Sports Betting British Columbia
William Hill is a British bookmaker with a history of being an old-school and elite sportsbook. William Hill has established itself as a multi-national sportsbook long ago but now enters the American sports betting market with tons of respect. British Columbia Sports Betting Laws In the Gaming Control Act of 2002, The British Columbia Lottery and Gaming Corporation was awarded the ability to offer sports betting products as a part of their.
British Columbia is a great province for sports betting. The Vancouver Canucks have had success in the NHL over the past decade, while the BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps FC provide residents with plenty of entertainment and professional teams to root for during the summer months.
BC residents are also some of the luckiest in the country when it comes to online sports betting because their government run sports betting site PlayNow.com is actually a reasonable site with odds that compete with the other online sportsbooks rather than just a money grab like so many of the other provinces sports betting lotteries. There is a spot for PlayNow alongside our recommended sportsbooks for BC residents, which is something I cannot say for any other province.
Best Betting Sites for BC Residents
Here are the best 3 online sportsbooks for BC residents. Each of these sportsbooks is dedicated to building their Canadian market share which means great bonuses, promotions, customer service and betting options that are geared towards Canadian bettors.
These sites are great as either alternatives to betting through PlayNow.com or as compliments to PlayNow in order to compare odds, take advantage of their bonuses and be able to bet with fewer restrictions.
- 1100% up to $200
- Licensed and regulated in Canada
- Easy deposits & withdrawals including Interac
- Competitive betting lines
- 2100% up to $200
- Exclusive to Canadians
- Easy to use deposit options including Interac and Bitcoin
- Wide variety of betting lines
- 3See Website for Details
- Most popular betting site worldwide
- State of the art live betting platform including streaming of several events
- Fixed odds for horse racing
PlayNow.com
As I said before there is a place for Play Now in the sports betting site portfolio of British Columbia bettors. The odds are comparable to those of our recommended sportsbooks, which came as a surprise to me as I hail from Ontario where the OLG pays out close to half of what the online sportsbooks do. On some occasions the odds from PlayNow were the better than the odds at my recommended sportsbooks, so I do suggest opening a PlayNow account to compliment your accounts with the other sportsbooks. There are still restrictions such as not being allowed to bet on single games and not receiving a sign up bonus like our recommended sportsbooks, but overall I do see some benefit in at least having an account with PlayNow.
PlayNow.com is very similar to an actual online sportsbook. You log into your account, select the type of games you are looking to bet on from the sidebar and place your bets. They offer a wide variety of betting options including many different types of bets on individual games, prop bets, futures bets and more.
I am impressed with PlayNow.com when compared with the government run betting options of other provinces. It’s an easy to use site with comparable odds to my 3 recommended sportsbooks. That said, the issue remains that you are forced to bet parlays (no single game bets) and there is no sign up bonus to pad your bankroll out of the gate.
Sports Action
With PlayNow coming to the forefront of the BCLC’s sports betting offerings it is easy to forget about Sports Action which was the only method of sports betting offered by the BC government for many years. Sports Action is still running strong and is the offline betting option for BC residents. You will be able to still bet via Sports Action at any lottery outlet throughout the province.
The Sports Action betting options include Oddset 3-outcome, Oddset 2-outcome, point spread, over/under and props. In order to wager you fill out your selection slip at the lottery retailer and get your ticket printed by the store. It’s important to note that Sports Action odds are far worse than those you will find online at either Play Now or any of the recommended sports betting sites. Check out the dedicated Sports Action page for more information.
Major Sports Teams in British Columbia
British Columbia is home to three major sports teams, all located in Vancouver.
- BC Lions – CFL
- Vancouver Canucks – NHL
- Vancouver Whitecaps – MLS
Horse Race Betting in British Columbia
- Fraser Downs Racetrack, Surrey.
- Hastings Racecourse, Vancouver.
Since Canada has allowed all its provinces and territories to regulate all forms of gambling within their borders, British Columbia, the third most populous province, quickly made sure every form of gambling, including sports betting, became legal.
In this text, we will tell you all about the legal aspect of sports betting on the territory of British Columbia, and also mention online betting on offshore betting sites. To learn more, keep reading!
Sports Betting Sites for British Columbia
| # | Sportsbook | Bonus | Play |
| 1 | 888Sport | Sign Up Bonus100% up toC$200 + $10 Casino Bonus | |
| 2 | Betzest | No Deposit Bonus$/€ 5 | |
| 3 | Bet365 Casino | ||
| 4 | Bodog | Sign Up Bonus150% up toC$ 900 | |
| 5 | 10Bet Casino | Sign Up Bonus100% up toC$ 150 + 25 Spins |
Legal Framework of Gambling in British Columbia — Is Sports Betting Legal?
