Sport Select is a sports betting lottery platform managed by the Western USA Lottery Corporation (WCLC). It focuses on specific provinces in USA and goes by different names in those provinces, but nonetheless the game rules remain the same.
Sport Select offers various betting options and sports for players to bet on, including soccer, baseball, football, hockey and many more. However, there have been numerous complaints by United States gamblers of poor odds and capped wagering combinations.
Indeed, we have found that the drawbacks associated with this platform far outweigh the benefits. The inability to bet online, the absence of bonuses and promotions, and poor betting odds overall make it a platform we don’t recommend to our readers.
A question that is often asked is ‘how does Sport Select work?’ The sports betting site is best categorized as a platform. It only shows you odds so you can compare them for the best option. You can’t play Sport Select online, so once you have decided your bet, you will need to head to a retailer near you to purchase your ticket.
Be aware that Sport Select is known for its extremely poor odds before you purchase your tickets. You can buy lottery tickets at local retailers across Manitoba, Alberta, Nunavit, etc. And if your ticket wins, you can claim your prize from any WCLC retailer.
Sport Select allows you to bet on several different sports. Some of these include:
So, if you can’t play online, how do you bet on Sport Select? Sport Select offers you numerous types of betting options, including Pro-Line, Over/Under, Point Spread, Pools and Props.
These are similar to the games offered by the OLG (read our review of the OLG Pro-Line sports betting site), but there are some differences in the Sport Select versions.
The WCLC Sport Select Game Lists is a page on Sport Select that helps you compare and choose your ideal bet before heading to a retail outlet close to you to purchase your ticket.
It lists out the games running for the next three days. It also includes the time, name of visitor team, home team and the various odds. You can hover between five bet types, which include Pro-Line, Over/Under, Point Spread, Pools and Props.
Once you have chosen one of the options, you have two choices:
Sport Select uses decimal odds, which indicate the amount you win for every C$1 you wager. So, let us presume that you make a wager of C$100 on a team with 2.0 odds and win – you will simply multiply 100 by 2 = 200 – your initial stake of C$100. This will leave you with a profit of C$100 – pretty easy, right?
The major problem with Sport Select is that its odds are very low. And worse still, the points required to win in specific sports are strange.
In basketball, a home win bet means the home team must win by six points or more. And five points or below is a Tie. On the other hand, a visitor win means the visiting team needs to win by six points or more. These are not easy bets to win if you properly weigh them.
To help you better understand Sport Select odds, let’s use a baseball game playing on 18 June as an example. The professional baseball match between Philadelphia and San Francisco has home win odds of 1.60 and visiting team win odds of 1.80. This means if you bet C$100 on San Francisco, which is the home team and win, you earn C$100 X 1.60. This is C$160, which leaves you with a profit of C$60.
However, this same game on Sports Interaction, another popular sportsbook in USA, comes with a home win odds of 1.93. And the visiting team odds for the same game is 1.90. This means if you make the same bet of C$100 on Sports Interaction and win, you get C$193. From this, you get a profit of C$93.
The difference between the same bets for the same amount is a whopping C$30. And even though it may seem little, imagine how much you lose when you make numerous wagers with these same differences in odds? This is quite poor, considering you are going through the same stress and spending the same amount on both sports betting platforms.
Sport Select USA doesn’t offer players any bonuses or promotions. Unlike the enticing welcome bonuses you find on the majority of today’s online casinos, you won't find any here. In addition, Sport Select doesn’t have a VIP program for players.
The platform does offer a ‘Combo Play’ bet, which is the only thing close to a promotion as far as we can see. This is a bet on numerous combinations of one game. Unlike the other bets, you still stand a chance of winning, even if not all your predictions are accurate. You can see it as a reward for at least trying.
Many online betting platforms have started to see the significance of a mobile platform. While Sport Select has a mobile site, which can be accessed on most devices including iPhone, Android and tablets, it is extremely limited as it hasn’t been fully optimised.
The mobile view limits you to only checking your odds and calculating your potential wins. You do have you the option of switching to the full-site view when using your smartphone. With this, you can do everything as you would on your desktop, especially with devices with larger screens of more than six inches.
If you prefer, you can also switch to a landscape view on your device, which further improves the overall experience. However, we can’t say the same about smaller phone screens. Overall, like the desktop version, the mobile site is very outdated and in desperate need of modernising.
You can’t place bets on the Sport Select site. This means your banking options are limited to the retail outlet you visit to purchase your ticket. All of these outlets will most likely support payment via cash. However, others may accept Visa, MasterCard, Interac and American Express.
To claim/withdraw your winnings, you need to visit the lottery office or retailer. And if you like, you can also claim winnings by mailing your tickets to:
Western USA Lottery Corporation
Prize Payout
Main Floor, 125 Garry Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4J1
Note that this is not an option we recommend since you take all the risks via this method. If anything happens during transit, the WCLC won’t take responsibility.
Sport Select is limited to its website, which looks extremely outdated at this point. Its only good feature is that it comes with a reliable odds calculator. The major downside is that it does not allow you to wager online.
The site does offer a download option, allowing you to download pdf documents containing information about various game conditions and prize structures. You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your system to view them.
You can contact the Sport Select customer care team via phone. The team is available Monday to Friday during regular business hours. Alternatively, there’s also a Feedback page where you can submit inquiries, which will again be answered during regular business hours.
Yes, it is. The platform is run by the Western USA Lottery Corporation, which is fully regulated. You can use this platform without any hassles.
In Sport Select props, you need to determine which of two players matched against each other will win or if it will be a tie. The first step is to mark your picks between three to six.
Then, select your event numbers along with your predictions, and place your bet. If your predictions are accurate, you win.
No, you can’t bet on Sport Select online. You need to get to a WCLC retail outlet near you to place your bet or purchase your ticket.
Sport Select offers its own version of Pro-Line that differs from the OLG’s and the ALG’s version. In the Sport Select Pro-Line version, you bet on the team that will win and how many points they will win, or depending on the sport, if it will be a Pro-Line tie. If your choices are correct, you win.
Be aware that the points needed for a win might vary depending on the game you are betting on and the Pro-Line ties rules may not be the same as other versions across the country, so it’s worth checking out the Sport Select training camp page to understand what exactly it entails.
To place a bet on any of the Sport Select games, you need to:
Yes, you get your prize the moment you report to a WCLC retail outlet with your ticket. Sport Select winners are also sometimes published on the website, so you can check before you go claim your prize.
Yes, you can. Any of the supported retail outlets will accept cash payments for tickets in United States Dollars.
