Best NFL Betting Sites in Canada for 2024

As most Canadians know, the NFL is extremely popular with our neighbours to the south. However, the NFL also has plenty of fans on the Northern side of the border. Billions of dollars are bet on the NFL and the Super Bowl is one of the most watched TV events every year. It only makes sense that Canadians want to get in on the action and start betting on the NFL.

If you’re a Canadian Football League (CFL) fan, the NFL is a great way to keep busy during the CFL offseason. If you’re an experienced bettor, betting on the NFL is a great opportunity to make some money with a new sport. Even if you’re just a regular person, there is a lot to be gained from NFL betting.

We’re here to explain the current status of betting on the top football league across the glove and everything else you need to know about NFL betting in Canada, including where to bet, how to bet, and tips for understanding the different types of NFL online betting.

What makes the best NFL betting site really depends on who you ask because everyone will value different things. While that’s true, there are some things every good NFL betting site should have.

Here are some of the factors we consider when rating NFL sportsbooks:

• Reputation and safety: For us, the most important thing a sportsbook can be is trustworthy. We take into account sportsbooks’ reputation and safety measures when giving you our rankings.
  
  
• Promotions and special offers for NFL betting: Every betting site offers promotions for new and existing bettors, but the quality of these bonuses vary greatly. The best NFL betting site will have promotions all throughout the NFL season that reward you for betting with them. These bonuses will also be sizeable in their value, adding a significant amount to your betting power.
  
  
• Markets, bet types, and odds: There are so many different ways to bet on the NFL. Some NFL sportsbooks are more limited than others. Additionally, NFL betting odds will be better at some sites than others.
  
  The best NFL sportsbooks allow users to pick from a huge variety of betting markets including player props, team props, and more. In addition, the odds should be competitive against the industry standard so that users aren’t losing valuable money to the vigorish.
  
  
• Mobile app: One of the major benefits of sports betting in the modern day is how convenient it is to place bets. Good NFL betting sites should have a sleek and easy-to-use app that you can use from anywhere.
  
  These mobile apps make it so that you can place a bet from your friend’s house or the sports bar. A good mobile app doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of capabilities when compared to the desktop website.
  
  
• Banking options and processing speeds: Another important factor to consider is how you can deposit and withdraw your funds with the betting site. Some people prefer to use cryptocurrency, and others prefer to use traditional methods, like credit cards or bank transfers.
  
  The best NFL betting sites have a wide variety of options for both deposits and withdrawals and they will also process withdrawals relatively quickly so that you can get your hands on your winnings without too much of a delay. 

Now that we’ve told you how we rate betting sites, here are our top NFL betting sites in Canada.

Let's take an in-depth look at the best NFL betting sites Canada has to offer.

NFL betting is completely legal in Canada. Following the passage of bill C-218 in 2021, Canadian provinces are able to regulate their own sports betting markets. This has left it up to the provinces themselves who have had to make a decision on how they want to regulate sports betting.

Every province has legalized sports betting in some form and NFL betting is no exception. Canadians can bet on the NFL in every province, but it’s worth noting that not every NFL betting site is legal in every province. Only Ontario has allowed for a fully open legal betting market where private sportsbooks are allowed to offer single-game wagers. Some sportsbooks are therefore limited to select provinces, like how BetMGM is currently only available in Ontario.

Now that you know our picks for the best NFL betting sites in Canada, it’s time to learn how to create an account. The process for signing up for an account will be similar at every betting site.

Below we’ve used Sports Interactions sign up process as an example for you to follow. However, you can pick the sportsbook that you feel fits you best and go through the same process. 

• Go to Sports Interactions website
  
  
  
  
• Click open account and fill in your information
  
  
  
  
• Click sign up at the bottom of the screen
  
  
  
  
• Place your first NFL bet

Recommendations

As we’ve shown above, the process for signing up for an NFL betting site is very easy. That’s why there are some things you should do before opening an account

• Do your research: The fact you’re reading this article already means you are doing more than most people. Take a look at what others have to say about the sportsbook you’re about to make an account with before you actually sign up. This guide will help give you the knowledge that you need to find a sportsbook that fits your needs.
  
