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Dennis
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Dennis has been honing his craft by writing content specifically tailored to the US and Canadian market for the last 3 years. This helps him recognize the preferences of the audience and adeptly create engaging and informative articles, reviews, and guides that resonate with the readers. He uses his experience reviewing tech products to test out various betting platforms and fact-check claims so you make informed decisions.
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Amy Webb
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Amy's introduction to the gambling world was 6 years ago, when she joined a casino operator as a content specialist. Since then, she's helped launch and maintain gambling review sites in over 8 different countries. She's tested dozens of casinos and sportsbooks, which is how she can spot a subpar brand in an instant!
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Is Betting Legal in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia Betting
Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), which oversees sports betting in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, made single-game betting legal in Nova Scotia (NS) on February 11th, 2022.
Before this, you could only place parlay bets.
This change in regulation gives Nova Scotians two options to bet on their favourite sports.
- Bet at ALC’s Pro-Line: This is Nova Scotia’s provincial lottery site, and wagering here is 100% legal. However, they have fewer sports and betting markets, no live stream, etc.
- Bet at private sportsbooks: Nova Scotia does not license private sportsbooks like Ontario. However, you can use sportsbooks like Bet99 or bet365 without legal repercussions.
To help you understand both options better, let’s discuss them in detail and weigh the pros and cons.
Note: The comparison will mainly include Bet99 and bet365 as these are our top picks, chosen after thoroughly testing 25+ Canadian sportsbooks for factors like odds, betting tools, user-friendliness, live streaming, etc.
Furthermore, they have an iGO license, which means they meet Canadian standards for safety and protection of user rights, making them safe and trusted options.
ALC’s Pro-Line vs Private Sportsbooks
Welcome Bonus
| Bet99 | bet365 | Pro-Line | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus Type | 100% deposit match | Bet Credits | Bet Credits |
| Max Bonus | $600 | $50 | $75 |
| Min Amount | $20 | $10 | $15 |
| Validity | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Min Odds | 1.80 | 1.20 | N/A |
| Wager Reqr | 5 times | N/A | N/A |
What are Bet Credits, and How Do They Work:
Both Pro-Line and bet365 offer bet credits.
These are more suited for beginners as they do not have wagering requirements of 5x or 7x, making them easier to use.
Plus, once you have the credits, you do not need to use funds from your pocket to place bets.
However, a drawback of bet credits is that if you use them to make a $20 bet, you only get the winnings, not the initial stake of $20.
Plus, you get these credits only after you place a qualifying bet.
bet365 Bonus vs Pro-Line Bonus
Comparatively, bet365 bet credits are easier to understand and claim than Pro-Line (though the amount is lesser).
That’s because they have a minimal requirement of $10 compared to $15 on Pro-Line
Furthermore, Pro-Line requires you to bet on 2+ event parlay 15 times to get $75 tokens, as the maximum token you get with a qualifying bet is $5. This makes it more complicated.
You can easily get bet365 bet credits with a single bet.
There’s also the First Bet Safety Net bonus for new users, which is great for players who want to bet higher and receive a bigger bet credit bonus.
If your first qualifying bet loses, you’ll receive a 100% match bonus of up to $1,000 in bet credits (minimum bet $10).
How 100% Deposit Match Bonuses Work:
You get a 100% deposit match bonus as soon as you make the required minimum deposit. Plus, you can withdraw the entire bonus.
However, wagering requirements range from 5x to 7x.
Bet99 offers a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $600. That means if you deposit $20, you get an additional $20, for a total of $40 in your wallet.
Since Bet99’s bonus has the lowest wagering requirements (5x) compared to Betway, Sports Interaction, and Bwin, it is comparatively easier to use and withdraw.
You only need to make bets worth $100 ($20 bonus amount x 5x wagering requirement).
Sports Coverage and Betting Markets
Coming to sports coverage, Pro-Line covers most of the sports that Canadians love. You’ll find NHL, Football, NBA, and Soccer.
MMA, Golf, Tennis, and Racing are also included. During our testing, a couple of eSports matches were also listed.
However, note that Pro-Line does not list all matches for these sports.
Furthermore, they do not have sports like Lacrosse (which is also pretty popular among Canadians).
You’ll also not find rugby, cricket, Olympics, cycling, handball, table tennis, darts, alpine skiing, etc.
If you want more variety in terms of matches and sports, we recommend trying out Bet99 or Bet365.
These sportsbooks not only have more sports but also more betting markets than Pro-Line.
You’ll find the main markets, i.e., Spread, Total, and Moneyline on Pro-Line.
However, other sportsbooks also offer markets for the team to score the first goal, the winning margin, the number of goals in each period, etc.
Furthermore, sportsbooks like Bet99 offer a wide range of prop and novelty bets.
They also up the ante closer to important events.
For example, we found more betting markets for MVP bets on Bet99 that were closer to the Super Bowl than on Bet365, Sports Interaction, or Betway.
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Bet99 offers wide range of prop bets and has unique markets closer to special events like the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, etc.
