Best Canadian Online Sports Betting Sites

Just because you call the "True North" home doesn't mean you're limited to wagering on only Canadian sporting betting events. Online sportsbook operators bring the entire sports world to you, offering odds on the all the most popular North American events and also some of the biggest global gambling sports like soccer and tennis. Here's just a glance at what you can wager on: NHL and International Hockey, NFL and College Football, NBA and College Basketball, Baseball, Boxing and MMA, Soccer, Tennis and Golf, Horse Racing & Auto Racing.

Not all sports bettors are created equal, which means some are happy with just gambling on pointspreads and totals and others need a long list of options to keep them happy. There's an online sportsbook out there for everybody, but it's up to you to know what you need as a Canadian bettor. Here are some things to consider while shopping for the best online sports betting sites:

• Sports and odds menu: Variety is the spice of life, so look for a book offering multiple betting options on numerous sports.
• Bonuses: Most online sportsbooks offer bonuses in some form or another, with deposit/reload bonuses, free plays, and money-back comps.
• Banking: You can't play if you don't pay, so take a close look at how easy it is to fund your account as well as withdraw winnings.
• Security and infrastructure: Not only do you want a book that keeps your information safe and secure but also one that isn't going to crash during the biggest sporting events.
• Reputation: Investing in a reliable sportsbook with a proven track record of customer satisfaction is almost as important as which team you're betting on.

Unlike the United States, where sports betting is strictly prohibited outside of states like Nevada and Delaware, Canada offers limited legal sports gambling through its provincial lotteries with parlay systems, requiring Canadian bettors to wager on at least two games at once - needing both to win in order to pay out -which drastically decreases the odds of winning while creating a massive win percentage (hold) for the lottery corporations.

There is a movement to allow single-game wagering in Canada, the same found in Las Vegas, starting with Bill C-290 which was passed unanimously in the House of Commons back in 2011 but hit opposition from the Senate after professional sports leagues, namely the NHL and MLB, voiced their disapproval. Rather than snuff out the bill immediately, which would have marked the first time ever a unanimously-passed bill failed to get senate approval, the senate simply ignored the bill and let it die a slow death over three years. However, there is still plenty of interest in single-game wagering and more gambling bills are expected to follow in the future.

When it comes to wagering online, this is a legal grey area in Canada. Laws prohibit taking money and wagers inside our borders, such as illegal bookies, but there is no equivalent to the U.S. Wire Act that specifically prohibits Canadians from betting with online sportsbook operating offshore or overseas. And because these sportsbooks operate outside of the legal derestriction, the government does not see it feasible or financially relevant to shut down or limit these books nor do they prosecute any Canadian citizens for gambling with them.

The majority of online sports betting sites will offer bonuses for new and current players. One of the most common is a deposit bonus, which is usually a free play amount based on a percentage of your deposit.Often times these bonuses come with stipulations, like rollover restrictions which require bettors to wager that free play a number of times before it is converted into actual money in their account. Other sites promote their bonuses without rollover rules but do limit the amount a player can receive in free play.

Some other variations of bonuses and promotions at online books include money-back specials, giving a bettor a certain percentage of their Gambling wagers back at the end of each week, or sport-specific promos centred around popular events like the Super Bows and March Madness. Referral bonuses are also offered by some online operators, rewarding current customers who helped enroll new ones.

In-play or live betting has been around for almost as long as the online betting industry, gaining popularity in European markets and slowly picking up steam in North American over the past decade. In-play wagering allows you to bet constantly-adjusting odds which reflect the action of the game, submerging bettors in their favorite sports like never before.

If you're watching the Hockey Night In Canada matchup and one team jumps out to a quick two-goal lead but you know the other side will fight their way back, you can wager on the in-play odds which would offer the losing side at a discounted price, providing added value beyond the standard pre-game odds. It absolutely pays to watch and wager with in-play betting online.

