NBA Betting in Canada

NBA betting is popular among Canadian sports bettors, with plenty of markets available on regular-season games, the playoffs, NBA Finals, and the Toronto Raptors. In this guide, we present betting sites for Canadians where you can wager on NBA games and explain how NBA odds, betting markets, and different types of wagers work.

How to Bet on NBA Games

When it comes to NBA betting Canadians have a lot of options, to say the least. Canadians can bet on NBA games at the many legitimate online sportsbooks from those that are provincially regulated or ones offshore regulated by a recognized gaming body. On top of that bettors have many options on what types of bets to make on NBA games from simple moneylines, spreads, and totals to player prop bets and live betting and more.

In terms of NBA betting here is what this comprehensive guide will explain: 

1.  Where Canadians can bet on NBA games. 
2. How NBA betting odds and lines work
3. The main NBA betting markets.
4. What to consider before placing a bet on an NBA game.

Best NBA Betting Sites in Canada

Let’s check out in the table below the best betting sites in Canada. One thing is for sure that all of them have a good range of betting markets for NBA games.

How to Bet on NBA Games in Canada

Getting started with NBA betting is a pretty simple process. This NBA betting guide would not be complete without showing you how to bet on NBA games, so here is the process. 

1. Choose an NBA betting site that is available to Canadians – Make sure that it is either provincially regulated or regulated by a legitimate offshore gaming body. Also, make sure it has solid NBA coverage, such as the sites mentioned in the table above, and offers the banking method you want to use. 
2. Create and verify your account – Setup your account giving the required information and you will verify your account by email or text, 
3.  Deposit funds using an available payment method – Choose the payment method you are comfortable using and most of the top NBA betting sites for Canada will offer Interac, which is a go -to option for many Canadian players. 

4. Find the NBA section of the site – Since NBA basketball betting is so popular many of the best NBA betting sites will have a dedicated NBA tab but if not they will have basketball as one of the sports. 

NBA Betting Odds and Lines Explained 

At NBA betting websites they will post the NBA betting lines for games where it will show the favorite and with the numbers in the line you can see the potential payout. Often at top Canadian NBA betting sites they will show the line in decimal format and you may see them in moneyline and fractional formats as well. Many times at the best NBA betting sites you can change the format of how you want to see the lines. 

Here is an example of NBA betting odds in decimal format. 

• Toronto Raptors — 2.20
• Boston Celtics — 1.70

When you see a decimal format line the team with the lowest number is the favorite, so the team with the higher number is the underdog. In the example above, the Raptors are the underdogs and the Celtics are the favorites. 

In the decimal format there is no spread, which we will cover in this NBA betting guide, as you are simply betting on which team will win the game. Here is the payout and potential profit using $10 as an example for the game above. 

• Bet $10 on the Raptors to win $22.20 (10 x 2.2) with a profit of $12.20 ($22.20 – the $10 stake). 
• Bet $10 on the Celtics to win $17.00 (10 x 1.7) with a profit of $7 ($17.00 – the $10 stake) 

For NBA betting lines the payout will always be better for the underdog.

Popular NBA Betting Markets

Here are the main ways Canadians can bet on NBA games

NBA Moneyline Betting

Moneyline betting is one of the easier NBA markets for beginners to understand, as, like the decimal format, you are simply betting on the team to win the game. Here is an example of a moneyline for an NBA game. 

• Toronto Raptors +120
• Boston Celtics -140 

In a moneyline the + in front of the number shows the underdog and the – in front shows the favorite. In using $100 as an example, you are betting $100 to win $120 on the Raptors and betting $140 to win $100 on the Celtics. In the moneyline you are betting more to win less on the favorite and betting less to win more on the underdog. 

NBA Point Spread Betting

In the NBA betting spread, called the point spread, it is a type of handicap, where the underdog will be getting points and the favorites will be giving them. Here is an example of an NBA betting spread. 

• Toronto Raptors +5.5
• Boston Celtics -5.5

In this example the Raptors are the underdogs getting 5.5 points and the Celtics are the favorites giving 5.5 points. So, to win the bet on the Raptors they have to win or lose by less than six points to cover the spread and for the Celtics they have to win by at least six points to cover the spread. 

If the game ends Celtics 120 and Raptors 116, the winning bet would be on the Raptors, as they covered the spread losing by less than six points. 

The point spread is a nearly 1:1 payout minus the vig of the sportsbook, which is their profit. The vig is usually around -110 for both teams, so, for example, you are betting $110 to win $100. 

