BetMGM Poker Ontario Review
Review, FAQ, & New Player Guide
BetMGM Poker Ontario was the second poker room to go live in the newly regulated online poker market in Canada, opening its doors on April 5, 2022.
BetMGM is one of the best-known names in the online gambling world, in the US and worldwide. It offers a modern desktop and mobile platform, featuring an excellent MTT schedule and great range of cash game options.
BetMGM Poker Ontario offers real money online poker to players in Ontario. It is joined by its sister platforms, PartyPoker Ontario and bwin Ontario, teaming up to form the BetMGM Poker Ontario Network, sharing a player pool across the three rooms.
In this BetMGM Poker Ontario Review, we take a look at all the important elements of the poker room, including the variety of stakes and gaming options, tournaments, the app, supported banking methods, and much more.
If you are looking for a great place to play real money poker in Canada’s biggest province, keep reading and find out what exciting things you can expect from BetMGM’s Ontario online poker room.
| BetMGM Poker Ontario: Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| ✨ Main Highlight | Great Value MTT Schedule |
| 🚀 Date Launched | April 5, 2022 |
| 🤜🤛 Shared Liquidity | BetMGM Poker shares a player pool with its sibling sites partypoker Ontario & bwin Ontario, within provincial borders. |
| 🏆 BetMGM Ontario Tournaments | Daily C-Note, High Roller No-Limit Hold’em PKO every Tuesday & Thursday, $215 Weekly Sunday, SPINS Leaderboard |
| 🏦 Banking | PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Interac, Apple Pay |
| 🕹️ Games on Offer | No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, PLO8, fastforward |
| 📱 Apps | Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android |
Is BetMGM Poker Available to Online Poker Players in Ontario?
Yes! Online poker players can play on BetMGM Poker in the province plus it shares networks with its sister sites PartyPoker and Bwin Ontario.
BetMGM Poker Tournaments in Ontario
BetMGM Ontario, gives players access to a vast selection of poker tournament formats and buy-in levels. What makes playing at BetMGM even more special is that it’s part of the first and only multi-skin online poker network in Ontario. BetMGM, partypoker Ontario, and bwin Ontario all comprise the BetMGM Ontario Network, sharing liquidity and player pools across the three sites. This means more players, more tournament action, and bigger prize pools.
From SNGs (sit and go’s) to large-scale MTTs with buy-ins from just CAD $1 to CAD $1050 and above, the tournament lobby at BetMGM Poker Ontario is flooded with dozens of games every day, offering plenty of great action for players of all skill level and wallet size.
The game of choice at BetMGM Poker Ontario is certainly No-Limit Hold’em, although an occasional Pot-Limit Omaha event can be found in the mix as well.
The daily and weekly tournament schedule is a fixed one, but BetMGM Poker also throws various online poker tournament series on a regular basis as well, and you can expect plenty of those to be made available to Canadian players.
Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs)
The real beauty of playing poker at BetMGM Poker is the fact that the operator offers numerous daily tournaments with buy-ins ranging from micros-stakes to high-rollers.
Low buy-in tournaments are on the schedule numerous times per hour, while the bigger events tend to be reserved for the evening slots when more players are around to potentially play in them.
The operator throws a variety of satellite tournaments as well, allowing players to make their way into the big buy-in events by winning their seats on the virtual felt.
The multi-table tournament schedule also contains a number of special weekly tournaments that mostly take place on the weekends, including the $215 Weekly Sunday event that’s been popular among BetMGM Poker players for a long time.
Sit & Go Tournaments (SNGs)
If you can’t be bothered to wait for the exact tournament you want to play to start or simply can’t be around when the best events are running, plenty of SNG games are also available.
SNGs at BetMGM Poker Ontario allow you to play heads-up, 6-max, or full-ring tournament games with regular, turbo, and super turbo blind structures all available.
The difference between an SNG and an MTT is that the SNG will start the moment enough players have registered for it, and this can be as few as just two or six, depending on the game format you pick.
BetMGM SNGs are ideal games for tournament players who want quick action and don’t want to spend many hours stuck to their screen, as they allow for a more relaxed approach and more volume.
