If you want to get started with British Columbia sports betting, there is a lot you are going to need to know. It is a process, particularly if you are an inexperienced bettor. The first step in the BC betting process is to register for an account. This is something that shouldn’t take bettors very long, but it is necessary to use a sportsbook.
The registration process will depend on the sportsbook you use, whether it is an offshore betting site or PlayNow. Either way, it will require personal information like your name, date of birth, address, and contact information. Some sportsbooks will require that you verify this information to ensure that you are who you say you are and that you are based in British Columbia.
Once this is done, you can get started on the rest of your BC gambling journey. Below, we will provide some of the other crucial information necessary to start betting successfully.
British Columbia Betting Banking Options
Before you start betting, you need to fill your account with money. This is part of getting the funds necessary to place bets. To do this, bettors must go through the banking process with the sportsbook of their choosing. The banking process should be seamless and efficient, as sportsbooks and users benefit from making it as easy as possible for users to put money in their accounts.
Before banking with an operator, you should always check their licensing, reputation, and security. Banking involves inputting sensitive payment information into a sportsbook, and if they can’t be trusted, then this can be a huge mistake for bettors.
However, most BC sportsbooks that you’ll find in the province, whether they are provincially-ran like PlayNow or offshore sites like Bet365, can be relied upon to keep your money and information safe and honor payouts. It is just always important to double-check.
There are many different payment methods that the average bettor might consider using on BC betting sites. Let’s look at the popular payment options for British Columbia sports betting.
- Credit/Debit: This is the most common deposit method. Bettors simply use their credit or debit cards to deposit online, inputting the number on the card into the website. Transaction speeds tend to be medium.
- Interac: This is a transaction method many Canadians value for its ease and simplicity. Bettors can send e-transfers through Interac to a betting site and have the money very quickly show up on their account.
- E-Wallets: E-Wallets are virtual devices designed to securely hold online payments. Many sportsbooks take a variety of e-wallets, including Skrill, Neteller, and ecoPayz. One downside to e-wallets is that some sportsbooks won’t pay out bonuses with e-wallet transactions.
- Cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency has recently become a popular sports betting payment option that websites across the country accept, although not every betting site does. The big benefit of crypto transactions is that they are very fast for both deposits and withdrawals.
- Web Cash Deposits: Web Cash Deposits are a way of depositing with PlayNow. Bettors purchase Web Cash cards of varying amounts with cash. These cards come with a scratch-off code on the back. When bettors want to deposit with PlayNow, they scratch the code and input the details into the website.
Popular Sports to Bet on British Columbia
British Columbia is a province that is crazy for sports. BC sports betting fans lay down wagers on a hugely diverse array of different sports and leagues, so there is no question that any good BC gambling site should have a lot of different options available. Let’s look at some of the most popular sports in the province that bettors enjoy wagering on.
- Hockey: In every province in Canada, everything starts and ends with hockey. Hockey is hugely popular in British Columbia due to the presence of the Vancouver Canucks, and naturally, many BC natives love to wager on the sport. Most sportsbooks will have NHL odds and cover other leagues around the world. Here you can find more information about NHL betting
- Football: Many BC natives live not far from the US border, and Americans' passion for football has reached BC. Sundays in British Columbia are dominated by the NFL, and many of the top BC betting sites will provide markets on the NFL, CFL, and NCAA.
- Baseball: British Columbia has never had a professional MLB team play in the province, but there are still many residents of BC that love the sport. Betting on baseball is highly common, particularly in the summer, when other leagues have wrapped up. Most sportsbooks cover the MLB and other leagues from Asia to Mexico.
- Basketball: While the Vancouver Grizzlies no longer exist, BC residents’ passion for the great sport of basketball remains as strong as it ever has. BC bettors love wagering on NBA action, and there are few sportsbooks that won’t take NBA bets. Many operators also cover the NCAA and leagues spanning the globe.
- Soccer: The Vancouver Whitecaps have helped stir up BC’s passion for soccer, and many BC residents enjoy wagering on this highly popular global sport. Every sportsbook will have soccer odds and most cover leagues on every inhabited continent.
- Combat Sports: Combat sports are thrilling to bet on, and professional boxing and the UFC seemingly always have impactful upcoming bouts. BC residents can find odds on combat sports in most available sportsbooks.
Most Popular Markets
Bettors don’t just enjoy wagering on sports; there are also markets within the sports that draw major interest. If you are not familiar with betting markets, they are the outcomes that bettors are wagering on within a game or league. They are lines that bettors stake their money on to either happen or not happen.
There are many kinds of markets that are popular amongst bettors. Let’s look at some of the ones most common with British Columbia sports betting sites.
💰 Moneyline: A Moneyline bet is when bettors pick a team to win a match straight up. If you bet a team on the Moneyline, you’ve picked them to win their game.
💰 Point Spread: The point spread is a line that shows the projected score differential in favor of a team. Bettors can bet for the spread, meaning the favored team exceeds that differential, or against it, meaning they won’t.
💰 Total: The total is a line that represents the total combined points/goals/runs between two teams in a game. Bettors can pick the over, meaning the two teams score more than the line, or the under, meaning they score less.
💰 Futures: Futures are long-term bets within a league that is settled over the course of a season or playoffs. They are things like which player will win MVP or which team will win a championship.
💰 Game Props: Game props are the most expansive type of bet. They are outcomes within a game tied into a team or teams that can be entirely random. Game props can include things like which team will score more runs in the third inning, the combined amount of penalties between both teams, and so on.
💰 Player Props: Player props are like game props but for individuals rather than teams. They are bets on a single player’s performance within a game. It can be something like which player will score the first goal/touchdown or bets on an over/under assist total for a player in a game.
💰 Parlays: Parlays are when bettors tie multiple bets into one single bet. Each bet within the parlay needs to hit for the parlay to cash. Parlays have a higher risk but higher rewards. The odds within parlays multiply so they can have huge payouts.
💰 Live Betting: Live betting is when bettors place bets on games that have already started. The odds update throughout the game according to what is happening on the field/court/rink; if one team scores, their odds of winning will be immediately upgraded.
Other Bets
Most sports betting websites won’t just take bets on sporting events but will also cover other types of betting areas for bettors. While you won’t find coverage of everything, like sportsbooks don’t typically cover Canadian university sports, many BC betting sites have some very unique things bettors can wager on. Let’s look at some fun non-sport betting options.
- Cinema: Bettors can place bets on different cinema results. They can wager on different things like box office results or award show results, betting on who will win Academy Awards or Golden Globes.
- Esports: Esports has become increasingly popular due to the relevance of online streaming and the popularity of video games. Bettors can wager on different video game tournaments on an array of different sportsbooks.
- Politics: Betting on politics is a common option on betting sites. Bettors can wager who Canada’s next prime minister will be, which Republican will receive the party nomination in 2024, and so on.