American Football Betting Sites [ 2024 ]
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By Doug Hirdle
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American football is by far the most popular sport in the US, both in terms of viewership and real-money betting. The popularity of this American sport has transferred to other countries as well, most notably – Canada.
Even though Canadians prefer betting on sports like ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, and soccer, the interest in American football betting in Canada has been on the rise over the last several years.
If you are one of the people interested in NFL betting, we are more than glad to help you out. On this page, you will see a list of the best Canadian-friendly sportsbooks that feature American football markets.
Additionally, we will talk about what makes these sportsbooks worthwhile, how you can start betting on American football, what types of NFL bets exist, which sports betting bonuses you can take advantage of, and more.
Our Top Recommended American Football Betting Sites for Canada
Whether you want to predict the next Superbowl winner or place bets on individual players, the sportsbooks listed below have everything that you’re looking for.
These betting sites represent some of the top brands in the industry, and, apart from American football, they offer betting on other sports as well, like ice hockey, tennis, basketball, winter sports and more.
- Canadian players accepted
- Canadian players accepted
- Canadian players accepted
- Canadian players accepted
- Canadian players accepted
Please carefully read through any terms and conditions which will be found on the respective American football betting sites in regards to how to claim and use any free bet bonus. Failure to adhere to any specific rule may void your winnings so do take some time to check the terms and conditions out.
How We Rank American Football Betting Sites in Canada
The interest in American football betting goes past the US borders, which is why almost all online sports betting operators feature NLF markets on their sites. Most of these sites are available to Canadian bettors, but not all of them are recommended.
In order to come up with a list of truly best American football betting platforms, we had to establish some relevant criteria. All operators that want to get a spot on our list must show that they deserve it by having valid gambling licences, valuable bonuses, a wide range of markets and betting features, mobile compatibility, fast payment methods, and communicative customer support, among other things.
Licensing, Safety, and Trustworthiness
The only way to safely bet on American football online is to visit legit sports betting sites. What makes a given sportsbook legit is its licence, which has to be issued by a reputable online gambling jurisdiction.You can be sure that all NFL betting sites shared on this page own proper licences and have been checked for safety by our team of experts.
Bonuses
If you want to get a good value on your first deposit, you should look for betting sites that offer rewarding bonuses to their first-time players. These bonuses usually come in the form of bonus cash or free bets.Being avid bettors ourselves, we understand how important lucrative bonuses are, which is why we made sure that all sportsbooks we listed have great welcome packages and other promotions that reward regular customers.
Betting Markets
If you’re only looking for Moneyline bets, you’ll find them on every betting site. However, if you want to be more imaginative with your betting, you should look for a sportsbook that allows you to place half-time bets, totals, parlays, teasers, futures, props, and more.It’s safe to say that the number of different NFL bets you can take on our recommended betting sites will make your head spin. We will talk about different types of American football bets later on, so stay tuned.
Odds
Getting a good value on your bets is one of the most important aspects of betting online. We wanted to save you the trouble of comparing and shopping for odds yourself, which is why we have selected American football betting sites that have the absolute best odds in the industry.Moreover, you will likely run into some special offers from time to time, such as enhanced odds or accumulator bonuses.
User Experience
Betting on American football online is much easier if you can rely on a user-friendly interface. Unfortunately, you will find many online sportsbooks that don’t really pay attention to their website design, as they often look outdated and sometimes overly complicated.We prefer betting sites that have a clean and simple design, which allows users to navigate through the website easily and find exactly what they want in a matter of a few clicks.
Mobile Betting
The most convenient way to bet these days is by using your mobile device. If you’re not at home or near a PC, you can simply log in to a betting site over your mobile browser or place bets using a mobile betting app.All of our recommended operators are mobile-friendly. They all have well-designed mobile sites optimized for smaller screens, while a good portion of them also has apps that you can download and install on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
Live Betting
Every sports betting site features in-play betting, which is especially popular for NFL games. As time goes by and the score changes, the odds will change accordingly.Live betting is very convenient, and it works well in situations when you want to change your initial pre-match bet or when you have a better insight into the game now that it has already started.
