Most Americans may not be familiar with Pro Line - a Canadian lottery that allows you to bet on sports at almost any local convenience store - but that’s a good thing. Pro Line sucks in every single way possible.

In this article, we’ll detail the perceived benefits of Pro Line, which are a complete misconception, and then we’ll detail why in fact Pro Line is a complete and utter rip-off.

Misconception #1: It’s Convenient

If you have friends that play Pro Line, you’ll frequently hear them say this: “I like Pro Line because it is convenient - it is right at the convenience store downstairs and I don’t have to go far to bet.”

On one hand, that’s true. But if you have a sportsbook, which allows you to bet anywhere that you can get Internet access, or at any hour of the day, from anywhere over the phone (even in Europe), then that means it’s more convenient to use the sportsbook. With Pro Line, you still have to go to the convenience store. With online betting, you can dial or click away from the comfort of your own pad in your silk underwear.

Misconception #2: You Get Paid Out Sooner

There was a time when the online sports betting world was behind the times and payouts used to take a week or so, but nowadays, sportsbooks have expedited the process. Thanks to Western Union, or Instadebit, or FedEx Checks, many sportsbooks offer payouts within three days. Some even offer same-day payouts. It doesn’t get any faster than that.

Misconception #3: Pro Line’s Minimum Bet Is Smaller Than Online Sportsbooks’

So you’re digging through your couch, you found a toonie and you want to go gamble. Of course, with Pro Line, two bucks is all you need to get your gamble on. There was a period of time where the minimum bet limit online was bigger than two dollars, but now that the technology has advanced and the online sportsbook software has been upgraded, in most places you can bet however much or however little you want. Even less than two dollars – sorry Pro Line.

Pro Line’s Blatant Disadvantage #1: Lower Odds

Pro Line pays you less for whatever you bet. No matter what you bet, you are going to get lower odds than if you placed the exact same bet online. Not only are their general odds purposely lower, they steal one share of the payout from you.

Betting Pro Line, say you place a $10 bet on something that pays out 10-to-1, when they pay you, they give you $100 total. So technically, you won only $90, which means you were actually paid out 9-to-1. Everyone knows that you never get ripped off like that online. When you bet online, you win your payout plus your original stake. So with the above example, you would win $100 plus get your $10 stake back on top of that.

Pro Line’s Blatant Disadvantage #2: Losing Your Ticket

When you bet online, you don’t have to carry around some stupid piece of paper with you. When you win the bet, you don’t have to walk down to the convenience store to get paid out. With online sportsbooks, everything is tracked and recorded online. You can see your record (wins and losses) and your account is updated for you automatically. You never have to walk around with a piece of paper or a ticket to prove that you placed the bet.

With Pro Line, if you lose your ticket or put it through the rinse cycle because you forgot to take it out of the back pocket of your jeans, you’re finished. Online, all of that stuff is taken care of for you and you never have to worry about it.

Pro Line’s Blatant Disadvantage #3: Gimmicky Rules

With online sportsbooks, you can bet how you want, when you want for how much you want. Pro Line is completely different. You can never bet $2.50 with Pro Line - they only like even numbers for some reason. Online, you can bet whatever number you choose.

Pro Line forces you to play a three-game parlay at a minimum (they make you tie three games together and if one loses, you lose your bet), whereas online you can bet as little as one game at a time to as many as a 25-game parlay.

Pro Line also forces their gimmicky rules on you like if you pick a team to win on Pro Line in football, they have to win by four or more points and if the game ends within three points, it ends as a tie. In hockey, if the game goes to a shootout, then you lose unless you predicted a tie. Rules like that are ridiculous when you consider how things are done with online sportsbooks, which is the fair way.

In hockey, if you bet a team to win and they win, so do you - regardless of whether it was regulation, overtime or shootout. Ties in any sport result as a tie in the sportsbook, meaning that you push and you get your money back on the bet. In football, if you bet a team to win outright, they don’t have to win by four, or seven or any arbitrary number. If they win outright, you win your bet.

Online sports betting is the way to go. It’s safer, easier, more fair, you have a better chance to win your bets and when you do, you get paid out more. Get with the times and ditch Pro Line.