  
• Look for promotions and sign-up bonuses: Most NFL betting sites have special promotions for new bettors. Some are better than others. Keep reading below for more on the types of bonuses usually available and the bonuses offered by Canadian betting sites.

If you visit any NFL betting site, one of the first things you’re sure to notice is all the advertisements for promotions and offers of sign-up bonuses. These promotions can be very attractive to new bettors, so we decided to take a look at some of the most common types of NFL betting promotions.

• No-deposit bonuses: These bonuses are given to you by the sportsbook for simply creating an account. They can take the form of free bets or casino credits.  These are some of the most attractive bonuses due to the low investment required from the user, however they also are usually more difficult to find and aren’t the most lucrative.
  
  
• Matching deposit bonuses: NFL betting sites want to entice you to make your first deposit, so many will match your first deposit (up to a certain amount) and give you free bets equal to your first deposit. This is a great way to get some extra bang for your buck on your first deposit.
  
  
• Risk free bets: These promotions give you the chance to ensure you don’t lose any money on your first bet. The way they work is that the NFL betting site will give you a free bet equal to your first bet if your first bet is a losing one.  This means that you can guarantee that your first bet doesn’t leave you with nothing.
  
  
• Boosted Odds: Unlike the other promotions, boosted odds promotions are usually geared towards existing bettors. These promotions will offer better odds for specific games or for bettors willing to bet on a specific parlay. These are good promotions as they reward ongoing sports bettors and not just new users.

The NFL is made up of 32 teams playing all throughout the U.S. The 32 teams are broken into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Both conferences contain four divisions of four teams. These divisions represent teams from the East, West, North, and South of each conference.

Teams play 17 games over the course of an 18-week regular season, which is then followed by a 14-team playoff to determine the Super Bowl Champion. Over the course of an NFL season, from opening day to the Super Bowl, there are 285 games to wager on.

In the regular season, teams play their three divisional rivals twice, six games against other teams in their conference, and five games against teams from the other conference. 

Because teams play teams in their division so many times, these matchups have turned into strong rivalries that attract a lot of interest in NFL betting circles. An example of one of these rivalries is the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Both teams play in the NFC North and have faced off over 200 times in the past 100 years.

Once the regular season is over, teams are seeded by their regular season records. The division winners of each conference automatically make it to the playoffs. The three next best teams in each conference are given wild card spots.

The top team from each conference gets a bye and skips the first playoff round, which is called the wild card round. Once the wild card round is complete, teams play in the divisional round. Winners from the divisional round then face off in the conference championships to determine who will represent their conference in the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is a game between the two conference champions.

The world of NFL online betting is an incredibly complex one. There are thousands of possible NFL bets that you could place. Before you do that, let us explain to you some of the more common NFL betting terms and types of bets.

• Points Spread: Points spread bets are probably the most popular form of NFL betting. When you bet on the points spread, you are betting on the margin of victory. For example, if the spread in the Buffalo Bills game has the Bills as -6.5 point favourites, the Bills must win by 7 points or more for you to win your bet on the Bills. The point spread is used in the sports betting world to facilitate betting between two teams when one is much better than the other.
  
  
• Moneyline: Moneyline bets are simply bets on the winner of the game. If you bet the Seahawks moneyline, the Seahawks just have to win for you to win your bet. There are no other stipulations other than the team you bet on must win.
  
  
• Totals: Totals bets, often called over/under bets, are bets on the amount of points scored in a game. NFL betting sites will set a “line” around where they think the combined score will be. You then wager whether you think the combined score will be over or under that number.
  
  For example, if the line in the Patriots vs. Bills game is 42.5 points and you bet the over, the combined score of the game must be more than 43 points for you to win.
  
