American football has long been one of the most bet on sports in Canada. With two major leagues available, the NFL and CFL, bettors have loads of options come football season, as they can find lots of NFL betting sites, as well as CFL betting sites. This guide attempts to provide a list of the best football betting sites Ontario has to offer for 2022 as well as tips and useful information.
✨ Best Football Betting Sites in Ontario for 2023
Our experts evaluated all major sports betting sites in Ontario to create our list of the best football betting sites in Ontario. The table below has our picks for the top 10:
- Fully licensed by the AGCO
- Mobile apps compatible with many devices
- A wide range of sports markets
- Provides live streaming and live betting options
- Great collection of Canadian sports
- A mobile web browser compatible with Android and iOS
- Extensive betting market options
- Exciting news and insights section
⭐Ontario Sportsbooks & Betting
The legal Ontario sports betting market is relatively new, launching on April 4th of 2022. Online sports betting went live with a number of the top sportsbooks from the US and around the globe, including bet365, FanDuel, PointsBet, BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings.
Since then, a number of popular online sports betting sites have joined the market, and many more are expected to make their way in the upcoming months. We will be updating this page regularly with new announcements of sportsbooks entering the mix to keep you posted.
All sportsbooks that enter the regulated Ontario sports betting market are licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Prior to the April 4th launch, legal sports betting in Ontario was only available via parlay bets from the Ontario Lottery Board. Single-game betting was only legalized after the passing of Bill C-218 by the Canadian Parliament in August of 2020.
🙋 How We Review the Best Football Betting Sites in Ontario?
In order for our experts to create our list for the best football betting sites in Ontario, they first had to create a set of criteria to evaluate each sportsbook. The criteria look to find the sports betting sites that provide the best betting experience to Ontario-based bettors.
- Licence and Reputation: We review each sportsbook’s reputation in the market and available sports betting licences for Ontario.
- Sports Betting Markets: We review the number and variety of sports betting markets available for football betting.
- Mobile Compatibility: We review the mobile compatibility of the sportsbook with particular reference to any mobile apps available.
- Live Bets & Streaming Capabilities: A review of the in-play options and number of live betting markets.
- Special Features: We review any special features a sportsbook may have, differentiating them from other sports betting sites in Ontario.
- Payment Options: We review the deposit and withdrawal options on offer at each sportsbook and comparison of processing times and payment fees.
- Customer Support: We review the customer service options available, including a look at response times, FAQ sections and working hours.
| Top Online Sports Betting Sites | Top Features |
|---|---|
| bet365 | Great Mobile App (iOS & Android) Live Betting/ Cash Out Button 24/7 Live Chat Service |
| BetMGM | Top Odds & Bet Types Easy Parlay Feature Online Casino Section & Poker Offered |
| BetRivers | Great Live Betting/Streaming Special House Bets Top Mobile App |
| 888Sport | Huge Collection of Sports Betting Markets 888 Special Football Bets Loads of Betting Tools |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Active Live Bets Section Round the Clock Support Great Online Casino Section |
| Bwin Sportsbook | Make Easy Parlays Top Football Betting Odds Live Betting/Streaming Available |
| NorthStar Bets | Live In-Play Betting Sports News and Insights 24/7 Customer Support |
⭐ Our Top 3 Football Betting Sites in Ontario
We cut the field down even further and present to you our picks for the top 3 football betting sites available in Ontario: bet365, BetMGM & BetRivers.
bet365
bet365 is a superstar in the online sports betting market and offers everything you could need from a sportsbook. The site has loads of football betting markets, a great mobile app and a host of top betting tools to enhance your betting experience (read the complete bet365 review).
What’s more, the live betting section at bet365 Canada is one of the best in the region, which provides a live streaming function as well. (Live streaming may depend on location and requires either a funded betting account or for players to have placed bets within the last 2 hours. T&Cs Apply)
Canadian bettors will also have the option of playing at the bet365 online casino, filled with over 300 top casino games.
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- Fully licensed by the AGCO
- Mobile apps compatible with many devices
- Excellent customer support
BetMGM
BetMGM comes from casino and entertainment legends, MGM Resorts. As you’d expect, the sportsbook is fully decked out with live betting/streaming, a world-class mobile app and 24/7 customer service (read the BetMGM review). In terms of football betting, the site provides some of the best odds in Canada for both CFL and NFL fixtures. Special cash out functions and same game parlays are also available for football bets.
