British Columbia Sports Betting 2022

Yes, betting on sports is legal in British Columbia. The law that governs sports betting in the province is the Gaming Control Act of 2002. The only form of gambling that is prohibited by this law is wagering on sports at an unlicensed betting house. 

The province, through the BC Lottery Corporation, offers legal sports betting via PlayNow. This form of wagering is operated similar to the lotteries, and it does not permit single sports betting. All wagers must be played in parlays of a minimum of three games. 

There is nothing in the British Columbia law that prohibits a resident from opening an account and wagering on sports through any of the licensed online sportsbooks.

Since all of these sites are licensed by a legally-recognized gaming regulator, to place wagers with any of these sportsbooks is not a violation of British Columbia law. 

In fact, there is no public record of anyone being tried or prosecuted for gambling online via a legal betting site.

There are two options for British Columbia residents who want to wager legally on sports. There is PlayNow, operated by the BC Lottery Corporation.

While PlayNow offers wagering via straight bets, point spreads and over/unders, the catch is that all wagers must be played in the form of a parlay, with a minimum of three and a maximum of six (straight bets), 10 (over/under) or 12 (point spread).

There are also limits on the size of wager permitted. For example, with a straight bet parlay, the maximum total wager is $100.

The best bet for wagering on sports in BC are the numerous online sportsbooks, which offer single sports wagering. On top of that, the online sportsbooks provide a much broader variety of wagering opportunities, significantly better odds and high betting limits.  

And wagering at any licensed online book is entirely legal.

With a population of nearly five million people, British Columbia is the third-most densely populated province in Canada. BC trails only Ontario (14.45 million) and Quebec (8.4 million). 

According to BC laws governing gambling, if you live in the province, you must be at least 19 years of age to participate in any form of betting, whether that be on sports, at casinos, horse racing tracks and teletheatres, bingos, community gaming centres, lottery retailers, or at a licensed gambling event held in a community.

It is against the law for minors to enter a gambling facility or participate in gambling of any kind.

However, the laws differ when it comes to online sportsbooks. To open an account with an online sportsbook, residents of BC need only to be 18 years old. 

You must have a functioning email address, an address in British Columbia and a bank account or credit card with the same address.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that is basically a computer file stored within a digital wallet app on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. People can send Bitcoins to a digital wallet and also to other people, via a transaction known as the blockchain.

One of the biggest advantages to depositing and withdrawing via Bitcoin is that the exchanges almost always are fee free.

The most well-known form of online money payment, PayPal is also among the most popular and accepted method of depositing and withdrawing funds from an online sportsbook account.

You will find that this form of money exchange is almost universally accepted across the array of leading sportsbooks. There’s much to like about the PayPal option. 

• It’s easy to use
• The site is trusted by millions
• Approximately 20 percent of all online financial transactions take place via PayPal
• PayPal offers instantanous deposits and withdrawals
• The PayPal site is extremely secure
• It comes with limited fees and charges for making transactions

Check out which among the sportsbooks that cater to Canadian customers accept PayPal for both deposting and withdrawing funds from accounts held with them.

To the sports betting newbie, the odds on a wager can resemble some form of ancient hieroglyphics. But reading the odds isn’t as complicated as it seems at first glance.

For starters, it’s important to know that the odds represent the probability of an outcome occuring. There are three types of odds – fractional, decimal and what’s known as American odds

With American odds, a team with negative odds, say -155, are favored to win, so they are assigned more favorable odds. The underdog will be assigned positive odds like +240. 

These numbers are based on a wager of $100. If you bet the underdog, the +240 means you’d win $240 if you bet $100 on that team. But if you play the favorite, the line is reversed. the -155 means that you’d be required to bet $155 to turn a profit of $100.

Fractional odds are a bit easier to comprehend. If a favorite is 2/1, that means you’ll win $2 for every $1 bet. 

Decimal odds are popular in Europe. With decimal odds, the backer’s stake is included. Thus, odds of 3.0 would be the equivalent of 2/1 in fractional odds – the $2 stake you’d win, plus the $1 wagered.

Comparing odds can be achieved via a number of options. You’ll find that most betting sites will provide an odds calculator.

This device will enable a bettor to convert all forms of odds – American, decimal or fractional – to the preferred type, enabling easy determination of which odds offer the most bang for the buck. 

A savvy bettor will also want to line shop to find the most profitable option when placing a bet on a specific event. Suppose you’re planning to play an underdog in one of that Sunday’s NFL games.

One sportsbook might have the team you’re going to bet at odds of +165. But another site could have it at +175, and a third at +180. 

By shopping around for the best line, you’ve got that bet down at odds of +180. So if you were planning to wager $100 on the game, instead of a $165 profit on your wager, you’re now in line to pocket $180.

In American odds, the favorite is indicated by a negative number. So, if the New York Rangers are -180 facing the Vancouver Canucks at +210, it means that the Rangers are the favored team and the Canucks are the underdog.

If this were in decimal odds, the higher number would be the underdog. If the Rangers were 2.0 and the Canucks 4.0, again Vancouver is the underdog.

Likewise in fractional odds, the lower number is the favored squad. The Rangers could be 3/1 facing the Canucks at 7/1.

