PlayOLG Review

PlayOLG.com is the online gaming platform for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).  Compared to the ‘Playnow’ offering of their British Columbia counterpart the BCLC, PlayOLG is decidedly spartan in terms of games and betting options.  In all fairness, however, the site is a ‘work in progress’ with a number of areas ‘under construction’.

The big question now becomes ‘how quickly will the OLG bring the site up to the same level as other online gaming websites?’  The answer might be a bit more nuanced than you’d expect.  The OLG makes a big deal about a current ‘modernization’ initiative which has been ongoing since 2012.  They’ve even got a dedicated website explaining why and how they’ll bring things up to date (ModernOLG.CA) though it’s hard to get through the bureaucratic nonsense about ‘procurement’ and ‘gaming zones’.

For now, the website offers a limited selection of lottery and casino games with the promise of more to come.  Payment processing is easy with Visa, Mastercard and Canadian bank transfers accepted.  There are a few bonuses offered including a 100% match play up to $150.  There are also several contest giveaways available for players that set up a weekly deposit limit in the interest of ‘responsible gaming’.

Lottery Games

Although the OLG currently offers thirteen lottery games only two are available online.  The national lottery games ‘Max Lotto’ and ‘Lotto 649’ can be played online, as can the ‘Encore’ bonus game that runs in conjunction with both. For any other game, you’ll have to head to a lottery retailer—though the PlayOLG site doesn’t offer any information about where to find one.  You can find the winning number information for all lotteries on the OLG’s primary website (OLG.CA) but the PlayOLG website doesn’t tell you that either.

Casino Games

PlayOLG offers 30 slot machine variations including many that will be familiar to anyone who has played at a land based casino including ‘Double Diamond’ and ‘Hot Shot’.  A limited selection of table games includes three variations of roulette, blackjack, sic bo, casino war, three card poker and mini baccarat.  There is a ‘spin and win’ game hidden under the ‘leisure games’ menu entry but the ones for ‘jackpot games’ and ‘video poker’ bring up empty pages with a ‘coming soon’ promise.

Conclusion

PlayOLG has the feel of a hastily constructed, poorly thought out website—as if the OLG just wanted to get ‘something’ online.  It’s strange that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation plugs their ‘modernization’ efforts so strongly and based on their online platform has little to show for it.  Online gaming should be a natural in Ontario since it’s one of the two provinces that doesn’t permit video lottery terminals (VLTs)—but wait!  VLTs are in the process of being legalized in Ontario—a good move, but about a decade too late.

The cynical take on the PlayOLG website suggests that the OLG is making the same mistake as many other gaming operators and jurisdictions—including the state of Nevada.  They’re letting countless other interests—most likely those that benefit from the status quo such as lotto retailers, bar owners, etc.—dictate what they offer online.  Thus the limited game selection, no support for mobile devices, and the overall haphazard construction of the PlayOLG website. This is obviously bad for the players, but is the worst way for the province’s gaming industry to react to a rapidly changing competitive environment.

Bonus: Up to $1000

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