Written By:
Jelena Kabić
About Author
Jelena Kabic is a sports betting writer that focusses on responsible gambling. A psychologist by vocation, Jelena volunteered in a rehab facility, where she worked with gambling addicts. She now reviews all our content to ensure it discusses betting in a socially responsible way.
Fact Checked By:
Amy Webb
About Author
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!
Last Update
10 months ago
website | https://www.pinnacle.ca/en/ |
Licenses | |
Provinces | ON, AB, MB, QC, BC, NB, NL, NT, NS, NU, PE, SK, YT |
Customer Support | |
App | |
Min. Deposit | $10 |
Payment Methods | +4 |
Min. Withdrawal | $10 |
Pinnacle was popular worldwide way before coming to Canada. Founded in 1998, the brand has become synonymous with quality online betting.
It was to no one’s surprise that once it launched in Canada, many turned to it in hopes of finding a good sports selection and betting markets.
In this review, we will delve into the legality and safety of Pinnacle in Canada, explore its sports offerings, examine its betting tools and markets, evaluate the odds provided, and more to answer the question:
Is all the hype over Pinnacle well-founded?
Pinnacle Overview
Pros
Very Competitive Odds
Easy to Navigate
Rich eSports Section
Helpful Live Scores App
Several Helpful Calculators
Cons
No Downloadable Betting App
No Live Streaming or Cashouts
Is Pinnacle Legal and Safe in Canada?
Rest assured, Pinnacle is legal in Ontario as it holds an iGaming Ontario license.
What’s more, it’s also accessible from other Canadian provinces, so those from Quebec, Alberta, or Saskatchewan can treat it as a safe online betting choice.
Safety is a priority at Pinnacle, as evidenced by their strong emphasis on responsible gambling.
In fact, 4 out of 5 entries in the Help menu are dedicated to responsible gambling and contain resources for seeking help when needed.
You’re given the chance to set your deposit and loss limits as soon as you log in, or you can choose to self-exclude temporarily or permanently.
Furthermore, Pinnacle maintains a rich social presence, complete with podcasts available on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
How Pinnacle Works
Simple to Navigate
Live Centre & eSports Hub Easily Accessible
Straightforward Sign Up Process
Sign Up Process Could be Shorter
No Fractional Odds Format
Navigating Pinnacle’s website is a breeze, thanks to its user-friendly interface. The live betting feature is easily accessible from the top menu, allowing users to engage in real-time wagering effortlessly.
For eSports enthusiasts, Pinnacle has a dedicated eSports hub, ensuring a seamless and tailored experience.
The homepage offers the convenience of changing the odds format between American and decimal with just a click at the top menu, catering to users’ preferences.
However, unlike with most other sportsbooks, fractional odds aren’t available here.
Sports are conveniently categorized, with top sports prominently displayed on the left side and an A-Z sports list right below.
The search bar in the top left corner helps you quickly locate leagues and events you’re after.
Now, while Pinnacle offers the option to show the website in Chinese, it’s worth noting that the French language is currently not supported, unlike on sites like Sports Interaction.
One final icing on the cake is the availability of a dark mode option that adds a touch of customization to the overall user experience.
How to Sign up to Pinnacle
Signing up to Pinnacle takes a bit longer than it does on many other sportsbooks, as there are extra precautions to take, such as creating a security question.
That said, it’s still a simple and straightforward process.
1.Click on the “Join” button in the top right corner.
2. First, provide basic information including your country, email, and create a strong password.
3. Then, write down your name and date of birth.
4. Next step is providing your contact information, including address, phone number, and even occupation.
This is something we disliked about Pinnacle’s sign up process: occupation ends up having three extra fields which is a bit more time-consuming.
5. Final step before verifying your account is creating a security question for better protection.
After this step, you’ll get a confirmation link in your email. Simply click on it, and your account will be verified!
Pinnacle Sportsbook Review
Very Competitive Odds
Huge eSports Section
Wide Variety of Betting Markets
Stellar Betting Resources Section
Only 19 Sports at the Moment
No Live Streaming
No Cashing Out
At the time of writing this review, Pinnacle offers 19 sports, including popular options like baseball, basketball, tennis, football, MMA and niche sports such as snooker, cricket, and futsal.
One big downside we’ve noticed is that while Pinnacle does generally offer hockey, it didn’t offer any bets at the time of writing this — not even futures bets.
Meanwhile, Bet99 offers futures not only for the NHL but for other European leagues as well to keep hockey fans happy.