Another variation seen in basketball and football is the point spread. Favorites are again given negavtive digits. So if the BC Lions are -6 facing the Saskatchewan Roughriders, it means the Lions are favored by six points to win the game.

They must win by more than six points in order for you to cash a winning wager. But if you bet Saskatchewan, you’re a winner if the Riders win the game, or lose by less than six points.

The local teams will always drive a betting market and in BC, the most popular team is the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. The NHL is the No. 1 sport in Canada, so it’s logical to expect that this sport will also be hugely populr with BC bettors.

The BC Lions of the CFL are the No. 2 team in the province, and while the CFL might not be an internationally popular sport, in the nine cities that play host to the league’s teams, the action is fairly heated.

The NFL may not have any Canadian teams but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t significant betting interest in the league among Canadian bettors.

The Seattle Seahawks are a short drive from BC, so you can count on many Canadians making that journey to take in a game. And what’s the point of watching a game if you haven’t got some action down on it?

Likewise, BC’s baseball bettors will closely follow the Seattle Mariners. And when the Toronto Blue Jays make their annual visit to Seattle, there’s always a healthy contingent of support from BC-based fans.  

BC is rich is offline betting opportunities. The province is home to six casinos:

• River Rock Casino
• Hard Rock Casino
• Cascades Casino
• Casino of the Rockies
• Cascades Casino Kamloops
• Lake City Casino

And two racetracks:

• Hastings Park Racecourse
• Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino

However, while you’ll find a variety of slots and table games at the casinos, and a rich supply of live and simulcast wagering from around the world at the racetracks, none of these brick and mortar betting sites are legally permitted to offer sports betting. 

In terms of straight wagers, betting on a number of games at an online sportsbook is not going to be an issue. If you intend to play a parlay, the limits on the number of games and amount you can wager will vary from sportsbook to sportsbook.

The opportunities to wager at an online sportsbook are endless. The smorgasbord of sports, leagues and games on offer is all-encompassing.

On a particular October day at Spin Palace Sports, there was a deep menu of NFL games on tap, as well as a number of NHL games, NBA preseason contests, European soccer, Rugby World Cup semifinals and CFL games. The final round of PGA an LPGA golf events and ATP and WTA tennis finals were also on tap.

You could also make future book wagers on the the upcoming World Series, betting on either the game of the the series outcome. 

When seeking out the best odds for betting on sports in BC, it’s wise to first check out those online sportsbooks that both welcome and cater to Canadian clientele.

Sites like Sports Interaction (SIA) and Spin Palace Sports are some of the most popular sportsbooks with Canadian bettors because they put an emphasis on sports that are popular with Canadian fans. 

Sports Interaction (SIA) is 100 percent Canadian, licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out some of the other top sportsbooks that welcome Canadian customers. Sites like Bet365, Betway, and 888Sport also speak Canadian, so to speak.

Whether you’re in the market for a home, a car, a new washer/dryer, or an online sportsbook, the same principles of good consumerism apply – shop around for the best odds.

First of all, ask yourself what you’re seeking from a sportsbook? What sports do you want to bet? Which types of bets are you looking to play? 

Every site will have is plusses and minuses. Some sites will offer deeper coverage on certain sports. Others will be quick to offer odds each day. Some sites cater to the recreational bettor, while others are more suited to the sharps, as the big-money bettors are known.

Are you looking for parlays? Maybe you find live betting to be enticing. You might just be in it for some fun to pass the time and you’re looking to play some prop wagers.

Seek out the site that offers the bets and odds you desire. You’ll know it when you find it.

Super Bowl Sunday is often referred to in the business as sports betting Christmas, due to the amount of wagers handled on the NFL’s big game. Canada is no exception to this phenomenon.

More Canadians watch the Super Bowl than view the Stanley Cup final or World Series. It’s that big of a deal. And when it comes to wagering, the Super Bowl is truly the granddaddy of them all.

You can absolutely bet on the Super Bowl in BC at the online sportsbook of your choosing. And what makes Super Bowl Sunday an enticing wagering proposal in the sheer number of betting options that are available.

There are the standard moneyline, point spread and total wagers on the game. But the Super Bowl is known for its wild prop wagers. What song will open the halftime show? What colour Gatorade will be dumped over the winning coach? Who will score the first touchdown.

BC bettors can wager any of these, and so much more.

There’s stiff competition for the betting dollar as the online sportsbook industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and for the BC sports bettor, this is a positive development.

In a bid to lure new customers, all sportsbooks offer some sort of bonus incentive. You can check out the different options available in terms of bonuses right here. 

When it comes to bonuses, it all comes down to what you’re looking to get. Do you want a no-deposit bonus? A matching first-deposit bonus? A free bet option?

Look around at all of your options, and remember to read the terms and conditions attached to each offer. Also, you’re not limiited to how many sportsbooks you can sign up with, so why not take advantage of multiple bonus offers from different sportsbooks?

It’s also wise to think ahead. All sportsbooks offer big sign up bonuses. But there are some sites that will continue to provide incentives, such a reload bonuses, and refer a friend bonus offers.