Canadian Gaming

Trader Talk: Landmark US Election Leads to Good Night for Sportsbook Signups in Canada

Posted on: November 6, 2024, 05:03h.

Last updated on: February 12, 2026, 01:04h.

Written by

Mark Keast Mark is a long-time, seasoned journalist, as a writer and editor, working for several Toronto daily newspapers, then moving over to the digital arena, covering both sports and business. Over the past few years he moved over to the gaming arena, specifically covering the igaming industry in Canada for several platforms, as well as writing on sports betting.

One thing that several sportsbooks operating in Canada found out on Tuesday night is that offering a US presidential election betting market was good for business.

Betting in Canada on the US Presidential election was brisk. Image/Natilyn Photography/Unsplash

Giving punters lots of choice on the NFL, NBA, or NHL front is one thing. Tapping into something generating the level of white-hot energy, debate, and division that circulated around the 2024 US Presidential election, culminating in Donald Trump’s stunning win on Tuesday night, is another thing entirely.

Rollercoaster Odds Movement

In Ontario, odds movement was a rollercoaster ride throughout the evening. At 8 p.m. EST, at BetMGM (Ontario only), it was Trump -200, Harris +170. It went to Trump -300, Harris +250 by 9 p.m., Trump -600, Harris +450 by 10 p.m., then Trump -2500, Harris +1100 by 11 p.m. as the cold hard reality of swing state results started to flow in.

At DraftKings, among Ontario bettors, Trump held a slight edge in wagering activity, capturing 55% of the overall handle and 49% of total bets.

We had solid engagement in the months leading up to the election, and saw more action come in last night,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of race & sportsbook operations. “Customers were interested in live betting and continued to bet Trump despite the higher price. The one area customers won was on Trump to win the popular vote. This was certainly an upset, as he was priced at +250.”

It was much the same with betting at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s Proline: final percentages to win the 2024 US election were 53.7% of wagers on Trump and 46.3% of bets on Harris, according to a spokesperson there. The popular vote was also an interesting market for them — Trump was the underdog there and had 29% of the bets.

Mark is a long-time, seasoned journalist, as a writer and editor, working for several Toronto daily newspapers, then moving over to the digital arena, covering both sports and business. Over the past few years he moved over to the gaming arena, specifically covering the igaming industry in Canada for several platforms, as well as writing on sports betting.