Note: For an NBA betting spread you will often see a .5 after the first number, so for above Raptors +5.5. The .5 is a half a point, which you, obviously, cannot score in basketball, but it takes the tie bet out of the equation. If there is no .5 after the number there can be a tie. For example, if the Raptors have a NBA betting spread of +5 and they lose to the Celtics by the exact line of 5 points, let’s say 120-115, the bet is a push and you will receive the stake back. 

NBA Over/Under Betting

NBA Over/Under betting is one of the easiest bets to understand, as you are simply betting on if the total number of points scored by both teams will go Over or Under the NBA betting line. You are not betting on the winner, just the total points scored. 

Here is an example: 

• Over 224.5
• Under 224.5

If the Celtics beat the Raptors 117-110 the total number of points scored is 227, so in the example above with a total of 224.5 the Over would be the winning bet and the Under would be the losing one. 

NBA Prop Bets

NBA proposition bets, simply called prop bets, are ones that have nothing to do with the outcome of a game. Considering that NBA betting is so popular most of the top NBA betting sites will offer many, often over 100, prop bets for every single game. 

There are player and team prop bets and, depending on the wager, they will have even odds or inflated ones. For example, an even player prop bet would be, will Luka Doncic have Over/Under 30.5 points. A player prop bet with inflated odds can be will Luka Doncic have a triple/double, Yes +1000, No -800. 

The player props are all bets for the players in the game while the team props are for the teams in the game. Player props are usually for points, rebounds, assists, and 3-pointers while team props are usually for totals, such as who will be in the lead at halftime or will the total points scored in the third quarter be odd or even. 

There are tons of different prop bets to make on every single NBA game and the top NBA betting sites for Canada will offer even more of them for the playoffs. Prop bets can be fun for beginner bettors, as you are not betting on the outcome of the game but for an event in it to happen. 

NBA Parlays

NBA parlay bets are multiple bets in one. The bets in a parlay are called legs and you have to win all of the legs for the parlay bet to be a winning one. A parlay bet is a type of risk and reward bet, as the more legs in the parlay the higher the payout will be, but the harder it is to win. 

You multiply the odds of each of the legs to get the parlay payout. In the parlay you can mix and match different betting markets and games and most of the top NBA betting sites will offer same-game parlays, which is one for a single game. 

Here is an example of a parlay using moneyline odds: 

• Toronto Raptors +120 
• Under 221.5 - Bulls vs. Knicks game -110 
• Milwaukee Bucks -140 

The total odds for this parlay is +620, so if you bet $10 and all three bets win you get a payout of $62.00.

Sometimes NBA betting sites will offer parlay insurance, where if you make a set amount of legs and one of them loses you are paid out for the other winning ones. Often, the top Canadian sportsbooks will have parlay promotions available. 

NBA Futures

NBA futures is betting on the future outcome with the main ones being the team to win the title, conference, division, or awards such as who will win the MVP. These bets are ones that can remain unsettled for a long period, as you have to wait until the regular season or playoffs end. 

You can make futures bets before the season or during it, where the odds will change depending on how the team or player is performing. For example, if you bet on the Raptors to win the NBA title at longshot odds of +5000 and they play great in the first half of the season and are near the top of the Eastern Conference the odds may go down to +3000. 

The odds that you get when you make the NBA futures bet are the ones you are locked in on no matter how much they change. 

Live NBA Betting 

Live NBA betting is betting on a game while it is happening. It differs from pre-game betting, as you are not making a bet before the game begins, but during it. Live NBA betting odds change quickly and depend on what is happening in the game. 

Typically, the main live NBA betting markets are for moneylines, point spreads, and totals, but the top Canadian NBA betting sites will also often offer live prop bets. Live NBA betting is fast as furious with the live NBA betting lines changing so quickly. 

Nearly all NBA betting sites offer NBA live betting and some of the best ones also offer live streaming. NBA games are particularly suitable for live betting because odds and lines can move frequently as the score, game clock, player performance and game situation change.

NBA Betting Apps

Some of the top NBA betting sites will have a dedicated betting app while others are simply mobile compatible. The best NBA betting app will load fast, have few glitches, and be easy to navigate on a smaller screen. 

Other things you want in a solid NBA betting app are fast live odds updates, simple navigation for NBA games and markets, and notifications of wagers and bonus offers. In the NBA betting app it should afford you all the things the desktop version does, such as a bet slip and the cash out feature. If you like live betting the app should have fast live odds updates and make it easy to make a bet in a quick manner.

NBA Betting Tips

Like betting on any sport there are NBA basketball betting tips that you should follow when you wager on games. Let’s check out some NBA betting tips that will be of great help when knowing what bets to make on NBA games.

