Ontario Sports Bettors Back Fellow Countrymen at RBC Canadian Open

Patriotism is at an all-time high prior to the 2024 RBC Canadian Open.

According to a pair of bookmakers offering Ontario sports betting, bettors in the province are backing Canadians at a higher rate than the rest of North America this year.

With plenty of 2024 Canadian open odds and favorites to support, Ontarians are hoping a Canuck can bring home the title. 

This year's field at the Canadian Open includes 28 Canadians, the most in the history of the tournament. And the best sportsbooks in Canada are seeing an uptick in those players being backed locally.

Canadians backing Canadians

The tournament, being held at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont., began on Thursday, and BetMGM said Wednesday that out of all of the jurisdictions it operates in, Ontario accounted for the most bets on this year’s Canadian Open. Michigan sports betting, North Carolina sports betting, and New York sports betting followed.

At BetMGM, seven of the 20 most-bet players to win the tournament were Canadians. Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith, and Mike Weir are on average receiving 150% more tickets from Ontario than other states/territories’ bettors, According to the BetMGM.

Taylor, who became the first Canadian to win the the event since 1954 in 2023, had drawn 2.4% of tickets and 1% of the handle for BetMGM. But in just Ontario, he was responsible for 4.4% of tickets and 1.9% of the handle.

Conners, who currently ranks 49th in the world, followed a similar trend while accounting for 3.2% of bets and 2.2% at BetMGM overall, but 4.4% of tickets and 3.2% of the handle in Ontario.

Both Taylor Pendrith and Mike Weir experienced a similar trend at BetMGM, with a higher percentage of bets place on them in Ontario than overall. While Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson aren't seeing the same trend, they're both still among the most-bet golfers.

Beyond BetMGM, one of the other best sports betting apps in Canada similarly saw residents of the Great White North backing Canadians at a higher rate.

FanDuel reported that Sahith Theegala, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, and Rory McIlroy were the most-bet golfers to win the Canadian Open. But in Ontario, both Taylor and Conners were among the four most-bet golfers to win the Canadian Open, along with Theegala and Fleetwood.

“Canada's a country right now that (is) turning out so many players, so super proud of that,” Weir said Wednesday at a press conference. “What Golf Canada (the country’s governing body for the sport) has done is great. Their development program, it's working. We just have a lot of talent in this country. It's showing now.”