If you can pick, you can play. There are no odds and no spreads to consider in POOLS, making it the simplest way to bet on your favourite sports. POOLS is a great game for beginners looking to learn the basics of sports lottery games.

Accurately predict the winning teams for each matchup presented on the POOLS Card. That’s it! The player, or players, with the most accurate selections wins or shares the prize pool.

How to Play POOLS in 5 easy steps

1

Set your play budget. The best way to play is to always bet with money you can afford to lose.
2

Choose your sport. Choose a Card from the Event List and select the number of events you want to wager.
3

Pick your outcomes. You must predict the winning teams for all events listed on the Card for your ticket to be valid.
4

Can’t decide? Box your picks. Box play lets you pick both teams to win for up to 4 games, at an additional cost.
5

Buy your ticket. Take your completed selection slip or PRO•LINE App picks to your OLG retailer to buy your ticket. Be sure to cheer on your teams!

1. Set your play budget

Savvy sports bettors know there’s no way to guarantee a win. That’s why they set aside a play budget and only use money they can afford to lose. To do this, set aside a separate play budget and think of it as money you would spend on entertainment. Like tickets to a game.

2. Choose your sport

A collection of game equipment featuring a football, a hockey puck, a soccer ball, a helmet and a basketball

POOLS lets you bet on American and Canadian Professional Football, Professional Hockey, Professional Basketball, Professional Baseball, American College Football, College Basketball, North American, South American, European and World Soccer, and Car Racing.

Check the sports list at PRO•LINE.ca, on the PRO•LINE App, or at any OLG retailer. Select the Card you want to wager on from the list, and then make sure to wager on all events on that Card for your ticket to be valid.

Download the PRO•LINE App now

3. Pick your outcomes

A scoreboard featuring H and V teams, with a question mark below each

Select your POOLS Card and make your predictions from the Event List. Simply choose between Home (H) or Visitor (V) based on which team you think will win or box the matchup if you can’t decide. You can complete the POOLS selection slip, available at your local OLG retailer, or make your picks using the PRO•LINE App.

Download the PRO•LINE App now

4. Can’t decide? Box your picks

If you can’t decide which team to choose as the winner, simply select both teams to box them. That way, you’ll make the right prediction, no matter which team wins. Keep in mind, you can only box up to 4 selections per POOLS ticket.

TIP

Selecting the box play option increases your chances of winning, but also increases your cost to play. Keep this in mind when considering your play budget.

What is a box play?

How box play works

Box play is an option of play for an added cost that lets you select both the Visitor Team (V) and Home Team (H) to win for a specified event listed on a POOLS Card. Players can box up to 4 events per individual POOLS ticket.

Choose BOTH Visitor (V) and Home (H) for up to four picks on your Card. For these boxed picks, whichever team wins will result in a correct outcome on your ticket. For the remaining events on the Card, choose EITHER Visitor (V) or Home (H). You must accurately predict the winning team on your remaining non-boxed picks to win.

Bring your completed selection slip or your PRO•LINE App saved barcode to an OLG retailer to purchase your POOLS ticket. Then, make sure you watch the games and cheer on your favourite teams!

How much does it cost to play?

A single play in POOLS, where players choose either Visitor (V) or Home (H) for all the events listed on the Card, is set at $5. Players choosing the box play option can spend up to a maximum ticket price of $80 per ticket.

A box 1 play includes 2 separate and individual selections of the Card. Wager amount is $10.
A box 2 play includes 4 separate and individual selections of the Card. Wager amount is $20.
A box 3 play includes 8 separate and individual selections of the Card. Wager amount is $40.
A box 4 play includes 16 separate and individual selections of the Card. Wager amount is $80.

TIP

Keep your play budget in mind when choosing your box play options.

A pencil fills out the $10 wager option on a selection slip

An OLG ticket scanner scans a POINT SPREAD ticket barcode

How do I know if I’ve won?

If you get the most picks right among all of the players wagering on this Card, you win or share a portion of the prize pool with any other winners. The cash pool will grow depending on the number of people who play, and the size of their wagers. To find out if you’re a winner, check your ticket in one of the following four ways:

1. Scan your ticket barcode using the ticket checker at a participating OLG retailer
2. Ask a participating retailer to scan your ticket barcode using the lottery terminal
3. View winning results by event at PRO•LINE.ca
4. Scan your ticket barcode using the OLG App

Check event results at PRO•LINE.ca

The cash pool will grow depending on the number of people who play, and the size of their wagers. That means that the more people who play, the bigger the prize pool. If you get the most picks right among all of the players wagering on this Card, you win or share a portion of the prize pool with the other winners.

Learn more about wagering rules for POOLS open in a new window

How to claim your prize

A dollar bill is exchanged between two sets of hands

You can claim your prize, up to a certain amount of money, at your local OLG retailer. Prizes over the amounts redeemable at individual retailers must be collected at the OLG Prize Centre.

Learn about claiming prizes at OLG.ca