• Player injuries and availability – Player injuries are always important to check out, as if key players are injured they will not play and it will affect the betting lines. These days with many key players dealing with load management they will not play in the second game of a back-to-back. If you plan on backing a team in a game ensure that their full lineup will be available. 
• Home and away performance – Some teams tend to be much better at home while others are good ones on the road. Check how a team has played at home and on the road when you bet on a game. 
• Head-to-head matchups – One of the most important NBA betting tips is to check how a team has fared against the other, especially in that season. This tip is more important to follow between division rivals that face each other more during the season. 
• Recent form – How is the team doing recently? Are they streaking, sinking, or have been flipping between wins and losses. A team form is important to focus on for NBA betting tips to make a more informed bet.
• Comparing NBA odds – With so many great NBA betting sites you can have an account at multiple ones in order to compare odds. The odds will not differ between the sportsbooks but in any NBA betting strategy you should make the bets at the one that gives you the best odds, which will, obviously, give you the best profit for a winning bet.

What are NBA Public Betting and Betting Splits

NBA public betting is checking out games to see where the public is laying most of the money on it. In public NBA betting it can sway odds, as the sportsbooks look to get an even amount of money bet on every game. Therefore, for example, if the public is backing the Raptors, big time, in their game against the Knicks at -4.5 the line may go up to 5 or 5.5, making it more enticing on the public to back New York. 

The NBA betting splits will show the moneybet on both games typically as a percentage for a certain betting market. For example, 61% of the NBA betting public has taken the Raptors to cover facing the Knicks. 

NBA betting splits only show what the public is betting on but it does not give a concrete situation of what bet should be made.

Betting on the Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are the only NBA team in Canada and all of the top Canadian sportsbooks will offer many betting markets for their games. 

You may find that more Canadian-centered sportsbooks will offer more prop bets and bonuses and promotions for Raptors games besides the typical monelines, spreads, totals, and futures. 

One of the things that you may find at NBA betting sites in Canada, and specifically ones provincially regulated in Ontario, is that you will find more bonus offers, odds boosts, and prop bets for Raptors’ games. If Toronto is your team then it is a good idea to play at these sites in order to take advantage of sportbook bonuses, promos, better odds, and more bets.

NBA Playoffs and Finals Betting

One thing you should be aware of is that at NBA betting sites the betting activity will change during things like the play-in tournament and especially during the playoffs and NBA finals. 

No matter if it is the play-in tournament, the playoffs, or finals there will be more player and prop bets available. There will also be futures for all of these things from the team winning the play-in tournament from teams winning series’ in the playoffs and the finals. Often you will see bets such as how many games will the Raptors vs. Cavaliers series go and odds for each team to win in 4-7 games. 

Overall, the post-season offers more betting opportunities at NBA betting sites, which gives Canadian bettors a lot of options.

Is NBA Betting Legal in Canada?

Under Canadian online betting law, NBA betting is legal in Canada at provincially licensed sportsbooks and offshore ones that are licensed  by a recognized gaming body. Ontario and Alberta have their own regulated competitive online gambling market, while other provinces use different provincial models. For the other provinces there is at least one provincially regulated sportsbook,but there are many solid offshore sportsbooks that are licensed and safe to play at. 

Provincially regulated sportsbooks offer a little more security, as the gaming bodies are from the province and easier to contact if issues arise. This does not mean that offshore sportsbooks are unsafe but the regulatory bodies are international ones and not as easy to contact.

Before signing up for an account make sure it is licensed either provincially or offshore by recognized gaming bodies such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and Malta Gaming Authority.

NBA Betting Bonuses and Promotions

All of the best NBA betting sites will offer NBA betting promos, whether it be for a new player signing up or for existing players. It was mentioned before, but you will typically find more Canada-specific NBA betting promos on provincially regulated sportsbooks, especially in Ontario for Toronto Raptors games, than at offshore sportsbooks. 

Sportsbook promotions can often be used on eligible NBA bets such as: 

• Bonus bets or free bets.
• Odds boosts for better odds for specific NBA games.
• Parlay boosts getting a better parlay payout for the more bets (legs) that are in the parlay. 
• Bet insurance / refund promotions, such as granting a freebet or bet if your NBA game bet is a losing one. 
• Event-specific events, such as on Raptors’ games or ones in the playoffs or NBA finals. 

At the top NBA betting sites you will likely find many NBA-specific promos but you always need to read the terms and conditions. While the promos are a great way to pad your betting bankroll you need to know the things you need to in order to get it. These things often are qualifying odds for promo-triggering bets, wagering requirements, expiry dates and excluded markets.