Odds
When writing this post, Pro-Line only listed Future odds, so we’ll compare the odds for the Stanley Cup 2024.
This could mean that odds for upcoming matches take time to update on Pro-Line, preventing you from making early bets.
Odds on private sportsbooks are available 1-2 days in advance, making the process easier and giving you ample time to make changes, place more bets, etc.
Since there are a lot of teams, we will focus on the teams most popular amongst Nova Scotians and Canadians in general (as mentioned in this 2023 study by Hockey Fanatics).
Stanley Cup 2024 Winner’s Odds
| Pro-Line | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 15.00 | 15.50 | 16.00 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 8.50 | 8.50 | 8.00 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 21.00 | 18.00 | 15.00 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 13.00 | 15.00 | 10.00 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 7.50 | 8.00 | 9.00 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 8.00 | 8.00 | 9.50 |
| Boston Bruins | 11.00 | 11.00 | 8.50 |
As you can see, Pro-Line has the higher odds for Winnipeg Jets.
However, bet365 and Bet99’s odds are higher (or on par) than Pro-Line for most teams.
Regarding Future odds for the NHL, it is safe to say that Bet99 and bet365 trump Pro-Line.
However, note that the odds are true at the time of writing and are subject to change closer to the event.
NBA East Conference Champion 23-24
| Pro-Line | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | 1.80 | 1.71 | 1.71 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 4.00 | 4.35 | 4.00 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 11.00 | 11.00 | 11.00 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 12.00 | 15.50 | 13.00 |
| Miami Heat | 12.00 | 15.50 | 15.00 |
| New York Knicks | 12.00 | 21.00 | 17.00 |
| Indiana Pacers | 51.00 | 61.00 | 61.00 |
| Orlando Magic | 61.00 | 76.00 | 81.00 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 201.00 | 401.00 | 351.00 |
| Chicago Bulls | 501.00 | 401.00 | 351.00 |
Pro-Line offers the highest odds for the favourites (Boston Celtics) and the underdogs (Chicago Bulls).
Bet99 and bet365 take the cake for all other teams, with Bet99 offering better odds for most teams in the East Conference.
UEFA Champions League Winner Odds
| Pro-Line | Bet99 | bet365 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 2.85 | 2.85 | 2.87 |
| Arsenal | 6.00 | 5.75 | 6.00 |
| Real Madrid | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 |
| Bayern Munich | 8.00 | 8.50 | 10.00 |
| Pari Saint Germain | 9.00 | 8.90 | 9.00 |
| FC Barcelona | 11.00 | 11.50 | 13.00 |
| Atletico Madrid | 13.00 | 13.00 | 13.00 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 26.00 | 25.00 | 26.00 |
bet365 is hands down the ideal sportsbook for anyone who wants to bet on Future odds for the Champions League.
They have the highest (or at par) odds for every team.
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Bet99 and bet365 offer better odds than Pro-Line for NBA, NFL, and Soccer.
Betting Tools
Statistics
One thing we loved about Pro-Line was the detailed stats page, which you can easily access for all matches by clicking the ‘Preview’ option.
The stats page goes above and beyond to ensure you have all the details you need to make an informed betting decision.
For example, rather than just giving head-to-heads and last 10 match results, you’ll find key stats like goals per game, save %, shooting %, scoring efficiency ratio, etc.
You can further dive into ‘more stats’ like penalty kill %, penalty minutes per game, shutout %, etc.
You’ll also find stats for Goaltenders, including shots against, goals against, saves, etc.
The section that we found unique and interesting is the Hot/Cold Trends section (which isn’t available in any sportsbook yet).
This gives you some rare numbers, such as how well a team plays after just one day of rest.
These trends can be vital. Let’s say a team has some injuries and does not do well with 1 day’s rest due to a lack of squad depth.
Do you really want to bet on them (even if their recent form has been good)?
Bet365 has a good stats page that gives you details like total wins, total goals, etc., for each team.
However, the stats page focuses more on scores from the last meeting and the latest matches, odds for upcoming matches, etc.
Pro-Line dived deeper stats for each team and player, providing better insights to bettors.
Bet99 does not have a statistics page. You can only find some stats on its match or live betting pages.
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Pro-Lines statistics page is a standout with more focus on important numbers.
In-Play Betting
You won’t find live betting on Pro-Line.
On the other hand, private sportsbooks have detailed in-play betting pages with engaging graphics and important stats that are updated in real-time.
bet365 does one better.
They even allow you to switch to other matches quickly by clicking on the down arrow button right next to the match title.
As you can see in the image above, the graphics and stats are fixed to the right-hand side of the screen.
This allows you to scroll down and check the markets and odds without disrupting the stats, live stream, or the live score on the desktop (perfect for those last-minute bets).
This is unlike bet99, where the live stats are docked on top and disappear when scrolling down to check the markets and odds.
Live Stream
Pro-line does not support live streaming.
Bet99 and bet365 have live streaming. However, during our testing, we found live streaming to be more easily accessible on bet365.
