Do you ever wonder how to bet online in Canada? If you do, you are in the right place because, in this post, we will cover every aspect of sports betting. From identifying the best bookmakers to how to find the best odds, you will get a comprehensive idea of how to start sports betting.
As we like to call it, sports betting is more than sports and bets. It is an art form. And just like any other art, you need to understand and learn the process from a trusted source. We are your trusted source.
The best bookmaker to bet online in Canada
What is Sports Betting?
If you have not guessed already, sports betting is exactly how it sounds like. You place bets on different sports and their outcomes. However, when we get to the details, you will see that it is more than just the sports and their outcomes. It is a lifestyle.
In sports betting, bettors can visit any offline or online bookmaker. They work as the platform for you to place bets. The reason they exist is that you cannot make bets on your own, can you? Sportsbooks in Canada gather all the punters and allows them to participate in sports betting.
In our guide on how to bet online in Canada, we will go over the characteristics of the best bookmakers, the best odds, and things you should look for while selecting a sport or a bookmaker.
History of Sports Betting
Before you learn how to bet online in Canada, you must have the necessary background on the activity. It makes the experience more enjoyable for you as you would know the legacy behind the best sportsbooks in Canada.
Many say that sports betting goes back to ancient Greece. Greeks are known for their affection for sports. At the end of the day, they are the inventors of the Olympics! Greeks also loved one more thing. And that is placing bets on the sports.
Soon after, the culture was carried to Rome. In ancient Rome, sports like gladiator battles were infamous. When Romans got to know about sports betting, they started wagering on their favourite gladiators. After a little while, sports betting was even legalized!
In medieval times, sports betting was forced to go underground. Some prominent religious leaders forced laws prohibiting gambling. But that did not kill the thrill of betting. It was growing with time until it exploded again in the modern era.
If we go back a couple of hundred years, we can see that horse racing was tremendously popular in England. And the English did not want to let any opportunity of making money slide. Several bookmakers emerged and betting on horse racing became a part of English history.
Currently, sports betting is a major activity in Europe and it is catered to by the best bookmakers. With the advancement in internet technology, the culture of sports betting has shifted online as well. That gave birth to the best online bookmakers around the world.
In our post, we are going to cover online sports betting as our title says how to bet online in Canada. We might be taking Canada as our home ground, but what we are going to explore is going to resonate with all online bookmakers around the world.
Let us find out how to identify a good sports betting platform in Canada out of hundreds!
How to Find the Best Sportsbooks
It is not unlikely that you will find hundreds of online sportsbooks in Canada. But you need to distinguish the legit ones from the scams. And the good ones from the bad ones.
Licensing
This is the first sign of a legit bookmaker. Always remember that all gambling facilities require a license. Whether it is online or offline. It is particularly important for online bookmakers because the chances of a scam are higher.
The license information is usually listed below the webpage of a sportsbook. Multiple regulatory bodies keep track of the activity for bookmakers. The UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao Gaming, etc. are some of the most reputed ones. If you see a license from these regulators on your preferred sportsbook, you are good to go.
Also, many third-party organizations regulate sports betting websites for fairness. While an online bookmaker in Canada may have the necessary licenses, it might not be fair with the odds. TST Labs is a good example of such an authority.
The Website
Another major factor while learning how to bet online in Canada is to look at the website quality. A sportsbook may have all the features and licenses. But they do not mean anything unless you cannot find them when needed.
The overall website layout says a lot about how the sportsbook might serve you. When you visit the homepage, you should see clearly labelled tabs. All of the major sports around the world should be listed on the homepage as well to give you an overall idea of what is trending.
Then comes the loading times. Most modern websites are optimized pretty well so you will not have to wait for a minute before a page loads. But some mediocre sportsbooks might still have older website technology that takes away the fun. Look for websites that load blazingly fast!
Website security is also a very good measure of whether you should bet or not. If the website itself is not secure, you impose a huge risk of a data breach. As you must share some of your personal information with the bookmaker, website security is crucial. At least look for 128-bit SSL encryption to keep the hackers at bay.
Finally, the formation of the tabs and colours used by the bookmakers. The colours should not put your eyes under any stress. If it does, you cannot expect a pleasant punting session out of it. The colours should be soothing to the eyes and the texts should offer good contrast for easier readability.
Bonuses and Promotions
If you are a seasoned punter, you know how lucrative bonuses and promotions are. These are exclusive to online bookmakers. They use it as a means to attract more punters. There are different kinds of bonuses a sportsbook might offer you.
The first one is the welcome bonus. Almost all online bookmakers in Canada will offer you a welcome bonus. In most cases, it is going to be a 100% match bonus in free bets. For example, if you deposit C$20, you will get a C$20 bonus in free bets. Wager it the specified times and withdraw it to your account!
Besides the welcome bonus, many sports betting sites in Canada offer different promotions. Promotions are great for keeping the interest high among punters. Boosted odds, cash bonuses, weekly bonuses, etc. are some common forms of promotions found in Canada.
A VIP program is a also very lucrative promotion for you! Some bookmakers might label it as a loyalty program as well. In this promotion, you keep ranking higher as you wager more and more money. You can unlock exclusive perks by being a VIP!
