Sports betting laws in Canada: 2022 brings the change
As if living in Canada wasn’t good enough as it was (free health care, good hockey players and maple syrup, etc), it has just gotten even better. Until 2022, Canadian gamblers who enjoyed sports betting had to divert their enthusiasm for this activity towards foreign websites. Since 2022 brought a legal change in the sports betting universe, gamblers can now place bets on the outcome of their favorite games on local websites. We’re here to tell you the best Canadian online sportsbook you can use.
Best Canadian Online Sportsbooks for 2022
Sports Interaction
They call themselves ‘Canada’s Sportsbook and Casino’, so that’s a good start right there. They state to be the first online sportsbook and casino dedicated to Canadians and offer thousands of sports betting opportunities as well as casino games. Their current welcome offer is they will match in free bets your first deposit up to $500, and any friends referred to the site by you gets you paid 20% of their first deposit, up to $200.
Sports Interaction is run by Mohawk Online, which describes itself as “a socio-economic initiative wholly owned by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. We are dedicated to providing vital economic support, employment opportunities, and vocational skills development and training for First Nations.” They also claim to be one of the “most highly regulated online gaming operations in the world. Sports Interaction is licensed and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and the Jersey Gambling Commission and is supervised by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls.”
bet365
With over 63 million users worldwide, the site is now legal in Canada, provincially regulated in Ontario. Licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, the site offers sports betting as well as casino games like poker and bingo. And in terms of sports, everything you want to bet on you’ll find on their site.
For their welcome bonus, they match your first deposit up to $200 as long as you put in at least $10. They also offer parlay bonuses for North American sports, dishing out up to a 70% bonus for a 14-leg parlay (starting with a 5% bonus for a two-leg parlay). They also offer live betting, early cash outs, as well as live streaming of games on their site.
888 Sport
They call themselves the best Canadian sports betting platform, but we’ll let you be the judge of that. Their Canadian operations are run by VDSL (International) Limited. The various betting options they offer on their site are “bet builder, match combos, most popular bets, full-time bets, half-time bets, 3-way handicap, Asian lines, corners, cards, player stations, player goals, and much more”. Plus, they offer betting on your mobile phone via their app, which is quite handy.
As for promos, their welcome bonus is a 100% bonus on your first deposit, with a $10 minimum and a $250 maximum. Since you’re Canadian, you probably want to bet on hockey (a stereotype, but probably true nonetheless), and 888 Sport has a great bonus for hockey bets. Bet a three-leg+ hockey multiple and 888 Sport gives you a $5 free bet, every day. Speaking of $5, you get that daily any time you win a wager at 5.00 odds or greater. They also offer esports bonuses, boosted trebles, and much more.
Coolbet
Coolbet’s main advertising point is transparency. How’s this for transparency, taken directly from their site:
“With the exception of a few highly skilled players (and a few who are lucky enough to win a jackpot), around 85% of all players will lose money on their bets over time. It is possible that some gaming companies try to give you a different impression through their marketing, but in fact, the bank always has the numbers on its side and overtime ends up winning, also referred to as the law of big numbers. It is precisely for this reason that it is important to look at betting for what it actually is, a form of entertainment where the provider needs to make a profit in order to operate.
A nice form of entertainment is going to the cinema, which normally costs around 10 euros. In the same way, adding some extra excitement to your evening by betting on your local derby is also a form of entertainment that requires you to spend some money. Our goal is to be best on responsible gaming and to build a software that takes responsible gaming seriously.”
They also show you incoming bets anonymously as they come in, so you know what fellow punters are putting their money down on. Plus, they have a Coolbet League, which is a free-to-play betting simulator that you can win actually money from. And instead of a bunch of bonuses, they instead offer reduced margins of 2-3% across the board. They, however, do also have a welcome bonus: a 100% match up to $200.
Conclusion
As you can see, sports betting is alive and well in the Great White North of Canada. With plenty of online sportsbooks operating legally in the country now (not just the ones listed above), there are a plethora of options for betters to shop for the best lines and/or the best promos. Let it ride!