As with other major sportsbooks in Canada, BetMGM also has a casino that runs alongside the sportsbook. Integrated accounts allow for your betting balance to also be used for casino gaming.
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BetRivers
Another major player in the Canadian online sports betting market, BetRivers holds its own with everyone in the region. The site offers a great UI and is available on mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices (read the BetRivers review). Live betting and streaming is available for most NFL games and a number of CFL matches. Special house odds are offered for prop bets from time to time on NFL and CFL, so be sure to keep an eye out.
BetRivers has a casino gaming section like the other two sportsbooks. Game types include slots, table games, video poker, jackpots, scratch cards and live casino games.
Valid in
Updated:
23/03/2023
- A wide range of sports markets
- Provides live streaming and live betting options
- Free downloadable app for iOS and Android
🙋 How to Start Betting on Football in Ontario?
To start betting on football online in Ontario bettors have to create a gambling account at a sportsbook of their choice first. This is generally a very quick process that should only take a couple of minutes of your time. For help getting started, read our step-by-step instructions below.
- Visit a sportsbook website that you would like to join and click on the ‘SIGN UP’ or button or equivalent on the homepage.
- A registration form should appear on your screen. Fill in the form with the necessary personal details and create a Username & Password combination to secure your gambling account.
- Hit the terms and conditions boxes and finish registering by clicking the JOIN button at the end.
- Provide valid government ID and a selfie in the form of photos and send them in to verify your identity.
- Login to your account to make your first deposit and start betting on football.
💡 Tips & Benefits of Betting on Football Online
Betting on football online has a great number of benefits over betting at your classic retail sportsbook. While some of the advantages may be obvious, others may not be apparent at first glance.
Accessibility
Arguably, the biggest advantage of betting on football online is the ability to bet from anywhere within Ontario. All you need is an internet connection and a betting account at one of the top sportsbooks, and you’re good to go. Retail sportsbooks, on the other hand require you to make bets in-person, which can be very inconvenient, especially if you’re on the go.
Mobile apps can further simplify the betting process by allowing bettors in Ontario to place bets from anywhere in the province. Location settings must be turned on when betting in Ontario to ensure bettors are within provincial boundaries.
Live Betting
Live betting gives online users the opportunity to wager on NFL and CFL games which are already underway. The odds for the games are created on the spot based on the state of play at the time. Odds can fluctuate greatly based on what happens in the football game. Retail sportsbooks can’t offer live betting as the odds fluctuate too fast. This greatly decreases the number of sports betting markets you would be able to bet on for each football game.
Live streaming is also available at most top online sports betting sites, giving bettors the chance to watch football games as they bet. Live scores and game cast are also generally available in the live betting section of most online sportsbooks.
Cashing Out
One of the top features available at major online sportsbooks is the Cash Out Button. The Cash Out Button allows bettors to buy out of wagers before the bet has come to a natural conclusion. The amount the bet is cashed out for is based on the live odds at the time of buying out.
Improved Odds
Whenever you place a football bet, your goal should be to get competitive betting odds. While a slightly higher odds may not make a difference for one bet, over time the difference can really add up.
Betting online is great for finding the best odds for a particular bet. It’s easy to navigate between sports betting sites to locate the sportsbook with the highest odds for your wager. What’s more, most top sportsbooks offer super competitive odds on football bets throughout the year.
✨ Top Football Leagues
Football has really become one of the go-to sports for wagering in Ontario. The sport however is dominated by two main leagues, the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Both leagues have been running for decades and pack in a massive number of Canadian fans each year. There are a few different rules between American and Canadian football which differentiate the two leagues from each other.
NFL
Formed all the way back in 1920, the NFL is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams. The teams are divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).
Each National Football League season begins with a three-week preseason in August. The regular season is made up of 18 weeks, running from early September to early January. Each team plays 17 games and has one bye week. At the end of the regular season seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs for a knockout tournament. The FInals to the season come in the form of the Super Bowl, played between the AFC and NFC conference champions. The Super Bowl is considered the biggest night in American sports.
CFL
The CFL is the highest level of competition for Canadian football. The league currently consists of nine teams, each of which is located in a city in Canada. The nine teams are divided into two divisions; four teams in the East Division and five teams in the West Division.
