Coolbet Review

Coolbet Summary

Advertising itself as a transparent sportsbook, Coolbet is a relatively new player in the Ontario space. Though it hasn’t reached the popularity of a FanDuel or bet365, it features a genuinely Canadian theme and sports offerings for bettors in the country's most populous country.

Keep reading to see if signing up for Coolbet is suitable for you.

Coolbet Quick Facts

Coolbet Locations

Coolbet has over 300 employees, and its head office is in Tallinn, Estonia. It currently holds gaming licenses in Estonia, Sweden, and Malta. Coolbet offers sports betting in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Chile, Peru and Canada, and is regulated in Ontario.

Sports Leagues to Bet On

Like many other sportsbooks in Canada, Coolbet has a wide array of different sports to wager on. All the popular sports are easily accessible on the left-hand side of the website, and the odds offered are competitive and sometimes even better than more popular bookmakers such as Caesars and BetMGM.

You can scroll through the list of sports offered by Coolbet and be impressed with the sheer number of available unique markets.

NFL Betting

No sportsbook would be complete without a robust NFL offering, and Coolbet does not let bettors down in this aspect. Outside of the main spread and Over/Under markets, players can bet on spread and Moneylines for halves and quarters plus team totals. The anytime touchdown market was confusing, as the only bets I could find for the game I looked at oddly excluded passing TDs. Also, ML bets were not displayed on the main NFL page — I had to click into each game to find the odds offered.

For futures, Coolbet offers all the popular markets such as Super Bowl, conference winners, division winners, and player awards. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find more specific futures like most regular season rushing yards; competitors like bet365 offer these markets in abundance.

NBA Betting

People that know ball will be fans of Coolbet’s available NBA bets. It's worth noting here that, in addition to providing all of the regular moneyline, spread, total and team/player prop markets, Coolbet provides fun NBA specials – and the odds on these markets carry just 30 cents of juice. That's competitive with other marquee sportsbooks that offer similar opportunities.

College Football

While the odds offered are not as competitive as what it has for the NFL, the college football options at Coolbet are endless. All the major Division I FBS college football games are available, albeit with a limited array of options compared to the NFL due to a lack of player props. Coolbet does serve live bettors well with a nice selection of in-game wagering markets.

College Basketball

Ontario bettors who like a little U.S. college basketball action will find a similar approach here as to how Coolbet handles NCAA football. You'll be able to bet on basic primary and secondary markets throughout the regular season, with increased betting opportunities heading into the conference tournaments and March Madness. Coolbet's odds here are quite competitive.

NHL Betting

With its focus on the Canadian market, it should not be a shock that Coolbet’s NHL choices are among the best you can find. 

Its futures market is plentiful. You’ll be able to place a bet on the Stanley Cup winner, division winner, regular point totals, and winners of major awards such as the Hart, Vezina, and Norris trophies. The site even has O/U lines on individual player goals, assists, and points plus specials on high-profile players such as Connor McDavid and Alexander Ovechkin.

MLB Betting

Major League Baseball is well represented at Coolbet. It features competitive odds in the ML, run line, and O/U markets plus options to bet on first inning results, first five innings results, and of course player props that include strikeouts, home runs, and total bases but surprisingly no option for singles or doubles.

Other Sports Leagues

Bettors will not get bored on Coolbet, as the options for other sports outside of the ones we just covered are numerous.

Coolbet features soccer curling, golf, tennis, MMA, eSports, Australian rules football, volleyball, boxing, cricket, cycling, darts, disc golf, floorball, Formula 1, futsal, handball, horse racing, NASCAR, horse racing, rugby, squash, and winter sports such as cross country skiing. You can even wager on politics such as international presidential elections.

Coolbet also provides a very Canadian option: USports football games, the Canadian equivalent of NCAA college football. While the market is quite limited (only ML, spread and O/U options are available, and no alternate lines are available like in NCAA) that it’s even offered is something I haven’t seen on any other sportsbook.

Online Betting Experience

Website Experience

The desktop layout of Coolbet makes it easy to navigate to the most popular betting markets. A “Match of the Day” is prominently displayed, and popular sports like the NFL and MLB are easily accessible on the left side menu.

Sports and live betting lobbies feature upcoming games that are of high priority and live games are quickly sorted by emojis on top. The signup process was seamless with a debit card, as I was able to get my deposit in with the bonus within minutes.

There’s even a search option to help you find the bet you’re looking for. I tried out the search menu with two terms “Pittsburgh Steelers team total” and “Connor McDavid”. The first got me the upcoming game between the Cleveland Browns and the Steelers — that was disappointing because I could have easily found that myself. It also showed games from the Pittsburgh Pirates and NHL futures for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The second search landed me the odds for Connor McDavid’s chances to win the Rocket Richard, Art Ross, and Hart Trophy right on top – but also featured potential Connor McGregor fights and a Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills matchup because it had a Connor Williams anytime TD bet. Coolbet should be commended for implementing a feature that every sportsbook should have, but it still needs some work.