  Additionally, many sportsbooks also have single team over/unders, meaning you can bet on how many points you think one team will score in a game.

• Futures: Futures bets are bets on some future outcome greater than just one game. Examples of popular futures NFL bets are bets on who will win the Super Bowl or who will be MVP at the end of the season. These are made weeks or months in advance of the event hapenings.
  
  
• Prop Bets: Prop bets are bets on pretty much anything not related to the outcome of a game. The NFL is king when it comes to prop bets.
  
  Some examples of a normal prop NFL bet are bets on who will score the first touchdown in a game or whether a player like Patrick Mahomes will have over 350 passing yards in a certain game.
  
  They can get far crazier than that though, especially for big games. For example, in the Super Bowl, bettors often bet on what colour they think the Gatorade will be that’s dumped on the winning coach at the end of the game.

NFL betting sites will have a variety of features, and some will offer more than others. In our opinion, here are the best NFL betting site features a sportsbook can have.

• Live betting: The ability to place live NFL bets is a must in 2023. Any NFL betting site not offering at least some live betting options are severely lacking behind their competitors and should probably be avoided. Live betting is quickly gaining in popularity as sports bettors get in on the action.
  
  
• Mobile compatibility: Like with live betting, any good NFL betting site in 2023 should be able to be used easily on your cell phone. This could take the form of a dedicated betting app or simply an optimized website that works well on mobile devices. Not being optimized for mobile is not an option in today’s world.
  
  
• Promotions for existing customers: Many NFL sportsbooks offer sweet deals to entice new bettors, but not everyone continues to provide promotions to existing bettors. Good NFL betting sites keep you engaged throughout the season by offering weekly NFL betting bonuses or boosted odds for big games that keep you coming back. Rewarding existing users for their loyalty is a must.
  
  
• Cash out options: At most sportsbooks, once you place a bet, your bet is final, and you can’t do anything until the game you’re betting on has finished. Some betting sites are more flexible and allow users to cash out of bets early. This is a great way for bettors to minimize their losses or to walk away while they are ahead on risky bets like multi-legged parlays.
  
  
• Bet builders: As we discussed above, a wide range of betting markets are a strong factor when ranking NFL betting sites. Some sites go even further than offering a lot of possible bets. Some sites have bet builder tools that allow users to create their own bets if they don’t see something they like on offer.

Before you get into NFL betting, there are some things you need to know. The first and most important thing to is always make an informed bet and never bet more than you are willing to lose.

Besides that essential bit of advice, here are some of the basics that are important to know for developing your own personal NFL betting strategy.

Singles vs Parlays

Singles bets are NFL bets on just one outcome (e.g., you bet on the Seahawks to beat the 49ers). Parlays are multiple single bets grouped together as one bet. To win a parlay, you need every single bet in your parlay to win. For example, if you bet on the Seahawks to beat the 49ers and the Patriots to beat the Dolphins, both the Patriots and Seahawks need to win for you to win your bet.

Parlays are an attractive option for bettors looking for big payouts because of the risk involved. Some NFL betting sites will help you limit the risk by allowing you to cash out early from your parlay. The latter is a good strategy for parlay bettors who want a chance to win something even if their entire parlay may not hit.

Many new sports bettors are enticed by the large pay outs offered by parlay bets. However, any experienced sports bettors will tell you that they are often not worth the risk.

Another important thing to pay attention to while developing your NFL betting strategy are NFL betting trends. Over the past few years, the NFL betting market has exploded in North America.

A smart bettor should pay attention to these trends and decide for themselves whether they think it’s worth jumping on the trend or bucking it in favour of the alternative.

A great example of a recent NFL betting trend was in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds of the 2023 playoffs. Five of the six Wild Card games went for the over. Just one week later, all four Divisional Round games went for the under for the first time since 1990. This is a good example of sportsbooks adjusting to NFL betting trends and raising the over/under line.