Payment Methods
A quality online betting site should allow you to perform transactions using safe, quick, and convenient payment methods. When rating American football sportsbooks, we always give advantage to those operators that accept as many different payment methods as possible.Of course, the sheer number of banking options is not the only thing that matters, which is why we also look at the things like minimum and maximum deposit and withdrawal limits, available currencies, potential bonus restrictions, withdrawal pending times, and fees.
Customer Support
It’s very important for players to be able to rely on customer support agents if they need any help with using the website. The representatives of sportsbooks on our list can be reached via multiple channels, such as email, phone, or 24/7 live chat. Some betting sites also allow their customers to contact them through social media channels.Is betting on American football in Canada legal?
Online sports betting in Canada has been legalized and regulated in several provinces. However, Canadian-based sports betting sites are not exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to American football betting, especially because it is still illegal to place parlay bets in Canada.
That’s why a lot of Canadians prefer to bet on offshore betting sites. While offshore sportsbooks are technically not legal in Canada, they are not illegal either, as Canadian laws do not explicitly prohibit this type of action.
Top Betting Sports
How to Start Betting on American Football
Are you new to online American football betting? Don’t worry, as getting started is a piece of cake. Here’s everything that you need to do:
Signup To A Sportsbook With American football Markets
Pick a website from the list that we’ve provided.
Head over to that website and create an account.
Make A Deposit
Claim that you want to use the operator’s welcome offer.
Go to the cashier, select a deposit method, and enter the amount you want to deposit.
Once the transaction is completed, the money will show up on your account page.
Make A American football Bet
Browse the list of available sports and click on American football.
Start creating your betting slip. Good luck!
American Football Betting in Canada
Canadians pay close attention to the NFL and support their favourite teams right throughout the 17-week season. A number of Canadians also regularly place bets on the NFL teams they support and sometimes even on other teams if they believe they can win money off them.
A number of reputable sports betting websites such as Bet365, Paddy Power, William Hill, Betfair and 888 Sports offer betting American football betting. These sports betting websites offer betting via their online website and also via a mobile app that is compatible with both Android and mobile platforms.
Some of the bets offered on American football include match betting, total match points, winning margin, tri-bet, handicap betting, alternate handicap, away team total points and home team total points.
Most NFL games run for a little more than an hour but with the number of commercials and timeouts, these games can run for well over two hours. Most sports betting websites offer in-play betting on American football games.
Top American Football Betting Events
It is probably the Super Bowl that most people associate with American Football, and whilst it is true to say that this one annual event does indeed have a huge amount placed and wagered on the outcome of the match, there are plenty of other ways to bet on American Football throughout the year.
In this section of the Betting.ca website, we shall let you know not only which American Football events you can wager on but also what types of wagers you can place and of course present to you are range of our top-rated online betting sites, all of which accept American Football bets and offer some of the best odds around.
National Football League (NFL)
The NFL is the biggest and most popular American football competition in the world. It consists of 32 teams divided into two conferences — the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference and features teams such as the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins.
The NFL season typically lasts for 17 weeks between September usually one week after Labor Day and runs till December, with each team having to play one game a week. After the regular season’s conclusion, the top seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, which are played in a single-game elimination system.
The crown of the NFL season is the Super Bowl, which is one of the biggest single-game sporting events in the world. The Super Bowl usually takes place on the first Sunday of February.
Unlike the NBA, NHL, and MLB, the NFL does not feature any Canadian teams. Nevertheless, plenty of Canadians are die-hard fans of American football and love placing bets on NFL games.
Super Bowl
The biggest sporting event in regards to the American Football Calendar is of course the Super Bowl, however, you can also place wagers through the season on many different American Football teams all of which are in the American Football Conference (AFC), the National Football Conference (NFC) which make up the National Football League (NFL).
