Who is the best sports betting operator and which sportsbook would be best for you? This is always a tricky question, mostly because the answer often changes and may vary from person to person. For example, a betting brand that used to set the trends several years ago, might be completely outdated today. Therefore, it is usually a good idea to take a step back and see what is out there and whether there might be any better betting sites than the one you are using now.
We recommend doing a “review” like that at least every year. Then again, there is no rule that would tell you to use only one sportsbook. You can use several, each one for a different purpose. For instance, one can have a better variety of hockey games, another one can have weekly bonuses and / or free bets and so on.
What Should You Pay Attention to?
Now, let’s take a look at some of the things you would need to keep in mind and then we can give you a couple of recommendations that were made based on our own research. You are, of course, always welcome to do your own research and that is definitely the best way to go. Nevertheless, we understand that not everyone has the time to dive deep into all of this, so the betting operators we will recommend below can be considered to be “safe bets”.
Licenses and Regulators
First of all, you would always want to stick with licensed operators. The gaming industry has a lot of different regulatory commissions, but we are going to focus on the most common ones.
In order to accept players from Canada, a betting brand doesn’t necessarily have to hold a locally issued license. Most online betting sites are regulated by MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) or hold a Curacao eGaming license. Some may hold licenses from both regulators, which is likely even better. Using operators like that is legal, however you will need to remember that they are based overseas. This means that your funds and personal information is not protected under Canadian laws. Despite the way it sounds – a lot of reputable and well-known betting brands operate under these licenses, so there is no risk here if you do your background check beforehand.
On the other hand, there are brands that hold a local Kahnawake Gaming Commission license – thus are regulated in accordance with local laws. As you may already know, more and more betting brands are entering Canada and acquiring local licenses. That doesn’t mean that all those brands are equally good from a user perspective. Even in cases where a bookmaker has a Canadian license – you would still need to make sure that they have a fair user agreement and a good betting product.
Sportsbook Quality
Once you make sure that the sportsbook you are looking at is legit and holds a valid license – it is time to assess the quality of their service. Your focus area will depend on what you are interested in. For example, if you are a “baseball person” then you will need to check everything related to baseball. Having that in mind, for any one of the three sportsbooks recommended below, go and check whether they actually have everything you need in terms of sports and content. We’re confident they do, since we’ve actually hand picked them, but it is always best to check things yourself.
The other thing to keep in mind is payment methods. All betting sites we covered here support Interac and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard). If you are in search of something less popular – that is also something you might want to confirm beforehand.
Bet99
Bet99 is an original Canadian sports betting brand and they were one of the first sportsbooks to get a Kahnawake Gaming Commission license. When it comes to quality, Bet99 are setting the bar quite high. They support a wide range of payment instruments, starting from the commonly used Interac all the way to ecoPayz and cryptocurrency. Everything is transparent and regulated, even crypto payments, where “Coinspaid'' is used as the payment gateway.
Welcome Offer
All new players from Canada can get a 100% welcome bonus up to C$600. The bonus is credited to your account after completing your first deposit. The minimum amount you need to deposit in order to activate the bonus is C$20. Once the bonus funds are in your payer account, they have to be wagered 5 times with the odds of -125 (1.80) or higher.
STS
STSBet is a mature sports betting brand, they have been around since 1997, so way back before internet betting was a thing. Having been in the industry for such a long time, STS know how to give their players a good experience.
Now that STS started focusing on Canada as one of their main target regions, they have significantly increased their football and hockey coverage. They have also integrated all popular payment methods like Interac, MuchBetter and others. In addition to everything we mentioned above – all Canadian players can get a C$5 free bet every week.
Welcome Offer
If you decide to give STS a chance, you can also get a 100% welcome bonus up to C$300 along with your first deposit. All the applicable conditions are fairly “standard” – the bonus itself has to be wagered 5 times with the odds of -125 (1.80) or higher. The minimum amount you have to deposit in order to activate the offer is C$20. Please keep in mind that deposits made using EcoPayz and MuchBetter don’t qualify for this campaign.
Neo.bet
NeoBet Canada is the last sportsbook we want to highlight for the upcoming year. They aren’t yet widely known in the local betting community, however we are certain that they will get there soon. Neo.bet is one of the most innovative sportsbook brands out there – they’ve taken a completely new approach to how a betting site should look like. Everything is there from a functional standpoint, however it is packaged in a new and unusual interface. Their UIs are different, but that is by no means a negative thing – you will be pleasantly surprised by how easily you can do things that used to take quite a bit of time. In addition to that, they have Android and iOS apps – it is often difficult to get a betting app listed on Apple’s app store, but NeoBet went the extra mile and actually did that.
Welcome Offer
Neo.Bet offers all new players from Canada three welcome bonuses – each one applicable to the first three deposits you make. All three bonuses are 100%, the first one is up to C$200, the second and third ones are up to C$100. The wagering conditions are also slightly more favorable compared to the other two welcome offers we mentioned earlier. All three bonuses have a wagering requirement of 5x, but the minimum odds requirement is only 1.50. Also, all three bonuses are valid for 100 days, so there is absolutely no rush here.
Bet Responsibly
Finally, it is extremely important to take a moment and remind you that it is vital to be mindful of your mental health and betting habits. Sports betting is first of all a hobby, something that makes your favorite sporting event even more exciting. It isn’t something you should rely on to resolve financial difficulties and if you can’t afford to bet – it might be a good time to take a break. Of course, this may sound easier than it is in reality, so if you can’t stop on your own – you should seek assistance. A good place to start is https://www.gamblingtherapy.org/en – their 24/7 online support, where you can talk with trained professionals. You can also join online group sessions, where you can discuss your issues with other people or just listen to others talk.