And while Pinnacle’s selection of sports isn’t among the best ones we’ve seen in Canada (with the likes of bet365 having 35+), Pinnacle definitely takes the cake when it comes to the eSports selection, featuring an impressive array of games:
- CS:GO
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Rainbow Six
- StarCraft 2, Valorant
- Rocket League
- Halo
- Honor of Kings
- Wild Rift
- Crossfire
- Arena of Valor.
With one of the most comprehensive eSports options available on a Canadian sportsbook, Pinnacle stands out as a go-to platform for eSports enthusiasts.
Betting Tools
Pinnacle provides a wealth of betting resources, including game predictions, news, and analysis, within the dedicated betting resources section.
Additionally, the platform features a live centre, allowing users to easily bet on live events.
Pinnacle also offers several calculators such as an odds calculator, margin calculator, and arbitrage calculator, which prove to be valuable tools, particularly for new bettors.
However, while all of these are helpful betting tools, some crucial ones are still missing.
The absence of live streaming and cashing out options is a huge drawback for the platform, as brands like bet365 and FanDuel have HD live streams and partial cash out on top of the regular options.
Pinnacle does claim in their Help section that cashouts are coming — let’s hope they arrive soon!
Betting Markets
When it comes to betting markets, Pinnacle offers a decent variety. We checked a baseball match between the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles and found the following betting markets:
- moneyline
- handicap
- total (1st half, 1st inning)
- total runs per team
- correct score
- exact total runs
- total bases per player.
But it’s in the realm of eSports where Pinnacle’s betting markets really shine.
For a League of Legends match between Ninjas in Pyjamas and JD Gaming, Pinnacle offered an array of betting options, such as:
- moneyline
- handicap
- total
- 1st blood
- first inhibitor
- first to 10 kills
- both teams to destroy an inhibitor
- both teams to kill a baron
- total elemental dragons killed…
and much more, for Map 1 and 2 alike.
This extensive coverage of eSports betting markets sets Pinnacle apart from its competitors in Canada.
Pinnacle Odds
One thing we immediately liked about Pinnacle’s odds is that they come with three instead of the usual two decimal places, which often means you’re getting slightly higher odds than you would otherwise.
But how do they compare with other top Canadian brands?
Baseball
We looked at the MLB game between Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles and saw that Pinnacle easily takes the cake for both the favourite and the underdog.
Sportsbook | Cincinnati Reds | Baltimore Orioles |
Bet99 | 2.20 | 1.71 |
bet365 | 2.20 | 1.71 |
Pinnacle | 2.260 | 1.729 |
Soccer
Next, we wondered how Pinnacle might fare when it comes to the best Canadian team in the MLS.
Sportsbook | CF Montreal | Draw | New York City |
Bet99 | 2.25 | 3.50 | 3.00 |
bet365 | 2.15 | 3.50 | 3.00 |
Pinnacle | 2.320 | 3.520 | 3.140 |
Once again, Pinnacle offers some very high odds — in fact, it has the highest ones for both CF Montreal and NY City and the second-best for the draw.
If you were to be sure of CF Montreal’s win, by betting $100 at Pinnacle vs bet365, you’d stand to win $17 more, which isn’t a small difference.
eSports
Finally, we needed to check how Pinnacle’s odds compare when it comes to eSports, as it’s their biggest sport on offer.
Here’s an example of a match in the LoL Elite Series:
Sportsbook | 7AM | Genk |
Bet99 | 1.32 | 3.10 |
bet365 | 1.33 | 3.25 |
Pinnacle | 1.370 | 2.940 |
To be honest, we were expecting to see higher odds for the underdog, as Pinnacle has the lowest odds for them by far.
That said, it also has the highest odds (and noticeably so) for the favourite.
Overall, we found Pinnacle to have very competitive odds compared to other top Canadian sportsbooks, which somewhat makes up for its lack of a more diverse sports and betting tools offering.
Pinnacle Casino Review
2300 Slots
Several Table Games
Live Casino
For the time being, the casino section is only available to those outside of Ontario. It consists of 2000+ different games, most of which are slots. There are also 34 jackpots and 50 drop & wins to choose from.
Among the 68 table games available are baccarat, blackjack, and roulette, complete with a live casino built for a more exciting gambling experience.
There are even 15 game shows brought to you by Evolution!
We especially liked the option to not only search for the specific game but also to choose from one of the dozen providers available, which include NetEnt, Play’n Go, and Pragmatic Play.
