theScore Bet Review

Starting as a Canadian sports media company, theScore now also operates a Canadian sportsbook under the moniker theScore Bet. The company launched its first sportsbook in 2019 in New Jersey and has continued to expand since, finally landing in their home province of Ontario in April 2022. After parent company Penn National decided to rebrand theScore’s US facing book to Barstool Sports, they set their focus exclusively on Canada.

Is theScore Bet Canada the right platform for you? Learn about it in our theScore Bet app review.

theScore Bet Canada History

Launched in 1994 as Sportscope – essentially a ticker with sports, news, and betting information – and changing its name theScore in 2000 – the company has a long history in Canada as a source for sports.

After selling off its sports television branch to Rogers (owner of Sportsnet) – theScore shifted to a digital-only outfit (app, website, and social media). After seven years of steadily growing their user base, theScore launched theScore Bet – joining Sports Interaction and provincial sports betting services as the only sportsbooks to have head offices within Canada. 

In August of 2021, Penn National Gaming (now known as Penn Entertainment) announced the acquisition of theScore. Penn has been a long time owner/operator of brick and mortar casinos in the US and acquired theScore as part of a push to diversify into digital sports and entertainment.

When the legal Ontario market opened its doors in 2022 and theScore Bet began establishing its foothold in their home province, Penn Entertainment decided to rebrand theScore Bet to Barstool Sportsbook in the United States (Penn owns 36% of the Barstool brand). theScore meanwhile announced that their sportsbook would operate exclusively in Canada.

theScore Bet Canada – A Homegrown Sportsbook

theScore Bet is located in Toronto, Ontario – making them about as home-grown as you can get without being an official provincial platform. Ontario is just the start for them, as they hope to get preferential treatment once more provinces legalise and regulate single-event betting beyond government-run outlets.

Speaking of legalisation and regulation, in addition to being at the forefront of betting apps in Canada we also have theScore to thank (in part) for the legalisation process itself. John Levy, founder and CEO of theScore has long argued on behalf of single event sports betting in Canada. Alongside others who worked to bring forth a fair and regulated market, Levy and by extension theScore aided in making this goal a reality.

Customers can therefore expect a uniquely Canadian flavour (with a u) when using theScore Bet. Their attention now focused squarely on home soil, theScore represents a Canadian success story in the new world of sports betting.

Signing Up for theScore Bet

Sign up is quick and easy on theScore Bet Ontario but be prepared to provide validation documents before you can use your account. Remember to download the correct theScore Bet: Sports Betting version of the app and not the theScore Sports news app.

Complete all the required fields and select a username and password combination that you won’t soon forget. theScore Bet does require a special character in its passwords in addition to at least one uppercase letter and one number.

After filling out all your account details and choosing a secure password, now comes time for account validation. If for any reason you close the page before validating, fear not, you will be able to log into your account using the credentials you chose and try validating again.

To validate your theScore Bet account you must provide images of documents proving your identity and address are accurate. Once submitted you will receive confirmation in short order and your account will be ready to use.

theScore Bet Look and Feel

As theScore is focused exclusively on in-app betting (theScore’s website doesn’t not offer access to betting), their app is a cut above. A clean, responsive and intuitive platform that’s a joy to use.

It is a clutter free and easy to use interface but the factor that really sets it apart is the platform’s integration with the wider range of theScore products.

theScore Sports was already an incredibly popular app for sports fans. A one stop shop for scores, stats and analysis. Now the inclusion of curated betting news and markets, in addition to the ability to build out your perfect bet slip and send it seamlessly to the Bet app makes for a perfect marriage.

theScore brand excels in the world of mobile apps and as such one can almost forget the lack of a betting website.

The Blue Jay Way

Notably for those wanting to bet close to home, theScore Bet has an exclusive partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays. While not the only platform you can bet on the Jays at, the deal makes theScore Bet their exclusive marketing partner for betting, casino games, and fantasy sports, and will create all sorts of promotional tie in – including a themed bar and restaurant in the Rogers Centre.

The partnership is slated to run through the next 10 seasons and is the first of its kind for the Blue Jays. Jays’ President and CEO; Mark Shapiro said of the deal, “.. this monumental partnership with theScore Bet offers compelling new ways for sports enthusiasts to be a part of the game. We are excited to be partnering with a Canadian company that operates at the highest level of the industry and understands our role in Toronto and Canada, to bring baseball to more fans nationwide.”

In addition to branding and promotions throughout the ballpark and on television, theScore will also be presenting partner of the Blue Jays’ famous “Jays Care 50/50 program”.

Teeing Off Canadian Style

In August 2021 Golf Canada entered into a multiyear deal with theScore Bet, introducing the Canadian brand as the official betting partner to Golf Canada and its two prestigious tournaments; The RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open.

As Golf Canada’s first ever gaming partner, theScore will gain exclusive access to branding and promotional opportunities both on and off the golf course. theScore also aims to provide engaging on-site activations during premier tournaments, giving golf fans opportunity to experience the action in completely new ways.

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open was the first to showcase the new partnership and theScore Bet took full advantage of the opportunity. Bet Mode putting challenges were present at various locations on the course to entertain fans and hand out prizes. An exclusive theScore Bet Members Lounge, a premium hospitality area complete with complimentary food and beverages overlooked the 18th fairway and was open to theScore Bet account holders only.

The cherry on top were the theScore Bet Skyline Seats, a suspended viewing platform offering wonderful new views of the course during play. 30min in the Skyline box with food and drinks could be won in putting challenges and in the members lounge.

The Bottom Line on theScore Bet

theScore Bet sportsbook gets some things right and misses on others. For a new player, only operating in a few states, the product is good. The things they do well – such as mobile betting and live sports betting – are done very well. However, the lack of a website and live chat features hurt theScore Bet sportsbook. As they currently only operate in one province, we expect as they expand their reach, they will expand their services.

theScore Bet plans to expand further into the Canadian market once provinces legalize single-event betting. Having a head office in Toronto helps them score some points from Canadians. However, their sportsbook is designed for experienced punters and does not match the betting options available from the online sportsbooks currently available in Canada.

theScore Bet FAQ

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Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson was born in Toronto, Canada, and he is a passionate Toronto sports fan, spending much of his free time following, watching and occasionally attending live sports matches. While he loves his Toronto teams, his biggest sports passion is the National Football League. Have spent his youth playing football, the NFL elicits all the emotions. Growing up, Andrew’s favourite player was Peyton Manning and, even since he left the Indianapolis Colts (and retired from the NFL), his NFL allegiance remains in Indiana. Andrew’s background does not come from journalism, but the numeric/statistical side of the sporting world. Graduating from the University of Guelph in 2014 with a Bachelor’s of Commerce, Andrew continued his education at George Brown College in Toronto, taking a postgraduate degree in Analytics. During his time at George Brown College, Andrew began to link his passion for sports and flare with numbers to learn more and even tell a story. The first topic he ever wrote about was the greatest Monday Night Football fantasy performances. From there he was hooked and teamed up with Canada Sports Betting, contributing his first article, a Toronto Blue Jays season preview, in March of 2015. When it comes to betting, much of Andrew’s attention is on the four major North American leagues. However, when big events come around (such as March Madness, which he always books the first two days for) and the FIFA World Cup, he knows where to focus his money and energy.