Coolbet derives its self-described transparent reputation from a few features, the most relevant of which I believe for bettors is the “turnover” feature. Click the button underneath the odds and you’ll be able to see how much money is wagered on an event.

It still has some limitations – it only shows the betting trends for ML bets and you won’t be able to get access to how much money is on the O/U or spread for example. But it’s still a big step toward providing information for bettors that other sportsbooks simply don't.

Mobile Betting and Betting App

Coolbet’s mobile website does well to mimic the desktop layout.

You can access the Casino and poker options by the menu on the left hand side, and popular markets are displayed prominently once it loads. Unfortunately, it can be tough to find smaller markets or markets that don’t have games coming up. I had to use the search feature to get to their NBA futures market but it was easy to access upcoming events and live bets. Logging in required text verification the first time but was seamless afterwards.

At the moment, Coolbet does not have a betting app for either iOS or Android.

Live Betting

Coolbet’s “Livebet Lobby” features a multitude of events on which to wager. I’d like to see it organized by league instead of just emojis up top, but that might be nitpicking considering the most popular sports are usually featured up top. You can even favourite live matches to easily follow along and place your bet at the exact moment.

Casino, Poker, & Other Gaming Options

If you’re more into casino games and poker, Coolbet has you covered. It advertises nearly 70 different providers of games, featuring more than 2,500 different slots, 59 different table games, and 28 jackpot games.

Its Live Casino options are numerous. Coolbet has 41 different live roulette tables, a staggering 241 live blackjack tables, 64 baccarat games, and 35 other live games. All live games can be filtered by game type, minimum bet, and language, while casino games can be filtered by the provider, RTP, features, max win multiplier, plus game type.

Coolbet History

Coolbet was founded by Jan Svendsen in 2016, initially offering sports betting and casino options to Estonia and Scandinavian countries. They are owned by GAN Limited, a publicly-traded (NASDAQ: GAN) global online gaming platform with extensive experience. GAN has worked with international brands for 20 years offering business-to-business services. 

They were behind FanDuel’s early push into the regulated gaming markets in the U.S. in 2018 when the sportsbook launched in New Jersey. They’ve also worked closely with other notable gaming operators such as Penn National Gaming (theScore Bet and Barstool Sportsbook parent company), Wynn Resorts, and more.

Customer Ratings & Reputation

Coolbet has done well to build up its reputation within the province.

It offers markets on events Ontario bettors love like the World Junior Hockey Championships, and has an active social media presence compared to other sportsbooks. Its esports market has become a hot spot for bettors due to its favourable lines, and customers also love the competitive margins offered on most major sports. Coolbet is also known for its sponsorship with Andre De Grasse, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-metre sprint.

Complaints include no teasers available for NFL betting, issues depositing funds via Gigadat eTransfer, lower limits for less popular such as NASCAR and the lack of live streaming.

Customer Service

Coolbet can be reached by live chat or by email. I found the live chat to be very responsive, as the customer service representative responded to my inquiries within a minute of starting the chat. It’s a faster and more convenient option than sending an email.

Coolbet Contact

• Live chat
• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @CoolbetCanadaFacebook

Coolbet Legal Betting

Coolbet Sportsbook is regulated in Ontario by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and iGaming Ontario.

Responsible Gambling

Here's a list of recommended responsible gambling resources available to Coolbet Ontario players:

• ResponsibleGambling.org: The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is a respected, independent non-profit organization. They have been a leader in preventing problem gambling in Canada and globally for more than 35 years. Operators in Ontario are required to register with RGC to operate in the province.
• ConnexOntario: ConnexOntario provides service information for people experiencing problems with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or mental health. Helpful, supportive system navigation specialists answer all calls, emails, or web chat requests 24/7. Call 1-866-531-2600 for more info.
• BeGambleAware.org: offers free, confidential help and support to anyone worried about gambling for themselves or others.
• Gambling Therapy: a global service provided by Gordon Moody offering free emotional support and advice to anyone affected by gambling.

Why Choose Coolbet?

Get past the polar bear theme and the lack of initial name recognition and you’ll find that Coolbet does a lot of things right.

It has done well to offer betting markets that are uniquely Canadian, and the odds offered in major markets like the NFL and NHL are considerably more competitive than you might think. The turnover feature is basic but can provide some interesting information depending on if you know how to read it.

The limits may frustrate more experienced bettors, but newer Ontario bettors looking to expand to another sportsbook will be hard-pressed to find a better option than Coolbet.