Betting on your favorite football games is a bit like
betting on golf. The bare bones of it is, you just need to:
- Find a licensed bookmaker.
- Make a deposit.
- Pick your bets.
- Kick back with crossed fingers.
But as with anything in life, scratch beneath the surface and there’s a little more to it than that. First timers among you, for example, will need to get better acquainted with how to read football odds and what kinds of betting options the best betting sites for football have to offer in Canada first.
Of course, I’ve been in the game a while, and I’ll walk you through all that in a bit if you’re just starting out, and feel as if you need my help. As for the rest of you? Well, feel free to immediately skip to browsing my banners on this page, where I reveal my top-ranking football betting sites for your province. And rest-assured, any betting brand you see here is:
- 100% licensed in your province.
- Great for betting on football.
- Easy-to-use.
- Fast to register with.
- Make following football more interesting
- Back top teams and players
- Try out new betting strategies
- Pick from NFL, UFL and more
- Some brands are better than others
In my many years of online betting on football, rugby, tennis and pretty much every other sport under the sun, I’ve learned a few things – and of course, the whole reason I set up this site was to share them with folk like you.
One of my biggest life lessons has been finding out the hard way that some football betting sites are simply better than others. So, how do we tell apart what’s hot from what not? Well, it’s really quite simple. You just need to look out for:
I’ve found that any betting brand worth its salt will usually offer you odds that better, or at least match, what’s up-for-grabs elsewhere on the market. Of course, for us football-minded folk, it’s also vital to pin down brands that cover all the best football leagues, including:
- NFL
- UFL
- AAF
- XFL
- Pacific Pro Football
Rave reviews and an epic rep
If a football betting brand is worthy of your attention, chances are other bettors will have been screaming about it from the rooftops. Or at least in football forums on the internet, anyway. Check out the following platforms to get a feel of what people just like you and me make of different betting sites:
Unique features and no-hassle functionality
You’d be surprised how many bettors overlook simple things like ease-of-use when comparing the best football betting sites. But let’s face it – I’ve found that this can really be make or break, and I’m sure you guys will too. The long and short of it is, any half-decent betting brand ought to offer:
- An easy sign-up-process
- Faff-free betting tools
- Live betting capabilities
- Logical navigation
- 24/7 customer support
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – properly knowing how football odds work and what kinds of betting options you’re going to be able to choose from is super-important before kicking-off those first bets. So, let’s look at odds first, then.
Most betting sites you boys and girls will be looking at in Canada are likely to use “American” or “Money line” odds, where a “+” will tell you how much dosh a $100 wager might potentially return, and a “-“ will dictate how much you’ll need to stake to potentially see $100 coming back your way.
Having said that, if you’re looking at
horse racing betting odds
or keen to try-out betting on other sports, there’s a chance you might also need to wrap your head around:
- Fractional odds
- Decimal odds
Now, I’ve penned guides aplenty on how these work – so go ahead and read ‘em if you need ‘em. For now, though, allow me to move on to the betting options you’re most likely to encounter at betting sites that revolve around football…
There are a whole bunch of different bet types available with the best bookies, but generally, you’re going to be looking at:
| Bet type | How it works |
| Money line | I’ll start out with the easiest one then, shall I? A money line bet simply backs a team or player to win straight-up.
For example, “$100 on the Kansas City Chiefs to win”. |
| Point spread | A point spread is almost as simple. Here, you’ll be betting on the anticipated final score difference between two football teams.
For example, let’s say you see a “-7” on the 49ers. This means they’re a 7-point favorite over, say, the Bengals, or whoever they’re up against. So, if you back the 49ers, they’ll need to come out on top by seven points or more. And that’s it, basically. |
| Total over / under | With these, you’ll be betting on whether the number of points scored in a game lands under or over a set amount.
For example, a bet on “over 34.5” would ace it if 36 points were scored in a game. |
Now you know all the must-have features, what kinds of odds to expect and the different betting options that are most likely to be on offer, allow me to explain how you can pin down your perfect bookie.
To be honest, it all comes down to understanding your own betting preferences, then scouting sites that tick the right boxes. For example?
- If you prefer UFL or AAF to NFL, look out for bookies that offer odds on those leagues
- If you’re something of a high-roller, check out my guides to high limit betting sites
- If you’re a bit techy, consider dynamic football betting apps instead of old-hat websites
- And so on…
Before you guys involve yourselves with any betting sites for football, it’s important to ensure said sites have 100% got your back. This means making sure they are:
- Fully-licensed.
- SSL-secure.
- Supportive in terms of responsible gambling.
Now, here’s how you achieve that. Basically, you’ll want to start out by scrolling to the very bottom of your betting brand’s homepage to find their licensing information. In Canada, it’s essential the brand holds a license with your local regulator, such as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, for example.
Next up, have a butchers at their privacy policy. This’ll soon tell you whether SSL encryption is in place. And finally, hunt around for a “responsible gambling” tab. With the best and most trusted sites, this tab will offer you fast access to:
- Self-limitation / exclusion tools.
- External support resources.
But of course, it doesn’t end there. If you’re claiming a
free sign-up bonus for betting in Canada, for example, you’ll also want to make sure that bonus is fair. You can do this by checking its terms, just to ensure it isn’t too heavy-hand with things like wagering requirements or time limitations – something I talk a little more about in my recent bonus guides.
Oh, and as I said earlier, it’s wise to shop around just to see if football odds are competitive with your bookmaker, too.
The trick to enjoying betting on NFL, UFL and other popular football leagues shouldn’t really take you a fat lot of time to master. Simply put, you just need to sign-up with an honest, licensed bookmaker that fits you and your betting preferences like a glove from day one.
Throughout this guide, my banners have highlighted a whole host of different football betting sites serving-up:
- Competitive odds.
- Several betting options.
- Standout betting tools and features.
But to be fair, only you and you alone can make the final call on which betting brand is gonna work best for you. My advice? Whichever bookmaker you settle on, carry out the safety and security checks I mentioned earlier before registering, always bet responsibly and, of course, never take your eyes off the ball.
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2.
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❓ What’s the best way to bet on NFL?
American football’s a seriously ripe market for sports bettors. You guys can enjoy money line bets, point spreads and a whole host of other betting options – but over/under bets are by far my personal favorite. Find out why with my NFL and football betting guides…
Over/under betting involves second-guessing points totals on games such as the NFL or other popular American Football leagues. Let’s say an estimated total is set by your bookmaker at 36.5. If 37 or more points hit the scoreboard, then boom. Discover more about how it works here…
Any Canucks among you need to take great care to ensure you only ever bet with locally licensed betting sites. Here are some of my favorite ones in your region…
