On Friday, Canadian sports fans thought that Shohei Ohtani was on his way to join the Toronto Blue Jays. At that time, Canadians and US bettors rushed to place their wagers on the team to win the World Series. Due to the rumours, the team’s World Series odds improved from 15-1 to 8-1. However, it was all in vain as reports were quickly dismissed.
It was revealed that on Friday afternoon, it was not Ohtani on a private plane to Toronto, and instead, it was Canadian entrepreneur Robert Herjavec of « Shark Tank ». On the next day, the Japanese professional baseball pitcher revealed on social media that he was signing for the Dodgers, and the hype behind all of the Blue Jays betting quickly disappeared.
Hype Cooled Off on Saturday
The rumours cause Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series odds to improve from 15-1 to 8-1, behind only the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. On BetMGM Sportsbooks, almost 85% of the money wagered on the World Series odds on Friday was on the Toronto team, while the bet ticket on Caesars Sportsbook was filled with bets on the Blue Jays.
There was also plenty of hype about the potential transfer on PointsBet Canada, which reported a substantial influx of bets on the Blue Jays to the World Series on Friday. Some of the sportsbook users who backed the team on Friday cashed out on a loss on Saturday, after the baseball star announced that he would be joining the Dodgers.
Patrick Eichner, Senior Director of Communications for PointsBet Canada commented that the Ohtani rumours to Toronto had already been taken into account by the books, and the betting action was driven by the full-blown excitement of the transfer as well as the chance to make some cash. But it was in vain as the player ended up in another team.
After the official announcement that Ohtani will transfer to Los Angeles, the betting focus transferred to support the Dodgers. The team moved ahead of the Braves and are now consensus World Series favourites on bookmakers. Another sportsbook noted that after the announcement it saw some Dodgers volume, even after it lowered their odds in the competition.
Canadians are Keen on Baseball
It turns out baseball is quite a popular sport in Canada, a country known for its passion for hockey, which is still the case. Previously, DraftKings, one of the licensed operators in Ontario, revealed the Toronto Blue Jays being the most wagered-on sports team for the first year of regulated online gambling in Ontario. The other most bet-on team was the Golden State Warriors.
Major League Baseball has also previously teamed up with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s sportsbook PROLINE. The two joined forces in June 2022, making the sports betting brand an official wagering partner to the league. The agreement also marked the first sports betting partnership for MLB in the province.
Source: Purdum, David “Bettors rushed to bet Blue Jays ahead of Ohtani decision” abc7, December 11, 2023
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