Sports Betting in Canada 2024 - Best Online Sites

What is up! NeighborMike here, you favorite sports handicapper, free-lance writer, and overall decent person! Today were going to go up north and look into Canadian gambling. How does Americas northern neighbor get down when it comes to online gambling? Is it different, is it better, is it maybe worse? Lets get going and dive into this article and figure all that out.

Sports Betting in Canada

Much like America, Canadian has had many obstacles and hurdles to jump over and get around when it comes to legal online gambling. The first thing that had to happen was gambling had to become legal in general, up until 1970 gambling was outlawed all across Canada and was seen as something punishable by law. At some point the Canadian Government realized that its people enjoyed gambling and they decided that they would let each providence make its own laws regarding gambling.

Along the way many amendments would need to be made to many laws to allow online gambling to be what it is now. For example sports betting in general actually became league to Canadians in 1995, however they could not make single-wager bets. Yes, that’s not a typo or any kind of misinformation, sports betting was technically legal in Canada in 1995, however you could only bet on parlays. Strange, yes, True, also yes. It would take all the way until August 21st of 2021 for Canadians to be able to make single bet wagers.

There still needs to be a few things ironed out, as the law states each province can govern gambling how they see fit, and still some do not allow online gambling. There are also some kinks that need to be worked out regarding Daily Fantasy Sports, but that’s another article for another time. 

Popular Sports Betting Sites in Canada

So now that gambling is finally legal in Canada, what are some of the best sites to use if your an American traveling up nothing looking for some action, or a Canadian looking to jump in to the game now that things are finally legal. 

Bet365

When speaking personally with a number of Canadians the top answer I get 99% of the time when asking which online sports book they like the most is generally always Bet365, more often then not when asking in online forums or group chats, Canadian members will recommend Bet365 as well. Lets go over Bet365 and see what makes it one of the industry leaders in Canadian and European online gambling. 

Safety And Loyalty 

When it comes to something basic like feeling safe when depositing your money, and knowing that your information won’t get stolen, I think Bet365 has a built in reputation as in industry leader due to this large presence in the industry and so far clean track record. Most people take comfort in rolling with a big name product for reasons similar to this. 

Loyalty Programs, Bonus’ And Rewards

Bet365 does have a loyalty program, however its directed related to the casino, and its more geared towards players who play poker within the online casino. Through regular play of the sports book you can however earn coins which can be used in their store. You can acquire bonus’ the same way, through the store with coins. 

Deposit Options 

Currently Bet365 accepts Visa Credit and Debit cards, you will notice this by because of the popular logo you see all the time. They allow deposits directly through the bank using the Trustly online banking function. They also use PayPal and PayNearMe which functions sort of like Western Union or Money Gram, where you bring money to a location and receive a code for it. 

Available Apps 

Bet365 has its own dedicated smartphone app that is available for both Android and IOS. In terms of functionality the Bet365 app is easily one of the best in the industry. It offers live streaming for a great number of events and covers pretty much every market you could ask for in terms of gambling. 

Customer Service

Again, we really can’t say enough about the overall quality of Bet365. The customer service is very good as well. They get jammed up as most books do around major sports events like the Super Bowl, but overall their response time is very good and they do what they can to help the user get their issues straight. 

SportsInteraction

If you’re reading this in America you’ve probably never heard of this site. Although its very popular in Canada it doesn’t get the same mainstream publicity as a site such as DraftKings or Fandual, or even when it comes to localized Canadian books such as Bet365. SportsInterection gets by on word of mouth due to their generally great quality of sportsbook.

Safety And Loyalty 

As mentioned above, this might not be one of the more popular sites if you live outside of Canada, but within Canada, it is very big and offers that “big corporation” feel when it comes to having your mind at ease knowing a big box company has the resources to keep you and all your information safe once you turn it over to them.

Loyalty Programs, Bonus’ And Rewards

You will find a number of bonus’ when using this book. They have a primary bonus’ for each major sport that is related to goals, points, and touchdowns scored.  You also have your typical sign-up and refer a friend bonus’ that goes along with it. They do not currently have a loyal program, but you can collect points through play and redeem them. 

Deposit Options

The Visa and Mastercard logos indicate that you can fund with both of these options. You can also use Interest and EcoPayz

Available Apps

SportsInterection went quite some time without an app, they do have one now though. Available on both IOS and Android.

