Football Betting Canada

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Is online football betting legal in Canada?  

The short answer is: Yes.  But the situation is fairly complex.  The answer is ‘Yes’ because no one has ever been prosecuted or disallowed from using reputable offshore sports betting sites like those below. It is understandable that some people could be confused by the issue of the legality of sports and football wagering in Canada.  Without knowing the laws, some people wonder why sportsbook companies advertise on television but always finish by saying “this is not a gambling site” and that the site they are advertising is only for fun or for checking scores and odds.  Understand this, companies like those you see listed below are not allowed to advertise their real money sports betting, casino or poker game services.  This is why you will always hear the “dot-net” version of their website being advertised.  This “dot-net” website will be a completely free and educational site.  Since no money is at stake on the “dot-net” free and educational sites, the companies are allowed by law to advertise them.  The sports betting companies involved are hoping you will recognise their brand and just navigate over to the regular site that involves real money play.  

While this must certainly seem like a strange law for these companies to abide by since the free brand and real-money brands are identical, at least you now understand why you only ever see “dot-net” sites advertised.  Don’t let it confuse you, online sports and football betting is legal in Canada, and you can play at legal Canadian betting sites.

The second thing that can confuse people about the legality of betting online is our proximity to the US where gambling online has been made much more difficult and illegal for some. In that country the US Federal government made it difficult to move player money to the sports betting services as credit card companies are no longer allowed to process such transactions.   Rest assured there are no such laws or restrictions in Canada.  In actuality, Canada is home to one of the most popular and important gaming and sports betting regulation jurisdictions, called the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which is a Mohawk Territory located just outside of Montreal.  Kahnawake regulates both Bodog and Sports Interaction which I list below as two of the top betting sites in Canada.

Quickly Compare the Top Legal Football Betting Sites for Canadians

Fully Legal Ontario Football Betting will launch in 2022

While betting in Canada has always essentially been legal for consumers, it has occurred in the ‘gray market’ at betting sites that are legally operated from offshore jurisdictions.  This happened in Canada because up until recently, single event sports betting in Canada has not been legal from an operator perspective.  This changed when the federal government passed bill C-218 to finally decriminalize single event sports betting within the country, in June of 2021.  

While most provinces simply adjusted their local lottery corporation sports gaming offering to allow single event sports betting, Ontario is different.  Ontario is opening its own market to licensed sports betting operators.  This means that come 2022, Ontario football fans will have upwards of 40 options at which you might play. Care to learn which online bookmakers are looking to serve Canada’s most populous province?  Read about the most probable legal Ontario sports betting sites.  


About My Football Betting Listings:

Why is my list so brief?  I only list the sportsbooks that I consider to be the best for Canadians.  I researched nearly 30 companies. If I ranked them all, would you sign up with sportsbook number 22?  Not a chance!

Thus, I keep things simple.  If a company doesn’t measure up against my Canadian perspective, they don’t get listed.

Why could a sportsbook fail to get listed?  A record of withholding bettor funds or placing limits on the accounts of winning players, not offering Canadian Dollar betting or not offering mobile wagering solutions.

Each listed company has satisfied my review criteria, but there are differences in their service offerings, so read the reviews and choose based on your own preferences and requirements, not some fake rating scheme.

If you like to compare football odds and lines to get the highest possible payout, it probably makes sense to register with more than one site so that you can maximise your winnings.  

Top Football Betting Sites Canada

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Bodog is one of the oldest brands in Canadian sports betting, founded in 1994. They’ve paid out over $50 billion to players, having never missed a payment.  They only accept Canadian players so you know they cater Canadian preferences.  Read the full review here.

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