The Most Popular Sports in Canadian Betting

Hockey

This may not come as much of a surprise, but Canadians love betting on hockey. There are seven different National Hockey League (NHL) teams from Canada including:

There are also 25 hockey teams based in the United States, with all 32 being available for Canadians to bet on. Many prefer to bet on their hometown team.

They do this for fandom purposes, and it’s also easier to catch a local game on a region’s TSN or Sportsnet broadcast.

After all, what’s the fun in betting if you can’t watch the action unfold? Unfortunately, some areas are too remote to pick up any local broadcasts.

Luckily, out-of-market NHL sports packages are available as either a monthly or annual subscription. For example, ‘NHL Center Ice’ provides up to 40 out-of-market games per week.

Canadians like to bet on other hockey leagues from around the world as well. Examples of popular leagues include:

Additionally, Canadians love betting on the World Juniors Under-20 Championship over Christmas break. The tournament often starts on Boxing Day and runs through to the New Year.

Most of the NHL’s biggest stars had their coming out parties during this tournament, which is why a lot of eyes are always on it. Especially the oft-successful Team Canada of which expectations are usually sky high.

Junior hockey betting is still limited for Canadians, with the selection being somewhat scarce for leagues in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) including the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Canadians love betting on the nation’s most popular sport, and the selection should only continue to grow in order to match the demand.

Football

Canadians actually like betting on football more than people give them credit for.

Most assume Canadians primarily follow the Canadian Football League (CFL). While it’s certainly very popular, Canadians love betting on the National Football League (NFL) just as much.

Many Canadians have a favourite NFL team, with popular options including teams from border states such as the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions.

There are a fair amount of NFL games on local sports networks including TSN and Sportsnet. Those hoping to watch the infamous NFL RedZone channel can do so north of the border with a subscription to TSN+.

The NFL RedZone channel shows multiple games simultaneously every Sunday during the season from 1 p.m. until about 7:45 p.m. (EST).

This has a lot of appeal to Canadian sports bettors who have a parlay bet involving multiple games – for example. The most important parts of every game are shown, including replays, which makes it easy to monitor bets.

Out-of-market providers like DAZN also have monthly and annual subscriptions for those looking to get a different viewing experience while wagering.

Canadians also love betting on the CFL, especially their hometown teams. The CFL currently has nine different teams including:

The CFL Grey Cup Championship, usually held in late November, marks the end of the CFL season. The NFL lasts until early February, so it’s easy for Canadians to pivot between leagues based on who’s playing.

Other Popular Favourites

There are several other sports that Canadians enjoy betting on including:

Esports has also risen in popularity over the last couple of years. Interest especially soared during the pandemic when all of the traditional sports were indefinitely shut down.