The Super Bowl is broadcasted throughout North America and has a history of being one of the most-watched events in every calendar year. The event also results in a massive amount of bets being made both in America and Canada.
The Super Bowl championship generally takes place the following year. This means that the NFL 2016 season will see the final championship take place only during the early part of 2017. The finals usually take place on a Sunday which is often referred to as Super Bowl Sunday.
Types of American Football Bets
The most basic American football betting types are the Moneyline, the point spread, and the totals. These are the three types of bets that almost every sports betting site offers. Still, some of the more sophisticated sportsbooks will give you a chance to explore many other markets that will make your betting experience even more enjoyable.
Even if you’re not familiar with any of the betting types mentioned above, there’s no need to worry. We are about to explain them to you in the simplest way possible, while also using some examples.
Handicaps
Should it look like one of the teams playing cannot possibly lose, then the outright winning odds on that team will be restrictive, however, thanks to Handicap Betting the opposing team is given a head start and as such the odds reflect their chances with this enhanced starting score.
Match Betting
This is probably the most popular type of wager on any American Football sporting fixture. Simply pick out the team you want to win, place your bets and if that team wins then so do you.
Away Team Total Points
For those of you who are looking to get some of the best odds available on any American Football wager, then it is going to be the more exotic types of wagers that you should be placed, if you think you can predict the total points scored by the Away Team, then these types of wagers are renowned for their large payout odds, however, they can be rather hard to predict, hence the large odds given!
First Team to call a Timeout
Another of the more unusual types of American Football betting opportunities is the first team to call a timeout wager, the bet is exactly as its name suggests, and you will find many online and mobile betting sites offering you the ability to place such a wager
Total Points Betting
One final type of American Football betting opportunity that may or may not be of interest to you, but one that can offer some generous winning payout odds is the Total Points wager. This is your chance to correctly guess just how many points will be scored throughout any match, and if correct you will be rewarded with some rather large winning odds.
Moneylines
Two teams are playing against each other, and you need to pick who wins the game. That’s all there is to Moneyline betting, which is why this type of bet is ideal for beginners.
The Moneyline odds can be good if the two teams are evenly matched. However, if there’s a clear favourite, Moneyline automatically becomes less interesting.
For example, the LA Rams are playing the New England Patriots. The odds for the Rams to win are 1.55, while the odds for the Patriots sit at 2.60. This means that the Rams are the favourites, but the game could go either way, and the Patriots winning can bring you a nice payout.
However, the Titans are a much bigger favourite than the Jaguars, and the bookie has given them the odds of 1.10 to win and 7.00 to lose. Therefore, the Titans are very likely to win, which is why you will only get a $1 profit if you decide to bet $10 on them.
Point Spreads
Point spreads are very similar to money lines in the sense that you only need to pick the winner. However, instead of just picking the outright winner, you’ll be allowed to decide whether the team can win or lose by a certain number of points.
For example, if the spread is +6.5 on the Vikings and you take that bet, that means that the Vikings need to win or lose by 6 points or less. Alternatively, if the spread is -6.5, you should hope that the team you backed wins the game by 7 points or more.
Point spreads are a way for the bookie to level out the playing field and make things between two unevenly matched teams more interesting.
Totals (Over/Under)
If you are not certain who will win an NFL game, but you have a good hunch regarding the overall score, you should explore the totals, which are also referred to as the over/under market.
Over/under is another market that only has two possible outcomes. The bookie will set a number, for example, 52.5. If you think there will be a total of 52 points or less in the game, you would bet on under. Alternatively, if you feel like the game might finish with 53 points or more, you should place your money on over.
Just like point spread, the totals are a 50/50 market, meaning that the odds for each outcome will usually be around 1.90.
Halftime and Quarter Bets
Moneyline, point spread, and totals can be wagered on for a full-time result, but they are also available for specific periods of the game. Most bookies will give bettors an opportunity to explore these markets for each of the quarters and halves.
Parlays
Parlays are multiple bets placed on a single betting slip. In order for a parlay to be successful, all bets on your betting slip must be successful as well. If you have a pretty good notion of how all the matches will finish during a Monday night time slot, you can combine them on a single slip and get very good odds.
