Looking to get into sports betting? Well, you’re spoiled for choice. Popular sports in Canada include football, hockey, basketball, baseball, and soccer, and you can get started right away.
Read on to learn more about why these are the best sports to bet on, and why they are so popular with Canadian sports fans and bettors.
Football is huge in Canada. It’s estimated that one in three Canadians watch the National Football League (NFL) every season, even though unlike the NHL, NBA, and MLB, no Canadian teams take part in it. The Super Bowl is also one of the most anticipated events of the sporting calendar, getting plenty of attention from sports fans and bettors.
Popular NFL teams in Canada include the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks, and Canadian football fans often cross the border to watch their games in person.
As a result, sportsbooks offer hundreds of markets for every NFL game throughout the season. Popular football betting lines include the point spread, total or over/under, and moneyline. Prop bets and futures add further game-by-game and season-long excitement.
Unlike basketball and hockey, where teams play over 80 games each per season, football games are far less frequent, meaning it’s easier to keep track of things such as the latest stats and team news, and therefore pick better bets.
The same can be said for the Canadian Football League (CFL), drawing heavy betting traffic during the 18-game season, including the Grey Cup. In 2021, the Grey Cup drew double the amount of bets as it had in the past, as the CFL continues to grow with the betting legislation in Canada.
More than anything, football betting is straightforward to get into, provided you have a basic understanding of the sport. The options available mean that you can make your bets as simple or detailed as you like, and it’s easy to add another level of excitement when following the action. BET.CA has everything you need to learn more about football betting and see the latest football and NFL odds.
Hockey is widely reported to be the most watched sport in Canada, largely because there are seven Canadian teams that take part in the National Hockey League (NHL): the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets. This means there's plenty of interest in the NHL among Canadian fans and bettors alike, as well as plenty of opportunities to bet on Canadian teams.
The NHL schedule also means there are games virtually every day during the season, so there is no shortage of options to bet on. Canada’s best sportsbooks offer markets for every single NHL game , including moneyline, point spread, total or over/under, and prop bets. You can also bet on every division and conference, every game during the Stanley Cup playoffs and Finals, and special events such as the NHL All-Star Game and outdoor games such as the Winter Classic, which usually ranks as the most-watched NHL regular-season game on any network.
As a physically demanding and exciting sport, hockey is also one of the best for live or in-game betting. The action during a game can change the odds at any moment, meaning there are opportunities to take advantage and get good value for your bets. If you want to learn more, you can read about hockey betting and see the latest hockey and NHL odds.
Basketball has always been one of the most popular sports in Canada, which is helped by the fact the Toronto Raptors have competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 1995.
As a fast-paced sport featuring high-scoring games on an almost daily basis, there are plenty of interesting markets to look out for with basketball betting, and it is one of the most exciting sports to bet on live and in-play.
Sportsbooks offer hundreds of betting lines for every game of the NBA season, from the first game of preseason to the final game of the NBA Finals, as well as events such as the NBA All-Star Weekend. The Slam Dunk Contest also drives heavy betting traffic and is one of the pillars of the NBA season. Popular basketball betting markets include the point spread and total or over/under, as well as NBA Finals, conference, and division futures. Outside of the NBA, don’t miss huge events such as NCAA’s March Madness and its famous betting bracket.
You can easily learn more about basketball betting and check the latest basketball and NBA odds with BET.CA.
As home to the oldest baseball park in the world (Labatt Park, which opened in 1877 in London, Ontario), there is naturally big interest in baseball in Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays have competed in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1977, and won the World Series in both 1992 and 1993.
Top Canadian sportsbooks offer markets for every game of the MLB season, from spring training to the World Series. Baseball is particularly enjoyed by bettors who like using stats to inform their predictions, as there is a large emphasis on historical data and advanced analytics for players and teams. The most popular baseball betting markets include the moneyline, point spread or run line, and prop bets.
Baseball can seem like an overwhelming sport to bet on as there are 30 teams in the MLB, with rosters of up to 26 players, and a regular season with 2,430 games alone. But in our view that only make things more exciting, and the structure of the MLB means that it is easy to focus your bets on a certain league or division. BET.CA has everything you need to learn more about baseball betting, as well as the latest baseball and MLB odds.
Soccer’s popularity in Canada during the last couple of decades has grown massively, and while it may not be on the same level as the ‘Big Four’ sports, it still gets plenty of attention from bettors. There are lots of soccer leagues and competitions that are widely bet on, most notably the English Premier League (EPL), Major League Soccer (MLS), Champions League, and World Cup.
Perhaps the main appeal of soccer betting is that you are not confined to one major league. Sportsbooks offer odds for every match in each of the major European leagues and MLS, as well as several international cups and competitions. Therefore, not only can you choose what odds you want to bet on, but also which tournaments you want to follow.
Common soccer betting markets include the moneyline, total or over/under, and point spread (sometimes referred to as the handicap in soccer betting). As ties are possible in soccer, moneyline markets also include a third option for a match to finish as a tie, creating more opportunities to get value from the odds.
You can learn more about soccer betting with BET.CA, and see the latest soccer odds for all the major leagues and competitions.
All betting guides on BET.CA are written by in-our house team, who have over 40 years’ experience in the sports betting and gaming industries, and have worked and written for several of the world’s leading sportsbooks. They possess in-depth knowledge of betting markets and strategies, as well as an understanding of what is important to bettors, meaning you can read on with the confidence that they will help improve your betting.