Welcome to the best guide for esports betting Canada has to offer. Here you’ll get to see those Canada betting sites that give you a legal, safe and easy way to bet on esports. We’ll show you the most popular esports betting markets for the biggest games, plus you’ll learn how you can legally fund your esports betting in Canada.
Esports bets might be a little different to the standard kind of sports betting Canada has to offer. But we believe that it’s just as fun and no less capable of serving up some impressive wins.
Esports has only been with us for less than two decades, but it’s already proven to be a global hit in Canada and beyond. So take a look below to enjoy the best kind of esports betting Canada has at the moment.
The best Canada betting sites for esports
Online betting is big news in Canada at the moment. There are now plenty of awesome betting sites that give you a safe and legal way to bet on anything from hockey to basketball. The best thing is that many of these bookmakers also allow you to bet on dozens of esports.
Take a look at the Betway Canada service and you’ll find that you can bet on iconic esports like League of Legends and Counter Strike Global Offensive. By going to Bet365 in Canada, you’ll find that you can get quality odds on anything from the Overwatch League to Dota 2. Even relatively lesser-known brands like 22Bet Canada have put on a dedicated esports betting service.
All of these bookmakers are known for putting on some of the safest online sports betting Canada has to offer, and the same applies to how they treat esports betting. This means that you can go online to a fully licensed and regulated bookmaker who will give you fair esports odds and a safe way to play. Far better than going to any dodgy skins gambling site.
Is it legal to bet on esports in Canada?
You’ll probably know that Canada has some fairly confusing gambling laws. This is because they haven’t really been updated to account for the rise of online betting. So we’ll try and make it simple for you.
You can only legally bet at fully licensed Canadian betting sites. Look out for licenses from the likes of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. This means that the bookmaker has been checked to make sure that it offers a safe and fair betting service.
However, we should note that there is nothing in Canada betting laws to stop you from betting at offshore sites. This is because of a loophole in the law that makes it perfectly legal to use many European bookmaker sites.
Despite this, we would still recommend that you only use fully licensed esports betting sites. Look for licenses from either the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission and you’ll enjoy some of the safest esports betting Canada has to offer.
The most popular esports to bet on
The Canada esports betting scene is massive. As such, the best esports bookmakers will always try and give you odds for everything from first-person shooters and MOBAs to sports simulators and battle royales. But here are the most common esports that you’re likely to find at the best sites for online betting Canada has at the moment.
- League of Legends – By far the world’s biggest esport. All decent esports betting sites will give you bets for all major and minor LoL tournaments. Check out these sites for some special bonuses whenever the LoL Worlds Finals rolls around.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – A brutal first-person shooter that continues to be one of the world’s most popular esports. You should be able to enjoy plenty of betting markets for each CSGO match.
- Dota 2 – One of the longest-running esports. The Dota 2 International tournament is always one of the highlights of the year, as its crowd-funded prize pool routinely breaks records.
- Overwatch – A hugely popular relative-newcomer on the esports scene. The Overwatch League has grown to become one of the most exciting esports tournaments.
These are just some of the biggest esports on offer. However, all good esports betting sites will cover a range of games depending on the tournament schedule.
Like first-person shooters? You should be able to find plenty of bets for Call of Duty and Rainbow Six. Battle royale fans have been well-served by bookmakers serving up odds for games like Fortnite, Apex Legends and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Even sports simulators like FIFA and NBA2K regularly have odds at esports betting sites. So that whether you’re into Rocket League, Vainglory or even Hearthstone, you’re sure to find some odds at the best sites for esports betting Canada has to offer.
Different types of esports betting markets
All good bookmakers should give you plenty of different ways to bet on esports. Here are some examples of the most common odds that you’ll find for your esports bets.
- Match winner: This simply requires you to predict who will win an esports match. For example, you could bet on Fnatic to beat OG in a CSGO match.
- Outright winner: Here you have to bet on which team will win an esports tournament. So you could bet on Team Liquid to win the next International and so on.
- Kills: Many esports like CSGO will allow you to bet on kills. This means that you could bet on the team to score the first kill, the first team to five kills and so on.
- Maps: Like a match winner bet, here you’ll get to bet on the team to win an individual map. You might also be able to bet on the correct map score at the end of the match.
How to fund your esports bets in Canada
If you go to many reputable online bookmakers like Betway Canada, you should find that these betting sites will give you many secure ways to make deposits and withdrawals. Here are some of the most common payment options in Canada.
- Credit and debit cards: Popular brands include Visa and MasterCard
- Ewallets: Including PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and EcoPayz
- Prepaid cards: Such as Paysafecard and Neosurf
- Alternative payment options: Many Canadian bookmakers allow you to deposit with Interac, Instadebit and iDebit.
Plus many betting sites will allow you to make deposits with anything as old-fashioned as a bank transfer up to an innovative payment solution like the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. All of these payment methods will have their own pros and cons relating to things like limits, fees and processing times.
Great bonuses to try with your esports bets
Bonuses are one of the best ways that you can get more from your esports bets. What’s best is that you can use some of the biggest bonuses for online betting Canada has to offer for your esports bets. Here are some of the most common esports bonuses.
- Matched deposit bonus – This matches your next deposit with extra betting funds.
- Matched bet deposit – Just the same, except that it’s your qualifying bet that will be matched.
- Losing bet refund – If you lose your bet, you’ll get your stake refunded up to a certain amount.
- Enhanced odds – These simply give you better odds for certain esports betting markets.
Beyond these examples, you might find esports betting bonuses that appear in conjunction with the biggest competitive gaming tournaments. So whenever there’s an ESL or DreamHack contest around the corner, be sure to see what esports bonuses are currently on offer.
Why live betting is the best way to bet on esports
While esports betting is great fun, things get way more exciting when you bet live on esports. This is because you can bet on the ever-changing odds even after the game has begun. As a result, you might be able to get much better odds halfway through an esports match compared to if you had bet prematch.
Many esports betting sites have taken the awesome step of including live streaming on their sites. This means that you can simply watch an embedded Twitch stream, put down an in-play bet and look forward to making some real money wins from your esports betting.
Simple tips for your esports bets
Gamble responsibly – It doesn’t matter whether you bet on virtual sports or esports, as responsible gambling is the best way to make sure that you stay safe. So set yourself a budget, stick within your means and know when to walk away when things aren’t going your way.
- Find better odds for the favourite – Don’t stick with bets on the favourite if the odds aren’t good. See how trying anything from a live bet to a handicap bet can help you get better odds on that unbeatable esports team.
- Focus your esports bets – We’d always recommend only betting on those esports teams and players that you know best. This will help you spot whenever any esports odds are too good to miss out on.