Customer Service

There appears to be a large number of customer service representatives available. They’re around 24/7 and their response time is better than most books within the industry. 

Bet99

Continuing with the same theme, I’m covering another not so popular book directly outside of Canada. Within Canada though, Bet99 has some massive fan fairs. Out of all the sites and apps I will mention this is probably the smoothest functioning one, it seems like Bet99 goes out of its way to make things as easy as possible for you. And for some people, that’s all it takes to become a fan of a sports book. They have big-name partnerships with UFC legend George “Rush” St Pierre, the MLS’ CF Montreal, and the CFL’s Montreal Allouettes 

Safety And Loyalty 

Again, this is another site with a big box feel to it. Very popular in Canada, you will see advertisements for Bet99 all over the place. Especially in soccer stadiums. It adds to the comfort of knowing you're dealing with a major company that is competent enough to keep you and your information safe. 

Loyalty Programs, Bonus’ And Rewards

Bet99 does not currently have a customer loyalty program, they do have the typical sign up and referral bonus’ most books have. 

Deposit Options

They might have the widest array of deposit methods. Visa and Mastercard logos are apparent, they allow both credit and debit cards from them. They allow multiple types of crypto deposits, wire transfers, idebit, instadebit, flexepin, and more!

Available Apps

There is an app available for both IOS and Android, some people actually prefer to use the website though.

Customer Service 

Customer service is great, I imagine that’s one part of the business you can’t have lacking when you have a guy like George St Pierre walking around the office making sure things are on the up and up so his good name doesn’t get tarnished. 

BetVictor

BetVictor is known around Canada for probably having the sharpest odds of any of the books around. It also has a very sharp looking website. If touched on how smooth some of the other books are, but the overall ascetics of BetVictor are second to none. 

Safety And Loyalty

One of the most popular sites around, again offering that big name feel when you deal with them. They deal with about every major company when it comes to depositing and withdrawing money and have a great reputation for safety and helping their members come out on top the best they can. 

Loyalty Programs, Bonus’ And Rewards

They do have an available loyalty plan. You work your way up a 10 step ladder each week while being rewarded with free bets and spins on a prize wheel along the way. 

Deposit Options

Visa, Mastercard, Meastro, Netteller are your choice of weapons here to make a deposit. 

Available Apps

BetVictor does have an app available for you on both IOS and Android, within the app you can also access their casino as well.

Customer Service

BetVictor has one of the most extensive customer service departments you will see. You can contact them via live chat 24/7, you can e-mail them, can call them, you can also contact them on Twitter. They even have a dedicated SMS number. 

888Sport

Last but certainly not least we have 888sport. 888 might be the most complete book when it comes to putting service, quality, and all around experience together.

Safety And Loyalty

888sport is one of the most trusted sports book around and has been for quite some time. They’ve existed as a poker and casino website since 1997, and in 2008 launched as a dedicated sports book. They are also regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. 

Loyalty Programs And Rewards

The program here is pretty simple. They have one of the better sign-up bonus’ that you can get from a site, the reward program itself is very easy to navigate. All you have  to do is stay active, and you will get free bets and various other things. The more active you are the perks you can expect to receive

Deposit Options

Accepted is all 3 major credit and debit cards, Discover, Mastercard and Visa. You can also use your Drivers Club card if you happen to have one. 

Available Apps

888sport claims to have the best online app and that’s not too far off from the truth. Its available for both IOS and Android. The Android version does slack too far behind the IOS version in terms of quality.

Customer Service 

Truth told they didn’t have the greatest customer service around, but things have absolutely changed for the better. The only downside now is they don’t have a live chat available, but every other option they do have (which is everything else) runs as smooth as possible. 

The History Of Sports Betting In Canada

Way back in the day when Canada was under British rule all forms of gambling were prohibited. It would take the Canadian government gaining independence from Britain in 1867 to move in a direction that would enable them to be able to gamble in the future. In the 1900s the door would swing open slightly when games like Bingo became available. In 1910 people would find the ability to be on horses again become a thing. 

The biggest chance to getting Canada to where it is now in terms of gambling legalization game in 1970 when the Canadian government decided that it would allow each province to decide for itself weather or not it would allow gambling to be legal within its boarders. Another advancement would come in 1985, where sports betting would become legal, strangely single bets would not be accepted at this point. Sports betting would only occur through parlay tickets. 