NFL Betting Rules

Specific NFL betting rules will depend on the betting sites terms and conditions. Because of this, we can’t possibly discuss every possible rule a site may have. Instead, here are some rules that are pretty uniform across most sites.

• Age requirements – Depending on your province, you must be at least 18 or 19 years old to place bets. In Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, you must be 18 years old. In British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan, you must be 19.
  
  
• Identity verification for withdrawals – For the vast majority of NFL betting sites in Canada, you’ll have to verify your identity with the sportsbook before you can withdraw your winnings. You can do this by submitting a legal document with your name and address on it.
  
  
• Sportsbooks can refuse any wager or limit your wager amounts – If the odds look too good to be true, there’s a chance they might be. By agreeing to the terms and conditions of a sportsbook, you’re agreeing to let them refuse any wager or limit the amount you can bet. For the vast majority of people, this won’t be an issue, but some sportsbooks will limit gamblers who are on phenomenal hot streaks.

While there are no NFL teams in Canada, the league enjoys broad popularity in The Great White North. The Dallas Cowboys are commonly known as “America’s Team” because of their widespread popularity in the U.S.

In Canada, the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots reign supreme.

• Buffalo Bills

The Bills are the most popular NFL team in Canada thanks to Buffalo’s proximity to Canada’s most populous province, Ontario. For the over 14 million people living in Ontario, the Bills are their local team.

Strong performances in recent years thanks to players like Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs surely means the Bills will only get more popular in Canada in the coming years.

• Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are the Pacific Northwest’s lone NFL representative, meaning they have fans all over the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Seahawks incredible fans, known as “12s,” and their success in the mid-2010s when they made it to two Super Bowls and won one, made them an attractive option for Canadians and Americans alike.

One of the best Canadian NFL players of all time, Nate Burleson, suited up for the Seahawks between 2006-2009. He is fondly remembered by the 12s as a great Seahawk and is loved by many Canadians.

• New England Patriots

The Patriots are another team to benefit from their shared border with Canada. The New England region borders New Brunswick and Quebec and is just a stone’s throw away from Ontario and Nova Scotia.

What contributed the most to the Pats popularity in Canada though was their success during the 2000s and 2010s. Head coach Bill Belichick and legendary quarterback Tom Brady took the Patriots to nine Super Bowls between 2001 and 2019. The Patriots won the Super Bowl in six of those nine appearances.

The CFL and NFL are very similar games, but there are some key differences you should know about before placing your NFL bets.

One of the first things new fans of the NFL in Canada will notice is that NFL fields are smaller than CFL ones. NFL fields are 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide with a 10-yard endzone at each end.

CFL fields are 110 x 65 yards with 20-yard endzones. Also, goal posts are at the front of endzones in the CFL and at the back in the NFL.

Other obvious differences are that players are allowed to be in motion in any direction prior to the snap in the CFL. In the NFL, only one player at a time can be in motion and they can’t be moving forward when the ball is snapped.

Eagle-eyed fans of the NFL in Canada will also notice that there are only 11 players on the field for each team in NFL games opposed to the 12 allowed in the CFL. 

There are only three downs in the CFL, but four in the NFL. NFL also has one more timeout each half and one fewer way of scoring.

CFL teams can score one point from missed field goals and punts that land in the end zone. These points are called singles or rouges. These don’t exist in the NFL.

Overall, the CFL is a more offensive game with higher scores and a greater importance on kicking. The NFL is far more tactical and defensive. That isn’t to mean that the NFL is less exciting. The best football players and coaches in the world are in the NFL.

When you turn into an NFL game, you are watching some of the best athletes in the world and seeing some of the smartest football minds come together to create an amazing spectacle. 
There are CFL betting options available at many sportsbooks, especially those with large Canadian presences. However, it’s the NFL that reigns supreme in terms of betting volume and popularity.