Race Your Way Into Sports Betting

The important catalyst between your bet and your winnings is the odds, and understanding them is fundamental to how much you will win from a particular bet. It’s a small amount of maths, but nothing you’ll have to go back to school for. There are a multitude of ways that odds work and are calculated, and it depends on preference and location.

Here in Canada, the Decimal Odds system is used. Decimal odds (or European Odds) are by far the simplest system of odds to grasp. The figures in the odds are relative to how much pays out following a win. For example:

1. You place a bet Team Red, who have an even (a 1/1 chance) of winning.
2. Decimal Odds simplifies it to 2.00 (the even chance of 1 added to the original stake of 1).
3. If you made a $100 bet on Team Red to win over Team Blue, it would yield $200 if they won.

A more complex – though equally important – part of odds to understand is the act of points spreading. This occurs when the bookmaker in charge of the betting artificially changes the odds to make the underdog team seem more attractive to bet on. As an example:

1. Team Red is the overall favourite to win, at -4.5, and Team Blue is the underdog, at +4.5.
2. You place a $100 wager on Team Blue.
3. For your bet to payout, Team Blue would have to score within 5 points of Team Red.

With the internet being fit to burst with online gambling sites, it might be hard to find where to start on sports betting. It helps to have a few things in mind to look for when starting your betting odyssey, and we have a few helpful things to keep your eyes peeled for:

Competitive Odds

Look out for sites that will offer you more of a payout on the bet you were planning. Each of our recommended sports books provides competitive odds on a range of sports.

Free Bets

It’s always worrying committing real money to something when you don’t know whether or not it’ll be worth it. Fortunately, the best betting sites will offer you a few free bets on sporting events – you’ll be about to try before you buy, and stick around if they’ve impressed you with their service.

Variety of Sports

You might be fixed in place on the same sport that works for you, or you might want to spread your wings and experience as many sports as possible. To keep your options open, make sure you find a site that offers a wide variety of sporting events for you to try out.

Regularly Updated Stats

You don’t want to waste your time on a site that’s had the same odds since 2013 – times change, and odds and payouts change too. Ensure you’re not investing your time and money into a stagnant site by going with those that update regularly.

Compatible Apps

In a new age of smartphones, you might be surprised to find out that not everything is compatible with your device. Make sure you check in the betting app’s requirements that it can comfortably fit into your phone or tablet.

Canadian Dollars Accepted

As we're Canadian gamblers playing in Canada, it makes sense to want to be able to play in Canadian dollars. Always check that you can deposit in your native currency before signing up to an online casino.

Most importantly, it’s not just about the aforementioned criteria that should help you choose a betting site. There are always exceptions, and a lot of it lies in finding a site that truly clicks with your interests. Try out as many betting sites as you can – preferably with free bet promotions, so you can do it without committing much money alongside your time. Your perfect sports betting site is out there somewhere, and the trick is in finding where it’s hiding.

We want to make sure your sports gambling online is done at the very best destinations for Canadian-based sports fans. That’s why we tasked our highly trained staff with finding the best sites that offer great promotions, a broad selection of markets, and gambling in Canadian dollars.

It’s very important to us that you play at secure destinations that offer reliable banking services and have excellent customer service provision. The sports betting sites we’ve chosen all have great mobile functionality and can be accessed 24-7 on whatever device you prefer.

So take the plunge and get ready to gamble on your favourite teams at the best betting sites!