The First Canadian gaming regulator would be the Mohawk Territory Kahnawake Gaming Commision, which would be established in 1996. It would also be the first online gambling authority in the world. And would lay the foundation for the gaming polices we have today.

Current State Of Sports Betting in Canada

Now a days as long as the province allows it gambling of any complicity is allowed all throughout Canada. Gambling is legal all throughout Canada currently today, the only difference is online gambling is not legal in the North, Nunavut, and Yukon territories. In those locations gambling is legal only at brick and mortar stores. Some places have an app but you most be on property to use it. 

Popular Sports to Bet on in Canada

I think it goes without saying that hockey is the most popular Canadian sport bet on and that’s by a wide margin. Next to that Is actually baseball, baseball is supposed to be americas past time, but it doesn’t stop Canadians from loving it any less. Followed by those two is football. No matter who you are or where you live most people love football. 

Although at one time Canadians could strangely online make parlays, those days are long gone. Canadians can make the same types of bets as anyone else in the world who has access to a sports book. 

Tips For Successful Sports Betting

The best bit of advice I can honestly give to anyone who is just learning how to bet is to focus on 1 thing. Find some kind of niche and research that one thing and get good at it. Sports betting is incredibly hard, breaking even is hard enough, being profitable is even harder. 

Especially for a new sports better it can be a daunting task to try to figure out how to handicap the spread, money line, and total of every game across 4 major sports, and that’s not getting into college sports, soccer and other things.

I personally became profitable when I focused on betting on only 1 thing. It made the research I did much easier to do on a daily basis. I also cut down the number of sports I was betting on. With multiple sports having very lengthy season there is no reason to think you need to play multiple sports a night. Again the idea is to keep things as simple as humanly possible.

Also, a huge thing is to research what you’re betting before you bet it. One of the main things that remind me of this is when the World Cup comes around 4 years, I also see people betting a total and then asking all across social media how their bet lost when the final score was over the total they bet. What they didn’t understand is that goals don’t count in extra time and the total they were betting on only counts for goals in regulation time. Never bet on something if you don’t completely understand what it is you’re betting on. 

How to Sign up For a Canadian Sportsbook

For as much as our Canadian partners to the north might be different from us, signing up for a sportsbook is very much the same. 

All you do is click sign up like you would any other sportsbook, they will require you to send in documentation to verify who you are and that you are a legal citizen of the area you plan on gambling in. Once those documents are verified you should be good to go betting on any of the sites listed above or any other sportsbook you might find to your liking.

Canada Vs US Sports Betting

Both country’s governments made the decision to let gambling legalization be made on a state by state and province by province basis. The main difference here is there are multiple states across America that are still not legal for any kind if sports gambling, meanwhile in Canada it is legal everywhere, the only difference is that the northern providences do not allow online gambling. 

Probably the biggest difference for sure is that Canada does not tax gambling winnings, while America does. You’re also allowed to gamble with offshore books in Canada, you can’t do that in America either. 

The future of sports betting in Canada 

Canada is no different than in any other place in the world. I don’t have to do any research or look any further than out of the window of my house to know that sports gambling is a forever evolving thing that will continue to grow and grow until it can’t possibly grow any more. The revenue generated by gambling is something that any location desires because it’s so massive, for example in the state I live in the first quarter of legal gambling generated more tax revenue than a year of retail sales, and this was post pandemic. It’s on out sports stadiums, on our superstars jerseys and on out TVs, sports betting is here to stay and it will only grow giving any chance it has to do so.

Conclusion 

Sports betting is becoming a major industry in Canada just like it is anywhere else. Their superstars are doing commercials with books the ads are all over the stadiums and the commercials are all over the TV’s. People love to be entertained and sports betting is extremely entertaining, the powers that be also love money and sports betting generates a lot of money. Seems like a match made in heaven for everyone involved.

Canada Sports Betting FAQ

Can I bet on sports in Canada?

Yes, as of August 21st 2021

What is the best sports betting app in Canada. 

Most Canadians prefer Bet365

When did sports betting become legal in Canada?

Full-on betting became legal in 2021. Previously gambling was legal but only on parlays. 

Is Bet365 legal in Canada.

Yes in the southern providences where online gambling is legal. 

Can you place sports bets online in Canada

Yes, except in the North, Yukon, And Nunavut Providences.