According to the Gaming Control Act of 2002, betting on sports is legal in British Columbia. Players are free to place bets on their favourite sports events as long as the platforms where they do so are properly licensed and regulated.
The residents of British Columbia also have the right to open an account and place a bet on sports on any of the licensed offshore online betting sites as there is no specific law that prohibits such activity. This is a proven fact as there has been no public record of any player being prosecuted for betting in international online sportsbooks.
Yet, there are some sports wagering laws that don’t differ much from one province to another. The most famous one includes the prohibition of single-game wagers, meaning that all sports wagers must be placed in the form of parlays and with at least two selections on a single betting slip.
Another important rule is that players from this province must be at least 19 years old to bet on sports in state-provided sportsbooks. However, 18-year-old British Columbia residents can open accounts with offshore bookies.
British Columbia Sports Betting Statistics
Landbased
The following are statistics for landbased sports betting that took place in Alberta from 2003 to 2020 (Note: current data for 2020 are estimates).
| Year | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horeserace | $49.0m | $49.0m | $49.1m | $42.2m | $50.4m | $50.2m | $45.9m | $42.8m | $40.6m | $38.8m |
| Sports | $9.0m | $10.0m | $8.7m | $11.5m | $13.6m | $14.6m | $15.9m | $15.3m | $14.8m | $15.4m |
| Total Betting | $58.0m | $59.1m | $57.8m | $53.6m | $64.1m | $64.8m | $61.8m | $58.1m | $55.4m | $54.2m |
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horeserace | $36.0m | $33.5m | $27.6m | $25.8m | $21.0m | $16.8m | $14.0m | $7.7m |
| Sports | $16.9m | $17.6m | $17.4m | $21.6m | $22.5m | $22.8m | $26.5m | $25.6m |
| Total Betting | $53.0m | $51.1m | $45.0m | $47.4m | $43.5m | $39.7m | $40.5m | $33.3m |
Contrary to betting online, landbased betting has decreased recently with 2020 showing the lowest activity of all time (most likely due to covid-19).
Interactive Gaming (Betting Online)
Compared to landbased sports betting, betting online has shown slow but steady growth since 2003.
| Year | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Betting Online | $68.59 | $71.42 | $71.99 | $69.69 | $83.36 | $84.64 | $84.66 | $83.88 | $88.02 | $92.64 |
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Betting Online | $85.75 | $87.74 | $87.10 | $92.64 | $93.26 | $94.66 | $97.75 | $89.78 |
How Does Sports Betting Work in British Columbia?
Players from British Columbia who want to legally bet on sports can do so by visiting PlayNow, a site operated by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation that is a state-regulated betting platform.
In order to place a bet on this website, you must first sign up by providing a valid address in British Columbia, email address, as well as a bank account or credit card registered on the same address.
Some of the most popular teams with players from British Columbia include the Canucks (NHL), Whitecaps FC (MLS), BC Lions (CFL), and Pacific FC. On PlayNow, you can place offers straight bets, point spread, over/under bets, and more.
Sports Betting British Columbia Post
However, there is no option to place a single-game wager — all bets must be placed in the form of a parlay and contain a minimum of three and a maximum of six straight bets. Also, on the slip, there can be 10 over/under bets or 12 point spreads.
Also, there are limits when it comes to the size of each bet, with the maximum total bet amount of $100 for a straight bet parlay. In case you are interested in placing single-game bets, you can place them on offshore betting sites as they impose no limitations on this betting type.
When it comes to the most popular bets in British Columbia, they include:
- Match or event winner with 3 outcomes — a bet that allows BC bettors to guess the potential winner of a game as well as whether the match will end in a tie.
- Match or event winner with 2 outcomes — betting on the winner of the game only (tie bet not available).
- Point spread — this bet allows punters to predict both the winner of the game as well as how many points, goals, or strokes a team will score.
- Over/under — by placing this type of bet, players from British Columbia can try to predict if the overall number of points or goals in the game will go over or under the given margin.
Are Offshore Sports Betting Sites Illegal in British Columbia?
Placing wagers on offshore betting sites from British Columbia is a legal grey area. In the law governing online gambling in the province, there is nothing that clearly prevents residents of British Columbia from playing on offshore betting sites. The law actually concerns offshore gambling operators as they have to comply with specific terms and conditions.
Namely, offshore online bookies are not supposed to advertise their services to residents of British Columbia, or Canadian citizens in general. However, although they are not promoting their services in the country, international betting sites still accept Canadian players and allow them to create accounts.
Furthermore, offshore betting sites are not allowed to be physically located on Canadian soil and run their operations from there.
British Betting Firm
Therefore, as long as a given site respects and follows these two rules, and you manage to create an account on it, you are free to place bets and enjoy online gaming on an international sports betting site from British Columbia.