Best NHL Betting Sites in Canada for Value

NHL betting allows you to make one of the most exciting sports leagues in the world even better. This page will tell you everything you need to know about betting on the NHL. We’ll cover the most popular betting markets, NHL betting bonuses and more. Let’s dive right into it with our top five NHL sportsbooks.

Our team of sports betting experts know exactly what hockey fans want to see when they bet on the NHL. Let’s go over some of the factors we use to rate our top betting sites. You can use them to pick the best sportsbook for you. 

Licensing

The first thing we do before recommending any sportsbook is confirm that it operates legally. We verify that each platform holds a valid license and cross-check that license directly with the relevant regulator. All of our recommended NHL sportsbooks, including licensed Ontario sports betting sites, have verified approvals from respected regulatory bodies inside and outside of Canada, such as iGaming Ontario, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and the Malta Gaming Authority.

The first thing we do before we recommend any sports betting site is make sure that it is legal. We look to see if it has a license and then verify that license with the regulator. All of our recommended NHL sportsbooks have verified licenses from respected regulators inside and outside of Canada, such as iGaming Ontario, Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and Malta Gaming Authority.

Security

We do not recommend sites that we don’t believe are safe. The best NHL betting sites have fair terms and clear privacy policies so that you understand how they are using your data. They also use security technology like SSL encryption to keep your data safe. 

NHL Betting Markets

The best NHL sportsbooks have lots of different NHL bets available. This is a bare minimum requirement. They should have over 100 bets available per game, which means basic betting markets, team props, player props, and alternative lines for every market. 

Sportsbook Bonuses

A top sportsbook rewards you for creating an account. You should be able to claim a big welcome bonus with guaranteed funds or free bets. There should also be other sportsbook bonuses available, such as boosted bets and parlay insurance promos. 

Mobile Compatibility

Mobile betting is one of the fastest-growing trends in the Canadian sports betting industry, so we ensure that every site we recommend is actually available on mobile. We personally test every sites’ sports betting apps and mobile betting platforms to ensure they work just as well on mobile as they do on desktop. 

Betting Odds

NHL betting sites vary from sportsbook to sportsbook. This comes down to their odds providers and margins (i.e., the house edge). Our top NHL sportsbooks have competitive odds so that you always get value for your money when you bet on hockey. 

NHL Betting Features

Features like live betting, same-game parlays, and boosted bets are sometimes limited to specific sports. Our top sportsbooks have these features available for NHL bets, so that you can have the best experience possible. We also give high ratings to sportsbooks with specific hockey betting features, such as 888Sport’s NHL parlay free bet promos. 

Banking Options

The top NHL betting sites have instant deposits and fast withdrawals. They also should accept a minimum of five different payment methods, such as bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, and e-wallets like Skrill. We also try to recommend sites that don’t have any fees. However, many financial services providers charge fees so this is something some sites cannot control. 

Customer Support

When you bet on the NHL in Canada, you should be able to get support whenever you need it. The best NHL betting sites offer support via 24/7 live chat, email, and by phone. They also have dedicated FAQ pages and help centres to help you troubleshoot issues on your own. 

Betting on hockey in Canada is super simple. The exact sign-up process will be a little different at every site, but if you follow this step-by-step guide, you should be able to get started in just a few minutes. 

Step 1: Select an NHL Betting Site

Use the factors we use to rate NHL sportsbooks and the rest of this guide to pick the best site for you. Select Bet Now next to the sportsbook above to go directly to its website. 

Step 2: Create Your Account

Once you’re on the site, select Sign Up or Join to sign up. Fill out the registration form with your email, name, date of birth, address, and other personal information. Look out for places to enter promo codes or for places to opt-in to bonus offers. You don’t want to miss out on any great hockey betting bonuses because you filled out the sign-up form too quickly. 

Step 3: Verify Your Identity

If prompted, follow the steps presented to verify your identity. You will be asked to upload a photo of an official government ID, like your driver’s license, along with a photo of yourself. If the photos match, the sportsbook should automatically verify your identity in a couple of seconds. 

Step 4: Deposit Funds

Head to the cashier page and select Deposit. Then, choose your preferred payment method, enter your banking information or card number, and fill in the amount you want to deposit. Confirm the transaction and wait for it to process. Again, this should take a few seconds. 

