Best NFL Betting Sites in Canada (2024)

Canadian NFL Betting Guide

If you’re a fan of football and love the thrill of online sports betting, you’ve come to the right place.  

We’ve created a complete guide to betting on the NFL from Canada. Our guide is designed to help you navigate the online NFL betting scene.  

Find out what’s important to look for in a Canadian NFL betting site and discover tips and strategies for betting online. We’ve also listed some of the best NFL betting sites for Canadians so you can start betting today!

How We Choose the Best NFL Betting Sites 

Online NFL betting is a huge market with plenty of possibilities.

Before we suggest a betting site we take a look at the following factors. This ensures we are recommending only the best NFL betting sites. 

When NFL betting online, we suggest that you look into these aspects as well.

High Odds

Each NFL betting website will have unique betting odds. Compare these odds to find the website that will give you the best return on your money. 

Keep in mind that odds can be shown in different formats including: 

• American 
• Fractional/UK 
• Decimal

On Canadian NFL betting sites, you will see decimal odds. If you come across another format and are unsure of how to read it you can always use an online odds converter. This will allow you to easily switch between formats.

Safe Platforms 

When NFL betting online, you want to make sure your personal and financial information is safe and secure. 

Safe NFL betting sites will highlight the following:

• Secure payment methods 
• Protection of user information 
• Prevention of illegal activity 

Consider reading online user reviews to get an idea of other peoples’ experiences with the site.

NFL Betting Markets Available

Be mindful of what markets each website offers and be sure that their diversity satisfies your needs as a bettor.  

Some of the best NFL betting sites will offer a wide range of betting options, including all the major betting markets and types. Look for the following options: 

• Parlays 
• Futures 
• Teasers 
• Moneyline 
• Spread  
• Over/under

Licensed Websites 

To avoid fraudulent or illegal NFL betting sites, we determine whether the site is licensed and regulated by a reliable and trustworthy organization.  

Entities that regulate online betting sites, such as gambling commissions and gaming authorities, ensure the following:

• The prevention of criminal activity
• Players’ rights 
• Responsible and legal gaming

In Canada, you can choose from domestically licenced online betting sites to licenced offshore (not located in Canada) sportsbooks. For more information, check out our Canadian gambling laws guide.

Live Betting 

Live betting, also known as “in-game betting”, lets you bet on a football game as it happens. This can be a more exciting way to wager, as the odds fluctuate based on live events and plays.

With live betting, wagers are made after the game has begun. Bets can be made: 

• Between quarters 
• After each play 
• After each drive

NFL Betting Apps 

Apps are one of the most convenient ways to bet on NFL games, especially if you like to bet on the go. In fact, mobile sportsbooks can offer a major advantage when betting live. Therefore, they are often preferred.

When choosing an app, consider: 

• Does it have a user-friendly interface? 
• Is it compatible with your mobile phone? 
• Does it have good reviews?  

Avoid apps that have poor reviews or are known for annoying glitches.

Bonuses and Promotions

Almost all betting sites will entice users with bonuses and promotions.

When registering for an online NFL betting site, it’s common to receive free bets or free credit.

To choose the best site for you, look for bonuses and promotions that you find most appealing. Be sure to read any terms and conditions that may go along with these.

The Best Canadian NFL Betting Sites

Most importantly, make sure that the NFL betting sites you choose cater to Canadian bettors and have great reviews

Some of the best, and most popular, Canadian NFL betting sites include:

1. Sport Interaction 
2. Spin Sports 
3. Bet365 
4. Pinnacle 
5. Betway 
6. CoolBet 
7. William Hill 
8. 888 Sport 
9. Mr. Play 
10. 22Bet

NFL Betting Explained

NFL betting may seem complex. With various betting markets and types, there are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to making a wager. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that you understand exactly what you’re betting on. 

Luckily, with NFL betting explained, these markets and betting types are quite simple.

NFL Betting Markets  

NFL betting markets include:

• NFL Parlays - a bet that combines multiple bets into a single wager. In a parlay, all of your selections must win for you to win your bet. This is an all or nothing option.
• NFL Teasers - very similar to parlays, teasers combine a series of wagers. All must be won in order to receive a payout. However, with teasers, you can shift lines by several points in a given direction to reduce risk. 
   
• NFL Futures - this is a single wager placed on a future NFL event. A future bet is often expected to run longer than a traditional sports bet. Some may even run for several months. Examples of future bets include:
• AFC Champion 
• NFC Champion 
• NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 
• Regular Season MVP 
• Super Bowl Champion 

NFL Betting Types 

Here are some of the most common NFL betting lines explained: 

• Moneyline - simply place a wager on the team you think will win. Similar to other sports betting, wagering on the underdog in online NFL betting will result in a higher payout than betting on the favourite - bigger risk, bigger reward.
• Spread - place your bet on the winning team and predict the margin by which they win or lose. You’ll need to correctly predict the number of points a team wins or loses by to win your bet.  
   
• Over/Under - with this type of bet, a sportsbook will provide a baseline number for a given game. Most commonly, this number predicts the combined score of the two teams at the end of the game. Place your bet on whether you think the actual combined score will be higher or lower than that given by the sportsbook.

NFL Betting Advice 

Although Canada doesn’t have its own NFL team, NFL betting brings in more money than any other sport at the top Canadian sportsbooks.  

NFL betting is vast and ranges from preseason games to the legendary Super Bowl. Once you’ve landed on the best NFL betting website, remember that there are strategies you can follow to increase your odds.

