Summary
Sport is a global language spoken by millions of people in Canada. When the whistle is blown and the ball is set in motion, hearts begin beating fast and fingers are crossed. Some love sports because it’s all about passion while others take it even further by accompanying their favourite teams through betting. For the newbiegetting a first-hand experience at online betting, this might be hard to do. But not to worry, we’re here to guide you on how to get into sports gambling in Canada.
Most Popular Sports to Bet On
There exist many different sports on which you can bet at top bookies in Canada. However, when you’re joining the punters league as a new member, it might be wise to go for sports with the most betting possibilities. On average, you will come across 20+ sports disciplines at online bookies in addition to a non-sports category where you can wager on Politics, TV shows, and Music. These various options will often be sorted out into two categories: popular sports and all sports. Under the first section, you can find several sports including:
- Football
- Basketball
- Hockey
- Volleyball
- Handball
- Esports
- MMA
By clicking on any of these, you’ll see sub-categories either sorted out by league or by country. Every event comes with its specific set of markets and corresponding odds for each. You can either choose to place a bet before the game starts in which case it is referred to as pregame betting. Alternatively, you can wait for the game to begin to place a live bet.
Common sports Betting Markets
There are numerous markets to be explored at betting sites in Canada. These will often be the same at most bookies but for the fact that the names may vary slightly, and the odds can be significantly different. The most common bet types you can place on sports online include the following.
Winner
This is the most common and straightforward bet available at Canadian sports betting sites. It is a prediction of the team that will win the encounter. Sometimes, this can be displayed as a money-line bet.
Outright winner
This is quite like the winner bet but for the fact that it covers the entire competition. An outright bet is a prediction choosing the team that will emerge victorious at the end of a tournament, league, or championship. One of the best moments to place an outright bet is at the early stage of a competition. The more the tournament is played, the more it becomes obvious which teams stand a chance of getting the first place and this often leads to reduced odds.
Over/under
This bet type is a forecast on the average overall number of goals to be recorded in a game. If you place an over 2 bet, this means the bet will be successful only if more than two goals are scored by either or both teams. This bet often has numerous odds and options and is based on the overall game period.
Both teams to score
As the name indicates, if you think the opposing teams will score at least one goal each, then you can wager on this market. This market may not be a good option for punters who do not have a good knowledge of thestats of each team.
Parlays
Unlike the bet types discussed below, a parlay is a multiple bet. Here, the bet can only pull through if all the individual components that make up the bet are successful. It is one of the most attractive bet options owing to its multiplied odds that can greatly increase anypotential winning.
Prop Bets
These bets generally do not have anything to do with major aspects of a game. A prob bet can simply be a bet predicting that there will be a referee change before the end of the game. It could also be a bet on the occurrence of a fight during a match. Prob bets mainly rely on probability and require little or no betting strategy.
Apart from the bets discussed, bookies can have many other bet types including Asian handicap, teasers, point spreads, player-to-score, and full-time/half-time. When a bet is placed before the start of a game, it is referred to as a pre-match bet. If the stake is placed when the game is ongoing, it counts as a live bet. Once you know what each market represents, what should interest you is how to interpret odds and take advantage of them.
How Do Odds Work
Sports odds simply refer to a measure of how much you stand to win based on how much you bet. At Canadian betting sites, you’ll find odds on every single available market. This will often be accompanied by an odds format feature through which you can choose how the odds should be displayed. Typically, there are three main odd formats: decimal, fractional, and American.In Canada, bookies mainly use the decimal format. It is sometimes referred to as the North American odds and is different from what is used in the US (+ and -).
Let’s say for example that the Bruins are opposing the Hurricanes in an NHL match and the bookie has win odds as Bruins (1.5) Vs Hurricanes (2.5). This essentially means that the Bruins are the favorite and the Hurricanes the underdog. Should you bet $10 on the Hurricanes, your potential winnings will be $10 x 2.5 = $25. On the other hand, if you bet $10 on the victory of the Bruins, you’ll rather get $10 x 1.5 = $15.
For the same game, you may find varying odds across various online bookmakers and that’s where comparison sites like casimoose.ca come into play. This affiliate sitegathers the top bookies on one platform and helps you rapidly compare available odds to make the most of each game. Apart from odds comparison, affiliates also review betting sites for safety, licensing, and rapid payout. You can visit casimoose.ca to see the trending top 10 sports betting platforms in Canada. These include:
- Betway: the site has over 30 sports including football, hockey, baseball, and MMA. By joining Betway, you can grab a new member deposit bonus of up to $200.
- 888 Sports: this bookie is home to generous bonuses and your first $10 bet can fetch you up to $30 in free bets.
- Betiton: here you are served with over 40 different sports to bet on and there’s a $10 free bet bonus awaiting new players that register at the site.
Note that wagering requirements apply to bonuses. Always check bonus T&Cs.