The rise of smart phones and tablets have been embraced by the Canadian sport betting community. Bettors can take their online book with them wherever they go and wager on their favorite sports with just a few swipes of their fingers. The simplicity and convenience of mobile sports gambling has overtaken the standard desktop method of betting online, offering quicker navigation of sports betting sites and a new level of discretion and security for gamblers.

The development of online language HTML5, which has been integral in the creation of mobile applications and webpages, has birthed new mobile betting software from providers such as PlayTech, BetTech, and BetSys. These advancements allow online betting operators to present their products on a number of mobile devices, automatically adjusting for format and screen size while utilizing touchscreen commands and features.

If you've narrowed down your online sportsbook of choice, there are some smart practices and tips to follow before you start sports betting:

• Get familiar with site layout: Know how to navigate between sports and their respective markets, like game odds, alternative spreads, and props and futures.
• Know their odds process: Most sportsbook use a 30 cent line when it comes to the vig (also known as juice - the price to make a bet), however, it's not always done that way. If you like to bet the opening odds, figure out when they post those overnight odds and for which sports.
• Take advantage: Canadian sports bettors have long been handcuffed by parlay wagering from the lotteries, so make sure to take advantage of the single-game offerings from online sportsbooks.
• Manage your money: It is suggested that you wager between 1 and 5 percent of your total bankroll on games, depending on how strongly you feel about a particular play. A bankroll of $1,000 should have you wagering between $10 and $50 per bet.
• Specials or bonuses: Some sports offer players bonuses, like reduced juice on certain days of the week, or free plays for big events like the Super Bowl. Find out how to take advantage of those specials.
• Have fun: Sports betting is supposed to be recreational. Don't play beyond your means and always set limits to how much you want to deposit, wager and lose at one time.

Unlike much offered by Canadian lottery corporations, sports betting sites have a massive menu of wagering options. That goes far beyond point spreads and totals. Here's a quick breakdown of the different bets you can place at online books:

• Pointspreads: Most commonly found in football and basketball, oddsmakers handicap the better team by giving their opponent the calculated amount of points the favorite should win by. Bettors then wager on which team will stay within that range, taking the favorite to win by more than the pointspread or the underdog to keep it closer than the spread predicts.
• Totals: Oddsmakers calculate the projected total number of points scored by both teams and offer wagering on whether there will be more (Over) or less (Under) points scored than that number.
• Moneyline: A calculated price on one team to win the game outright. The better of the two teams cost most to wager - a -130 favorite cost $130 to win $100 - while the weaker teams is priced lower - a +130 underdog cost $100 to win $130.
• Parlays: Bettors can tie multiple wagers together in order to increase their payout but must correctly pick each of those bets in order for the entire parlay to win.
• Teasers: Similar to parlays as a multi-game wager but bettors can manipulate the odds, which can increase or decrease the payout

Sports betting seems to have its own language and becoming familiar with the popular terms and lingo will help you better understand the online gambling markets. Here are some of the most common online betting terms and their meanings:

• ATS - Againts the Spread
• Over/Under - Betting on whether the final score will be higher or lower than the total
• Juice/Vig - The amount it costs/house commission to make a bet
• Bad beat - A tough loss on a bet, like a last-second score that ruins a wager
• Nickel - A betting term for a $500 wager
• Dime - A betting term for a $1000 wager
• Backdoor Cover - A late score that helps a team cover the pointspread
• Underdog - The team expected to win according to the odds
• Chalk - Refers to the vig/juice, given by the favorite, or the favorite itself
• Even money - A 1/1 wager without any vig/juice involved
• Hedge - A security bet that reduces liability from a previous wager
• Middle - Placing two bets on the same game but at different spreads in hopes of winning both
• Pick'em - A game that is so close there is no pointspread involved, simply picking the winner
• Wiseguys/Sharps - An educated, high-rolling professional bettor
• Public - The common community of recreational low-limit bettors