Here’s how you can easily find matches with live-stream on bet365:
1. Click on the ‘Live In Game’ option in the green menu bar at the top of the screen.
2. Select your favourite sports from the menu available on the Live In Game page.
3. All matches with live streams available will have a ‘play’ button on them to start the live stream.
Furthermore, Bet365 has live streams for more matches than Bet99 (or any other sportsbook).
While Bet99 streams the more popular matches, we found matches from the Korean Basketball League, Chinese Super League (soccer), and ATP Monte Carlo (tennis) on bet365.
Not just that, there are streams for even darts, lacrosse, eSports, badminton matches, greyhound races, and snooker matches.
Not to forget, it is HD streaming (thus giving you clarity that other sportsbooks cannot).
Enjoy HD live streaming with bet365 for a variety of sports and matches.
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User-Friendliness
On Pro-Line, we found basic categorization for sports, such as baseball, soccer, hockey, etc.
On the other hand, private sportsbooks give you a more granular categorization via menus and one-click buttons.
For example, Bet99 has a ‘Top Leagues’ menu that allows you to jump straight to some of the popular leagues, such as the NHL, NBA, UEFA Champions League, and MLB, rather than having to find the NHL in a generic category like hockey.
Bet365 also has a ‘Popular League’ section in the menu that features the NHL, NBA, and other major leagues.
Furthermore, Bet365 also allows you to switch between matches easily, making it the most user-friendly site.
Coming to the mobile site, the bet slip wasn’t visible when we tried placing a bet on Pro-Line, making it hard to change the bets, stake amount, know your profit, and checkout.
The mobile versions of the sites on Bet99 and Bet365 are more user-friendly, with the bet slip and other important information clearly visible.
How to Bet
Pro-Line is a good choice if you want the option to bet offline or online. To place bets offline, you must physically visit the Atlantic Lottery Retailer and present the QR code or bet slip.
Placing bets online can be easily done via the ALC website or the app.
If you need more help regarding online or offline betting, they have detailed guides on how to wager on game lines and props, futures, fantasy, and stadium bets.
On the other hand, private sportsbooks only allow online betting.
Also Read:
To know more about Bet99 and bet365, we’d recommend checking out our detailed comparison of the sportsbooks.
Slots, Jackpots, Table games
ALC has also launched an online casino where you can play various slots, jackpots, and table games. There are around 250 slots and 32 jackpots.
As for table games, you’ll find roulette, blackjack, and poker.
We like that Pro-Line provides its users with details about the table games and slots.
All you must do is click on the info box that appears in the top right-hand corner of all the games.
There, you’ll find not just images of the games but also a summary of them.
Plus, there are important details like prize payout %, number of paylines, minimum/maximum bet amount, etc.
You’ll also find a link to the detailed guide on how to play the game, which is a downloadable PDF that you can read and learn anytime, anywhere.
However, this does not compensate for its lack of filters to find games based on volatility or providers. In fact, there’s no information about providers in the casino.
If you want a truly user-friendly casino that offers these filters and more variety, PlayOJO is the ideal choice.
They have over 3,200 slots and 80+ jackpots from the top providers. You’ll also find more variety for table games.
PlayOJO not only has more blackjack and poker games than Pro-Line but also offers baccarat, which isn’t available on Pro-Line.
Furthermore, Pro-Line and PlayOJO both offer demos. However, Pro-Line requires you to log in, whereas you can play demos and try out games on PlayOJO without logging in.
Play 3200+ slots and more table games with PlayOJO.
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We did not find any live casino games on Pro-Line.
If you want to play live casino games like blackjack, roulette, baccarat, sic bo, etc., Bet99 and PlayOJO are good choices.
That’s because Bet99 has 100+ blackjack games. This is the most we have seen in any live casino.
On the other hand, PlayOJO has more roulette and baccarat games. Furthermore, it offers filters to find live casino games by provider.
So, if you want to play games from Playtech or Ezugi, it will be much easier to find them on PlayOJO.
You’ll also find exclusive games on PlayOJO (something both Bet99 and Pro-Line do not have).
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Slots or live casino, PlayOJO stands out with its range of games and advanced filters that makes it easy to find games based on the providers, volatility, etc.
DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM in Nova Scotia
Note that we do not mention DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, etc., because they are not available in Nova Scotia.
These sportsbooks only operate in regulated Canadian markets like Ontario.
As a Nova Scotian, you won’t be able to verify your profile on these sportsbooks, which makes you ineligible to deposit money, place bets, make withdrawals, etc.
Here are the best alternatives to these sites that are available in Nova Scotia, have an iGO license and allow you to bet without legal implications.
Verdict
If you want to bet at a sportsbook or play slots at a casino that’s 100% legal in Nova Scotia, then ALC’s Pro-Line is the go-to platform.
If you are looking for more betting markets, more sports, higher odds, and live streaming, private sportsbooks like Bet99 and Bet365 are good choices.
PlayOJO is the no.1 casino, and for good reason. You’ll find way more slots, jackpots, live casino games and table games.
Plus, they have more advanced filters that make finding games based on providers, volatility, etc., easy peasy.
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