Step 5: Start Betting on Hockey

Once you have some money in your account, you can start betting. Look for the NHL logo or hockey puck icon to find the NHL betting page. Browse the markets for a wager you like. Then, select it, enter your bet amount, and place your first bet.

NHL betting sites often have hundreds of bets available per game. This can be a bit overwhelming if you are a new bettor. Here are definitions for the main NHL betting markets that hopefully should help you understand it all. 

Moneyline

A moneyline bet is a simple wager on which team will win. If you pick the winner correctly, you win. This simplicity makes moneyline wagers arguably the most popular NHL bets, but they often don’t have great value compared to other markets. 

Puck Line (Spreads)

The puck line in hockey is the same thing as the spread in other sports. If you bet against the spread (or the puck line), you are betting on the margin of victory. For example, if the Leafs are -2.5-goal favourites against the Canucks, the puck line is 2.5 goals. The Leafs would have to win by more than three goals for you to win your bet. If they lose or win by less than three goals, you would lose. 

Totals (Over/Under)

A totals bet is a wager on the combined number of goals in a game. Sportsbooks set a line, and you bet on whether the number of combined goals will be over or under that line. Say the line is 3.5 goals and you bet the over, the combined score would have to be four or more for you to win. If the teams score less than 3 goals combined, you lose. 

Prop Bets

Proposition bets, or prop bets, are wagers on a specific event that will happen in a game that is not related to the actual result. For example, you can wager on the number of goals a team will score in a match or whether a specific player will take over two shots. These are examples of a team prop and a player prop. Neither event is dependent on a team actually winning. 

Live Bets

Live betting refers to placing a bet on an active game. Basically, any bet placed after the opening faceoff is a live bet. Wagers placed before are pre-match bets. Most of the bets available pre-match are also available as live bets. However, there are some unique markets only available as live bets, such as whether a team will score in the next five minutes. 

Futures

Futures bets, also called outrights, are bets on some future outcome larger than one individual game. Betting on who will win the Stanley Cup is an example of a popular futures bet in Canada.

You can also wager on the number of wins a team will have in a season, Presidents' Trophy winners, which player will win the Hart Trophy, and dozens of other similar futures markets.

Parlays

A parlay is single wagers that is composed of other wagers. For example, you could bet on Connor McDavid to score, the Oilers to win, and over 2.5 goals in the game. That would be a three-legged parlay. Every individual bet is a leg.

To win the parlay, you have to win each leg. Using the same example, if the Oilers won and Connor McDavid scored, but there were only two goals scored in the game, you would lose your parlay.

Only seven of the NHL’s 32 teams are based in Canada. That said, the Great White North is home to some of the league’s most passionate. Here are the three most popular teams among Canadians according to a recent Statista study. 

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are located in Canada’s biggest city, so it makes sense that they would have the most fans. It also helps that they are one of the most successful teams in NHL history. The Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cup finals, which is second best in history. 

Montreal Canadiens

Only one team has more Stanley Cup wins all-time than the Leafs. That team is the Montreal Canadiens. In fact, the Habs have nearly as many Stanley Cup wins than the Leafs. Their 24 wins is more than all other Canadian teams have combined (19).  

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have not won the Stanley Cup yet, but they have a proud fanbase with three Stanley Cup Finals appearances and a long legacy of representing Canada’s western frontier that goes all the way back to 1945. 

The NHL is the best hockey league in the world, but it’s not the only competition available on hockey betting sites. You can also bet on Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, Swedish Hockey League, and international competitions like the Winter Olympics and IIHF World Championship.

Some sites also offer minor league hockey bets, but this is less widespread. You are not allowed to bet on the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in Ontario. This includes the CHL’s subsidiaries: the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Whether you are an experienced hockey bettor or a complete newbie, you should always have responsible gambling at the front of your mind when you bet on hockey. Always make a budget and stick to it. Never wager more than you are willing to lose. 

If you don’t know where to start with responsible gambling, most of our top hockey betting sites have tools and resources available to help. For example, you can set deposit and loss limits on your account to stop you from going over your budget. There are also voluntary timeout periods and permanent self-exclusion lists.

Help is also available at a wide variety of non-profit organisations in Canada. To learn more about gambling responsibly, consult these other resources:

• Responsible Gambling Council
• ConnexOntario
• GamTalk