Here is some NFL betting advice to keep in mind:

• Avoid high vigorish (the percentage deducted from a gambler's winnings by the betting site). To find a site with the best return, use implied probability calculators to convert the odds into no-vig odds. This will give you a better idea of what your return will be if your wager is successful. 
   
• Statistics - become familiar with team and player stats to make more educated wagers.  
   
• Weather - a football game is often open to the elements. Knowing what the weather is going to be like for a given game will help you factor in its impact on the game’s outcome.  
   
• Player injuries - having a key player on the bench with an injury can largely impact a team’s cohesion and success. Become aware of players who are resting or injured before placing wagers on NFL games.

How the NFL Works

Not familiar with football or how the NFL works? Here’s a breakdown of the NFL to help you gain insight and make more strategic betting decisions. 

NFL Teams

There are 32 teams in the NFL from across the United States. The teams are separated into two conferences. 

1. The American Football Conference (AFC) 
2. The National Football Conference (NFC) 

These conferences were created in 1970 when the American Football League merged with the National Football League.  

Each conference includes 16 teams. The conferences are further divided into four divisions each.  

There are eight divisions in total, each consisting of 4 teams. These divisions include: 

American Football Conference 

• AFC East 
• AFC West 
• AFC North 
• AFC South 

National Football Conference 

• NFC East 
• NFC West 
• NFC North 
• NFC South 

NFL Games 

Wondering how a football game is played? Here’s an overview of what a game looks like. 

• An NFL roster can have up to 53 players per team. However, only 11 players are on the field at a time during a game. Three groups, each with specialized positions and unique skill sets, can be identified on each team.
• Offense 
• Defense 
• Special teams
• NFL games include four 15-minute quarters along with an extended halftime break. The goal is to earn the most points by the end of the game. In the case of a tie after the final quarter, the game will continue to an overtime quarter. An overtime quarter is sudden death, meaning the first team to score will win.  
   
• During gameplay, possession of the ball goes back and forth between teams. The offensive team, or the team that has possession of the ball, has four downs before they must return possession to their opponent. During these downs, or plays, the offensive team must:
• score or  
• advance the ball 10 yards 

If they do not score or advance 10 yards during their four downs, possession is given to the opposing team. Possession is given at the location where the tackle occurred.

If the offensive team gains 10 yards, the downs start over. That is, the count starts over, and again the team has four chances to score or move ahead by 10 yards.

• There are several ways to earn points (score) in football.
• Touchdown - 6 points
• A ball is carried into or caught in the opponent's end zone.
• Extra point - 1 point
• A ball is kicked through an opponent’s goal post uprights after a touchdown.
• 2-point conversion - 2 points
• Instead of kicking a one-point conversion, or extra point, teams can choose to try for a 2-point conversion. This involves a ball being carried into or caught in the opponent’s end zone immediately after a touchdown.
• Field goal - 3 points
• A ball is kicked through the opponent’s goalpost. This does not occur following a touchdown but, rather, before the offensive team’s final down. Most commonly, a team will attempt a field goal on their last down or at the end of a half, if there is only enough time left for one more play.
• Safety - 2 points
• The offense commits a foul in their own end zone. 
• A team’s momentum sends the ball behind its own goal line. For the points to be awarded, the ball must be either out of bounds behind the goal line or dead in the end zone. 

NFL Preseason 

Each NFL season begins with four preseason exhibition games. These games are extremely important, as they give fans and bettors insight on injuries, trades and player ratings.

NFL Regular Season 

The NFL has a 17-week season that runs from September to January.  

Within these 17 weeks, there are 16 regular season games. Here’s how regular season games are set: 

• 6 games against divisional opponents. This includes 2 games per team - one at home, one on the road. 
• 4 games against teams from a different division but within the same conference - two games at home, two on the road. 
• 4 games against teams from a division in the other conference - two games at home, two on the road. 
• 2 games against teams from the two remaining divisions in the same conference - one game at home, one on the road.  

Matchups in each situation are based on division rankings from the previous season.  

NFL Playoffs 

In 2020, the NFL decided to change the league’s playoff format. 

Currently, 14 teams advance from the regular season to the playoffs - 7 teams from each conference. In the past, only 12 teams advanced. 

At the end of the regular season, the teams in each conference are seeded. That is, based on their regular season record, they are given a ranking. The team with the best record is given the first seed, the second-place team given the second seed, and so on.  

The top team in each conference receives a bye in the first round of the playoffs. This means that they do not need to compete and automatically qualify for the Divisional Round. All other teams must play in the first round, known as Wildcard Weekend. 

• Wildcard Weekend  

Wildcard Weekend consists of six games - three games in each conference. In these games, teams from the same conference play one another. The matchups are as follows: 

• No. 2 seed vs No. 7 seed  
• No. 3 seed vs No. 6 seed 
• No. 4 seed vs No. 5 seed 

The three game-winners from Wildcard Weekend, along with the No. 1 team in each conference move on to the Divisional Round.  

• Divisional Round  

Matchups in this round include: 

• No. 1 team in the conference (which received a bye in the Wildcard Round) vs the last place team from Wildcard Weekend 
• The other two Wildcard winners vs each other  

From this Divisional Round, four teams advance to the Conference Championships - two teams in each conference. 

• Conference Championship 

The top two teams in each conference play one another in the Conference Championship. This round determines the top team in each conference.  

The winner of the Conference Championship advances to the Super Bowl.  

• Super Bowl 

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world. Here, the champion from the American Football Conference faces off against the champion from the National Football Conference.

The winner of this single game earns the title of Super Bowl Champion.