10. Finishing behind MacKinnon and McDavid as the NHL players who make bettors the most money was Toronto sniper Auston Matthews (fifth overall).

Washington star Alex Ovechkin, who recently moved past Gordie Howe into second in all-time goals scored, was the most-bet NHL player by both tickets and handle. McDavid was second in both categories while Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl was fifth and fourth, respectively.

Matthews was fourth in wagers and ninth in money taken while Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets was eighth in bets.

The DraftKings’ report said Ontario’s win rate was better than the other 19 listed jurisdictions  — all U.S. states.

“Yeah, pretty interesting huh,” Avello said. “Ontario did come on board in April so it had a little bit shorter year but still, this encompasses (American) football, all of the hockey playoffs, NBA playoffs and World Series so, yeah, they got it right.

“There are some other surprising states on there like Iowa (second), Virginia (third) , Wyoming (fourth) and Pennsylvania (fifth). To be honest with you I don’t know how to explain it but it’s there.”

However, Ontario was also ranked 14th among 20 in NHL winning percentage.

The Montreal Canadiens were fourth among the top-five NHL teams to have made bettors the most overall money in 2022. According to the report, the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks were 1-2 among NHL teams to have lost bettors the most money wagering the over, with Toronto third.

Not surprising, last year’s Super Bowl _ where the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 _ was DraftKings’ most bet-on event in both handle and bets. Cincinnati’s 27-24 win over Kansas City in the AFC title game was second in dollars while the ’22 Masters was second in overall tickets.

Avello admits to having raised an eyebrow regarding Ontario bettors putting NHL action on the New York Rangers. But he was genuinely surprised to see the Buffalo Bills finishing behind Tampa Bay and Kansas City as the most-bet NFL teams to win the Super Bowl by handle, although Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the betting favourite as league MVP.

Predictably, the Toronto Blue Jays were the most-bet team overall in Ontario, ahead of the Buffalo Bills, and were the only Canadian-based franchise on the 10-team list.

The Toronto Raptors were the most-bet team to win the NBA title by handle, finishing ahead of the Denver Nuggets. Forward Pascal Siakim was sixth as the most-bet player to win the MVP title behind Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Former Raptor Kawhi Leonard, who is now with the Los Angeles Clippers, was in 10th spot.

As the Ontario industry approaches its first-year anniversary, Avello expects the province’s sports bettors will continue supporting their teams while keeping an eye on the overall landscape.

“I just think that’s smart gambling in general,” he said. “I  think looking around and perusing the entire menu and finding value in other spots is what you’ll expect.

“In the second year, people become more savvy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2023.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press