- One of the biggest names in online poker
- Wide scope of cash game stakes
- Quality MTT schedule year around
Cash Games at BetMGM Poker
Of course, tournaments are not the only games offered at BetMGM Poker, as a good selection of cash game tables is also available, ranging from micro-stakes to high-stakes.
The games that run most frequently at BetMGM Poker Ontario are No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. While other games like Seven Card Stud and PLO8 are also available, there is hardly any traffic at those tables.
The micro-stakes tables ranging from CAD $0.01/0.02 to CAD $0.1/0.25 run at all times with many players sitting and waiting for some action.
Mid-stakes games at BetMGM Poker Ontario get a decent amount of action, with CAD $1/2 tables and below all offering plenty of opportunities to jump into action.
Finding opponents to play against at the higher stakes tables can be a bit difficult, but there are usually at least a few tables running. Combining forces with partypoker Ontario and bwin Ontario certainly helps with the room’s traffic as well.
Finally, fastforward poker is also available for those who hate waiting in between hands, but the player pools are likely to be low in the early days at these tables as many players are required for fastforward poker games to run smoothly.
Overall, BetMGM Poker Ontario offers these game variations:
- No Limit Hold’em
- Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)
- Omaha 8 (not much action)
- Seven Card Stud (almost no regular action)
BetMGM Ontario Traffic History
| Month | BetMGM Ontario | Other sites | Market share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23 | 180 | 485 | 27% |
| May 23 | 165 | 440 | 27% |
| Jun 23 | 115 | 455 | 20% |
| Jul 23 | 130 | 460 | 22% |
| Aug 23 | 70 | 480 | 13% |
| Sep 23 | 60 | 525 | 10% |
| Oct 23 | 55 | 550 | 9% |
| Nov 23 | 50 | 555 | 8% |
| Dec 23 | 115 | 585 | 16% |
| Jan 24 | 80 | 630 | 11% |
| Feb 24 | 85 | 615 | 12% |
| Mar 24 | 65 | 600 | 10% |
Banking Options at BetMGM Poker Ontario
Ontario poker players can use quite a few options to fund their accounts at BetMGM Poker Ontario. No matter what your preferred option might be, the important thing to know is that they are all perfectly safe and reliable. The operator employs high-level security standards and protocols to ensure this.
The most popular deposit options available at BetMGM Poker Ontario are:
- MasterCard
- Visa
- Interac
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
When it comes to withdrawals, they are usually processed quickly and without unnecessary delays. To cash out your winnings, you can use:
- Visa (3 – 5 business days)
- Interac (1 – 3 business days)
- ApplePayDirect (3 – 5 business days)
- PayPal (up to 24 hours)
- Online banking (1 – 2 business days)
BetMGM Ontario Poker Software
The BetMGM Poker platform has been updated and reworked many times over the years. Today, it is one of the best pieces of software out there, although a few of the closest competitors, such as PokerStars, actually offer a better software platform overall.
Reliability
Reliability is one of the areas in which BetMGM Poker does especially well, as the platform is both stable and safe to play on in every sense.
BetMGM Poker is fully licensed by the AGCO and has been offering real money poker games across the world for decades without any major incidents or scandals.
If you are worried about the software crashing on you, you should not be, as BetMGM is one of the most stable and reliable poker platforms out there, whether you play on your desktop computer or mobile device.
Functionality
From a functionality point of view, we can’t say that there is much wrong with BetMGM Poker either, as the software offers most of the options and settings that you would expect from a modern online poker platform.
The lobby gives players a great view of all the available games, with options to filter results and a search function that allows you to quickly and efficiently locate the tables you are looking for.
The mobile BetMGM Poker Ontario app is equally as smooth and easy to navigate, and the lobby is optimized for mobile use in terms of the number of tables shown and the way one can scroll through them.
The actual poker tables are also easy to navigate and play at. You can adjust your betting slider in any way you prefer and increase your bets in big blinds, pot percentages, and more.
Appearance
When it comes to the way it looks, the BetMGM Poker platform may not be as sleek or as cool as PokerStars or GGPoker, but it comes pretty close. The color scheme is simple, and there isn’t much clutter on the tables, which means that gameplay is made easy, and there aren’t any distractions to take your focus away from playing the game.
Multiple options are available when it comes to customizing the table appearance and the cards. You can select from a few different card styles, and the four-color deck can be used to ensure you never mistake your hand for a flush again.
