Canada’s Best Basketball Betting Sites in 2024

Any time you visit a basketball betting site, you’ll be greeted by a broad swathe of different opportunities to get involved in the action.

Whether you're used to decimal, American-style moneyline or British fractional odds, our Odds Calculator below is the ideal tool to help you.

Some of the most popular basketball bets are:

• 

  The moneyline

  This is the most straightforward way to bet on basketball. All you do is select which side you think you will win. Moneyline odds are displayed as follows:

  • The favourite will have a number preceded by a minus. So, if this is -150, you have to bet C$150 to win C$100.
  • The underdog will have a number preceded by a plus. If this is +240, you will win C$240 for a C$100 bet.
• 

  Total points – over or under

  The sportsbook sets a total number of points the teams will score. You then decide whether you think there will be more or fewer than that, and bet accordingly.

  Over-under is highly popular. It’s worth bearing in mind most sports fans want to see an exciting game, so they back the overs. That means there can be good value in the unders.

• 

  Point spread

  Also known as handicap betting. The sportsbook sets a margin between the teams and, if you think the favoured team will win by more than that, you back them.

  If, however, you reckon the underdog will win, or that the favourites will win by less than a spread, you bet the other way.

• 

  Quarter bets

  You can bet on total points in each quarter, and on which team will score more points in it.

• 

  Prop bets

  Proposition bets are not based on the outcome of a game, but on events that might happen within it.

  For instance, you might have an opinion on which side or player will score first, or whether or not the team to score first will also win the match.

• 

  Future bets

  If you are sure a team is going to win their conference, or even the championship, you’ll be able to bet on them well in advance. The further in advance you do this, the more attractive your odds should be.

• 

  Parlays

  Also known as accumulators, here you bet on the outcome of more than one game. You can win big for small stakes – but every result has to come in for you to collect.

The betting industry is highly competitive, so sportsbooks are always looking for innovative ways to attract customers. They want people who will join them and become loyal clients.

One trusted method of drawing in clients is bonuses. They fall into three categories:

• 

  Welcome Bonus

  • The moment you become a new customer of a sportsbook, you get a free bet or a multiple of your initial deposit
  • It is unusual for a sportsbook not to offer a welcome bonus these days, such is the competitiveness of the market in which they operate
  • Be sure to check the T&Cs forensically so you can be sure the bonus you are getting really matches the big headline
• 

  Enhanced Odds

  • If there’s a big event on the way, it’s worth looking out for an offer of enhanced odds
  • In most cases these apply to the result of the game, but occasionally they apply to another popular market
  • Existing customers tend to be offered these enhanced odds, as well as new customers. However, stake limits may apply
• 

  VIP Club

  • A persuasive way for sportsbooks to incentivize their regular bettors to remain loyal is by inviting them to join a VIP club
  • Customers who are targeted in this way are encouraged to feel special and valued
  • The VIP status can earn you free bets, special offers or enhanced price that may not be available to less established customers

• 

  National Basketball Association (the NBA)

  National Basketball Association (the NBA)

  The NBA is the pinnacle of the sport, the ultimate target for every aspiring player. There are 30 teams, 29 in the United States and one, the Toronto Raptors, in Canada.

  There are two conferences, with five teams in each. They all play 82 games in the regular season, with the top eight in each conference going forward to the playoffs, with the best-of-seven NBA finals to follow.

  Explore our NBA odds guide for more information about how odds work in the NBA.

• 

  EuroLeague

  EuroLeague

  This is basketball’s answer to soccer’s Champions League. The best 16 European clubs face each other in midweek, between their weekend domestic league programmes.

  There’s also a EuroCup, a level below the EuroLeague. The winners of that go into the EuroLeague the following season.

• 

  Liga ACB

  Liga ACB

  Basketball commands a massive following in Spain, and the league there is one of the finest outside the NBA.

  It has been dominated for decades – much like soccer’s La Liga – by Real Madrid and Barcelona. The league has also produced several NBA All-Stars.

• 

  Turkish Basketball Super League

  Turkish Basketball Super League

  Enormous investment has seen the stature of the Turkish league rocket in recent years.

  There are 16 teams in the league. Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce, both based in Istanbul, are two of the best outfits in Europe.

• 

  Chinese Basketball Association

  Chinese Basketball Association

  The CBA is regarded as the top level of professional basketball in Asia. The sport has grown incredibly fast in the country over the past 20 years.

  Its 20 teams play each other once at home and once on the road. The season concludes with the CBA Championship Series.