Note that your parlay bet does not have to feature the same betting market for every game you plan to put on your betting slip. Instead, you can place a Moneyline bet on the first game, a point spread on the second one, and an over/under bet on the third one.
Also, parlays can work across different sports, so you can combine your American football bets with basketball or ice hockey.
Futures
At any given moment during or before the NFL season, you can bet on which team you think will win the next Super Bowl. This can be a very hard bet to guess, but that’s exactly why the odds tend to be high.
Apart from guessing the outright winner of the competition, you can also bet on individual player rewards, such as the MVP, Rookie of the Year (both offence and defence), Defensive Players of the Year, and more.
Future bets also allow you to predict whether a certain team will make the playoffs or when they are going to be eliminated.
Proposition Bets (Props)
Props are the bets that include various scenarios during the game. For example, you can bet on which quarter you think will have the most points, how many touchdowns will be scored, the number of total passing yards recorded by a quarterback, which team scores first, which player scores the first touchdown and others.
Different Types of American Football Betting Bonuses
Essentially, there are three types of sports betting bonuses that can be used on American football — cash bonuses, free bets, and money-back promotions.
Cash Bonuses
Cash bonuses are usually given to players upon signup, but they can also come in the form of reload bonuses that are designed to be used after you’re finished with your welcome offer.
In any case, cash bonuses are given as a certain percentage of your initial deposit. For example, if the sportsbook offers 150% up to $200, that means that if you deposit the maximum amount of $200, you will get another $300 in the form of a bonus.
Of course, you won’t be able to withdraw the bonus money right away, as it’s only meant for wagering. You can only cash out once you complete the wagering requirements.
Free Bets
Free bets are the most common type of online sports betting bonuses. They come in the form of bonus cash as well, but unlike regular cash bonuses, their size is the same regardless of your deposit amount. Also, some bookies might offer free bets immediately after you’ve signed up, without requiring a deposit.
To get a free bet, the bookie might ask you to place a qualifying bet that has a minimum odds requirement first. Once that bet has settled, you will get to claim your free bet credits. If your free bet is unsuccessful, it’s no biggie, as you got that bet for free anyway.
But if your free bet is a winning one, you get to keep the profit. Of course, before you are allowed to cash out your free bet winnings, you will have to meet the wagering requirements.
Money Back
Money-back is an increasingly popular sports betting promotion as of late. It’s basically a win-win bet, but there’s a catch.
If you win a bet during the money-back promotion period, you win as usual, but if you lose, the bookie will give you your stake back. However, the money that is given back to you won’t be withdrawable and instead will come in the form of a free bet that has its own set of requirements.
Tips and Strategies for Betting on American Football
Here are a few general American football betting tips that you should consider before creating your betting slip:
- Don’t be biased — Always bet with your head, not your heart. We understand that you might be a big fan of a certain football club, but don’t let your emotions get in the way.
- Follow the analysis — Keep up with stats to try and figure out certain trends, like how a certain team plays at home as opposed to away, the head-to-head history between the teams, how a certain team performed in the last few weeks, etc.
- Pay close attention – to player transfers, new sign-ups, player suspensions and injuries both before and during the season
- Take the time to study – the past 3 seasons and see how the team you want to bet on has performed
- Check the injury reports — Only one player getting injured can mess up the entire team’s structure. See which players have missed practice over the last few weeks and whether they are likely to return for the next game.
- Make use of in-play betting to hedge your bets.
- Explore different kinds of bets — Try and diversify your wagers to see which bets sit with you the best.
- Gamble responsibly — Never bet with money that you shouldn’t spend. Establish a reasonable bankroll and stick to it.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this guide has been useful and that you’ve learned some things that you previously didn’t know about American football betting.
If you think that you are ready to start placing bets on the NFL, take another look at our list of the best American football sportsbooks in Canada and take your pick. Good luck!
American Football Betting FAQ