And if it is loyalty points, you can redeem them for cash bonuses or free bets. The promotions vary from sportsbook to sportsbook. Find one where you like the bonuses.
Sports Markets
Would you place your money in a sportsbook where you can only find one sport? Or a few? We know you will not. That is why sports markets covered by an online bookmaker in Canada are very important.
Sports markets mean the array of sports you can bet on. Most reputed sportsbooks often have over 30 sports markets with thousands of events in a week or a month. Some of the most common sports you will find out there are football, American football, tennis, hockey, ice hockey, snooker, motorsports, cricket, and so on.
The more the markets, the more option you have as a punter. For example, if you really love ice hockey, you need to find a sportsbook that offers betting options on ice hockey. Also, the number of leagues and tournaments it covers adds value to the overall experience. You want as many leagues as possible to find your exact taste in sports betting.
While learning how to bet online in Canada, it is also crucial that you understand the markets. Markets in sports betting also indicate the betting opportunities on a sport.
If we take football as an example, the outcome of the match, the halftime result, the top goal scorer, the number of corners, etc. are all individual markets. The more markets you get, the better chance you have of winning something.
Sports Odds
For many new punters out there, sports betting odds are a mystery. They do not understand how odds work. Worry not because we have got you covered. And to learn how to bet online in Canada, you must understand the odds like a pro.
An online sportsbook is as good as the odds it offers. The sports markets are usually quite the same across all bookmakers. And odds can make the difference for you.
In simple terms, sports odds indicate the probability of an outcome. You do not have to come up with the odds. They are predetermined by the sportsbooks. The odds are calculated based on the performance of the team or the player. The odds can give you a good idea about what you are looking at if you know how to read odds.
The way it all works is that how competitive of an odd an online bookmaker in Canada can offer to you. The more competitive the odds, the better for you! Good odds bring in more punters and it increases the thrill of the experience.
So, always look for good odds. Whether it is American, decimal, or fractional odds, always go with the competitive ones.
Live Betting
Live betting is the ultimate benchmark to measure how good an online sportsbook is. Do not know what live betting is? Let us find out.
If you are learning how to bet online in Canada, you cannot skip live betting. Basically, there are two types of bets offered by a bookmaker. Pre-match bets and live bets.
Pre-match bets are your conventional bets that you find at all bookmakers. These have been around since the inception of sports betting. You place all of your bets before an event takes place and collect your winnings once the event is over.
Live betting takes things a notch higher. It allows you to bet on markets while the event is live! Hence, the name live betting. Live betting is great for experienced punters like you. You can keep a close eye on the match and make changes to your bet slip. If the match is going south for you, you can adjust things to minimize the losses.
The best sportsbooks in Canada offer live betting on almost all sports. The number of events is somewhat limited with live betting, but it is a very nail-biting experience. So, if you are into sports betting for the thrill of it, do not forget to sign up at bookmakers who offer live betting.
LIve Betting with new technologies
Payment Options
Another very crucial part of learning how to bet online in Canada. When you bet online, you cannot deal with your money directly. You need a medium to deposit and withdraw the money into the online bookmakers.
Good sportsbooks will always offer you a multitude of options to make deposits and withdrawals. The most common names like VISA, MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, etc. are a must for grabbing the attention of punters like you. These are widely accepted worldwide and offer spectacular security features for your money.
The best online bookmakers in Canada go over the top to offer local payment options as well. Square, Stripe, Moneris, Elavon, etc. are some good examples of local payment options in Canada. If you find them at a sportsbook, it surely cares a lot about you!
And we cannot ignore the craze of cryptocurrencies at the time of writing. With time, cryptocurrencies have become a mainstream form of transaction. You will be very happy to know that Canada is a pioneer in accepting cryptocurrencies for sports betting. Just look for the Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum logo on the bookmaker’s website.
Then comes the withdrawal. Withdrawal is a little more complicated than deposits because there is a verification process. No reputed bookmaker will let the money out without verifying your identity.
The challenge is how fast they can do it. The faster the verification is done, the faster you can expect your money in your accounts! Good sportsbooks take no more than 48 hours to process a withdrawal request.
Customer Service
We are about to finish our journey in finding the perfect online bookmaker for you in Canada. And the last aspect is customer service. It might not be something you would want to know in a how to bet online in Canada guide, but it is certainly something to keep in mind.
Customer service is your only point of contact with the bookmaker. And bookmakers try their best to offer the best in class service to the punters. Some succeed, some do not. Your choice should be obvious in this case. You should always go for a bookmaker that offers round-the-clock support.
The medium of contact also plays a vital role in finding the right bookmaker. The most common mediums are live chat, phone lines, and email support. You will find bookmakers that offer all of them! That is your best bet because you can get in touch with the support whenever you face an issue.
How to Bet Online FAQ
Just reading this guide might not help you master the art of sports betting. But it can definitely help you guide in the right direction. Now, let us answer some of the most common questions punters have regarding how to bet online in Canada.
Wrapping Up Online Betting in Canada
So, do you know how to bet online in Canada? If you are read the entire post, you definitely should. All there is left for you to do is practice and practice. Take our recommendations and visit the best online bookmakers in Canada to polish your punting skills.