There is a separate tab for Hacksaw games alone, as well as for Megaways among which are crowd-pleasers like Madame Destiny Megaways and Big Bass Bonanza Megaways.
Finally, among the top games, you’ll also find the hard-to-find Aviator games, for which we give the Pinnacle Casino extra points.
Does Pinnacle Have an App?
Downloadable Live Scores App
Very Responsive on Mobile
No Betting App
For the time being, Pinnacle does not offer a downloadable betting app. However, they do provide a live score app that can be downloaded for both Android and Apple devices.
This live score app allows users to set alerts and receive notifications for specific game events, such as a tied score after 80 minutes or the home team taking the lead.
And while this won’t help you if you want to cash out on Pinnacle, it can still be a useful tool should you use cash out on other websites.
While the absence of a dedicated betting app may be seen as a downside for some users, Pinnacle’s mobile website offers a responsive and optimized experience, allowing users to access their accounts and place bets conveniently on their mobile devices.
Payment Methods
Decent Variety of Payment Methods
Minimum Deposits & Withdrawals From $10
Some Fees for iDebit and Bank Transfers
Bank Transfer Withdrawals Take up to 10 Days
Pinnacle Canada has a decent selection of payment methods available, including the Canadian favourite, Interac.
Below is a table that compares these payment methods in terms of deposits, withdrawals, and fees.
Payment Method | Fees | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Withdrawal | Maximum Withdrawal |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bank Transfer | $30 withdrawal fee | $10 | $10 | $20,000 (5 transactions per 24 hours) |
iDebit | 1.25% withdrawal fee | $50 | $50 | $5,000 |
INSTADEBIT | Free | $10 | $10 | $20,000 |
Interac | Free | $25 | $25 | $3,000 |
MuchBetter | Free | $10 | $10 | Based on account limits at payment provider |
Debit/Credit Cards | Free | $25 | $20 | $2,500 |
It’s important to note that all withdrawals must be made to the original method of payment used for deposits, ensuring secure transactions and preventing unauthorized access to funds.
The good news is that Pinnacle also allows one fee-free withdrawal per month, regardless of the payment method chosen.
While bank transfers may take up to 10 business days for processing, other withdrawal methods generally offer quicker processing times, allowing users to access their winnings in a more timely manner.
Customer Support
24/7 Live Chat
Rich Help Centre
Pinnacle customers can find answers to any urgent questions via a 24/7 live chat.
Alternatively, if your issue isn’t urgent, you can send an email or submit a web form.
Finally, there’s a very useful Help centre we always recommend you check out first, as there may already be an answer to your question there.
It has dozens of categories to choose from, including Account, Verification, Geoguard location validator, Live betting, and even Dark mode!
Our Verdict
Our testing proved to us that there is a reason Pinnacle is the go-to sportsbook for many Canadians.
While there aren’t too many sports on offer, the betting markets provided are quite good, the odds are virtually always highly competitive, and the eSports section is among the best ones we’ve seen.
The casino available for those outside of Ontario is also rich with a variety of games (Aviator games included) and super user-friendly.
There are also a couple of different payment methods to choose from, although there are some fees if you’re using iDebit or a bank transfer.
All that said, we do feel there are some serious drawbacks when we compare Pinnacle to the likes of Bet99 or bet365. For one, there’s no live-streaming option, one that is generally widely available on Canadian sportsbooks.
Perhaps even more of a drawback: for the time being, Pinnacle doesn’t offer cashouts. Meanwhile, brands like bet365 and FanDuel go as far as to offer partial and even auto cashouts.
Finally, there’s no downloadable betting app, although we’re ready to let that one slide since the mobile experience is superb. Plus, there is a live score app to take advantage of.
All in all, we feel that Pinnacle is an excellent choice for those who are looking for simplicity in their bets. You won’t be disappointed with odds and betting markets, and eSports lovers will definitely have a field day.
FAQs
Can you bet on Pinnacle in Canada?
Yes, absolutely! Pinnacle is legal in Ontario and available to all Canadian bettors.
Can you cash out on Pinnacle?
Sadly, for the time being, Pinnacle doesn’t offer a cash out option. If you’re after it, check out bet365 which offers both full and partial cashouts.
Is Pinnacle legal in Canada?
Yes, Pinnacle is fully legal in Ontario thanks to an iGaming Ontario license, and bettors from other Canadian provinces can safely access it as well.