Legal Sports Betting In Canada

Sports Betting Laws In Canada

Lawmakers in Canada passed bill C-218 which officially regulated single wager betting in Canada on a province by province basis similar to the US market. This bill is also known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, and was passed in the Senate of Canada in 2021. This allows individual provinces to regulate their own sports betting markets, mirroring the USA. This will bring single-game wagering to Canada including betting on the spread, moneyline, prop betting, and live in-game betting. Both mobile and retail sportsbooks are allowed to operate should the province regulate it.

The legality of sports betting in Canada has seen drastic shifts in legislation throughout its history. In 1892, Canada banned all forms of gambling in its Criminal Code but a major shift took place nearly 100 years later. In 1985, provinces and territories were given the right to oversee activities such as slots, charitable gaming, and lotteries. Canadian law currently prohibits single-game sports betting, so bettors are largely limited to parlay bets. This has driven a large segment of the Canadian market to online sportsbooks.

Best Super Bowl Betting Sites In Canada

When it comes to betting on the Super Bowl in Canada, you can’t go wrong with the best betting sites. These sports betting sites offer betting lines throughout the season, making them the ideal places to wager on futures bets. Outside of the many wager options, which makes online sports betting such a major attraction to Canadian bettors is the ability to bet on the go. This is what makes top sports betting sites like MyBookie so appealing. These sites can be accessed via your mobile device’s web browser, allowing for anytime anywhere on the go Super Bowl betting. With the Super Bowl being one of the biggest sports betting events of the year, it makes sense that sports bettors will want the option to wager wherever they are.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Canada?

Yes, but it is on a province-by-province basis. Canada law allows each province to regulate their own markets and set the rules themselves. There is no guarantee that each market that regulates sports betting will opt to regulate online betting as well. Luckily, however, online sports betting is always available thanks to licensed sportsbooks. These operations are headquartered outside of Canada and are unaffected by Canadian legislation. Therefore, they can legally offer betting lines online to all Canada sports betting fans. Top sportsbooks like Bovada, BetOnline, and MyBookie offer betting lines countrywide, allowing all betting fans to get in on the action.

Canada Sports Betting Markets

The most popular sport to bet on in Canada is hockey. Hockey is Canada’s national winter sport, and the NHL has several franchises in Canada to help spur the excitement of betting on hockey. A second sport that sees frequent wagers being placed by Canadians is basketball, more specifically the NBA. With the Toronto Raptors bringing Canada their first NBA championship, the popularity of the NBA is at an all-time high in the country leading to surge in bets on basketball. Football is also a big sport to bet on in Canada. The NFL is the league that garners the most wagers but it’s not uncommon to see many Canadians betting on their favorite Canadian Football League teams as well.

Canada’s Sports Betting Revenue

Since the Canadian government has allowed the provinces to decide what they do with their revenue, it’s tough to gauge where the revenue goes. However, in the province of Alberta, it is estimated that around 4% of their budget comes from gambling revenue, which is more than any other province in Canada. With sports betting being such a huge stream of revenue for countries, Canada has seen that there is an estimated $10 billion bet on sports in Canada every year. Unfortunately, for the country, most of that money goes into the pockets of offshore operators.

With single-game betting still illegal in Canada, it’s hard for Canadians to support the Canadian sportsbooks. The country has already started losing money to the US and offshore online sports betting sites due to this missing link. With Canada slowly starting to shift its stance on sports betting it’s only a matter of time before they start creating new cash flows for their country. When this happens, the tax benefits of legal sports betting in Canada will help fund various government programs and infrastructure repairs.

Can I Bet With A US Sportsbook From Canada?

No, as US law dictates, US-based sportsbooks can only operate in the state they are regulated in. The Wire Act is a federal law that prevents the transfer of funds across state lines or country lines that are wagered on sports. You have to physically be in the state in order to bet on sports at the sportsbook. Canadian sports bettors aren’t completely out, however, as international betting sites offer some of the best betting options available. These sites offer betting lines as good if not better than those available at regulated US-based sportsbooks. There are many options for Canadian bettors even though they can not wager using US sportsbooks in Canada.