The regular season is 21 weeks for the CFL. Each team plays 18 games and has 3 bye weeks. The season runs from mid-June to early November, so there is a bit of an overlap with the NFL season. The post season consists of six teams competing in the league’s three-week playoffs. The season culminates with the Grey Cup championship game in late November, which is the pinnacle of Canadian football. Typically, the Grey Cup game is one of the biggest sports betting nights in Canada.
🏈 Type of Football Bets
Ontario-based sportsbooks offer bettors a wide range of football bet types to wager on. Bet types you will definitely come across at the best football betting sites Ontario:
- Money Lines – The simplest type of wager, money lines require that you pick the winner of a football game.
- Point Spreads – Spreads require you to bet on the margin of victory in a football game. The stronger team will be favoured by a certain number of points. A minus sign (-) means that team is the favourite. A plus sign (+) means that the team is the underdog.
- Totals or Over/Under – Bet on whether the total score from the football game will be over or under a number set by the sportsbook.
- Outrights/Futures – Outright bets allow you to bet on the overall winner of the NFL or CFL season as well as other bets which will only be completed in the distant future.
- Props – Propositional bets give you the opportunity to wager on occurrences that don’t directly affect outcomes of football games.
- Parlays – Bet on multiple occurrences with the same wager. Multi or parlay bets require all the occurrences to win in order for your overall wager to pay out.
🏈 Ontario Football Teams
While the NFL doesn’t have any Ontario-based football teams, the CFL does have 3 teams from the province in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ottawa Redblacks and Toronto Argonauts.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League and play their home games at Tim Hortons Field. The team has won 8 Grey Cups in their history and are considered one of the most successful CFL teams ever.
The 2021 season was a good one for the Tiger-Cats, making it all the way to the Grey Cup after finishing the regular season 8-6. The team will be looking to make a similar run this season. Legacy players from the TIger-Cats include big names such as Danny McManus,
Willie Bethea, Troy Davis and John Barrow.
Ottawa Redblacks
The Ottawa Redblacks are a relatively new team to the East Division, starting play in 2014. They are the third CFL team to play in the city of Ottawa. The team plays its home games at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa.
With a short history, the Redblacks have only been able to take down the Grey Cup once in 2016. The win ended a 40-year Grey Cup championship drought for the city of Ottawa. The 2021 season was a rather disappointing one for the team as they ended the regular season 3-11, failing to make the playoffs. The team will be looking to make amends this season after making many changes during the offseason.
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts were founded all the way back 1873, making them the oldest existing professional sports team in North America. The current team play their home games at BMO Field, the fifth stadium site to host the team.
The Argonauts are one of the most successful teams in CFL history, having won the Grey Cup a record 17 times and have appeared in the final 23 times. Their most recent win came against the Calgary Stampeders in the 105th Grey Cup in 2017.
The 2011 Argos season was a good one as they made the playoffs with a 9-5 regular season record. Unfortunately, the team’s run was cut short by the Tiger-Cats in the East Final. The Argos will be looking to do better this season and make it past their division rivals.
❓ Best Football Betting Sites Ontario FAQ
If you’re in need of quick answers to questions about the best football betting sites Ontario, read below.
The best football betting sites Ontario for 2022 based on on expert picks are:
- bet365
- BetMGM
- BetRivers
- 888Sport
- Caesars Sportsbook
Yes, single-game and parlay sports betting are both legal in Ontario. To provide legal and regulated sports betting in Ontario, a sportsbook must have a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
For you to bet on football in the province you must be over the age 19 and geolocated in Ontario. You will need to also sign up for a gambling account and send in verification for your identity.
Yes, you will be able to bet on football via mobile app at most of the best sports betting sites in Ontario. Mobile apps are generally free to download and are available on both iOS and Android devices. Location settings will be required to be switched on to access a sportsbook to ensure users are within provincial boundaries.
A variety of football bets can be found at online sportsbooks in the province. Some of the most popular types of bets you can look forward to include:
- Money Lines
- Point Spreads
- Handicaps
- Totals
- Outrights
- Futures
- Props
- Parlays
Online sportsbooks offer a number of safe and convenient deposit options to users from Ontario. Common deposit methods include credit/debit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers, prepaid cards and wire transfers. In general, deposits are free of charge on the side of the sportsbook and instant. A fee could however be charged by your payment provider.
A number of top sportsbooks provide an online casino gaming section alongside the sports betting section. Usually players can access both the casino and sportsbook from the same gambling account.