Overall, the BetMGM software looks pretty good and is easily in the top 5 best online poker platforms in the looks area as well, although it may not be the flashiest.
- One of the biggest names in online poker
- Wide scope of cash game stakes
- Quality MTT schedule year around
BetMGM Poker Ontario Mobile App
Like all modern online poker operators, BetMGM Poker Ontario offers a mobile app that allows you to access your account and play your favorite games without restrictions. The mobile app will let you do everything you can do via the desktop software, including making deposits and withdrawals, registering for tournaments, and playing in ring games.
The app is available for Android and iOS devices, and you can download it from the respective stores. The download and installation process is fairly straightforward and not any different from installing any other app on your phone.
The app itself features a sleek and modern design and a range of nice features to adjust it to your needs. Navigating cash games and tournament lobbies to find the games you are looking for is easy, and the game interface on the tables is very intuitive and player-friendly.
_Download the BetMGM Poker app here »
How to Sign Up at BetMGM Poker Ontario
Opening a new account at BetMGM Poker Ontario is a very simple process that will only take you a few minutes to complete. Keep in mind that opening multiple accounts is against the operator’s terms of service, so you should only open a new account if you do not have one already. If you have an account but have forgotten your login details, use the recovery features.
As a new player, you can create your account following these steps:
- Visit the BetMGM Poker Ontario site
- Click on the green “Register” button in the top right corner
- Fill in your email address and the desired password
- On the next screen, fill in your personal details (name, surname, DOB)
- Finally, fill in your address and make sure to use the bonus code
POKERFUSEin the promo code field - You will receive an email with the verification link
- Once you click the link and verify your email address, you can log in, deposit, and claim your bonus
BetMGM Poker Ontario Safety & Fairness
Like other operators offering their services in the province, BetMGM Poker Ontario is licensed and regulated by iGaming Ontario. They have to adhere to stringent rules and regulations in terms of how they conduct business and how they treat their customers, which makes the platform a very safe choice. In the event of any disputes, players can lodge a complaint with the regulator and expect it to be taken seriously.
In line with the regulation, BetMGM Poker Ontario requires all players to be physically present within the province whenever joining real money games (cash tables and tournaments). To ensure this, the operator uses geolocation protocols, and you have to allow geolocation checks to be able to access real money play on the site. This applies to both the desktop software and the mobile app.
As far as the game fairness is concerned, the room uses a Random Number Generator (RNG) to determine the results of every individual hand. Like everything else, this underlying software needs to meet certain requirements, and auditing bodies regularly check it, so you can rest assured that all games are fair and not rigged in any way.
BetMGM Ontario FAQ
Is BetMGM Poker legal in Ontario?
Yes! BetMGM Ontario is licensed by iGaming Ontario, a subdivision of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, meaning it is fully legal for the operator to offer real money Ontario online poker.
Is BetMGM Poker Ontario safe to play on?
Yes! As a fully regulated and legally operating site, BetMGM Poker must meet stringent safety and security protocols to ensure you — and all your info — are completely secure and protected by the latest high-encryption technologies.
How do I play on BetMGM Poker Ontario?
In order to play at BetMGM Poker Ontario, a player must set up a real money account with the operator and deposit funds into it. This means you will need to be an adult, at least 19 years of age, and will need to provide your real information during registration, as you will have to confirm these details before you can make any cashouts from the site.
Do I have to be in Ontario to play at BetMGM Poker?
Yes! Like all legal gambling jurisdictions in North America, Ontario enforces the geolocation policy, which means that only players physically located within the province can actually play for real money. Geolocation software on your device will prevent you from playing from any other locations outside of Ontario’s borders.
Does BetMGM Poker Ontario share its liquidity?
Yes, but only within the province. BetMGM Poker shares a player pool with its sister sites bwin and partypoker Ontario. The three poker rooms combine to form the BetMGM Poker Ontario Network, with one combined player pool.
What types of real money online poker games does BetMGM offer?
BetMGM Poker Ontario offers many different forms of poker. You can play cash games and tournaments, with NLH and PLO being the two most popular games on the site. SNGs, SPINS, and fastforward poker are some of the other forms of poker available at BetMGM.