Online Sports Betting in 2020

With so many sports betting sites to choose from in Canada, you need to know how odds work. How can you tell which team is favourite?

Moneyline odds are popular with sportsbooks in North America. We’re going to explain how to read these and other ways of expressing prices.

• 

  Match Odds

  This is how you read moneyline odds. Teams will have a minus or plus sign in front of them.

  Those with a negative number, for instance -250, are favourites. That’s how much you must stake to make $100 profit.

  A team with a positive number, meanwhile, are the underdogs. This indicates how much you win off a $100 stake.

  For example, if Toronto Raptors are +300 to win an NBA game, you make $300 profit, plus your $100 stake back for $400 total returns.

  Eg:

  Cleveland
  Cavaliers

  -250

  

  v

  Toronto
  Raptors

  +300

  
• 

  Spread betting

  You’ll also find spread betting on Canadian sportsbooks. These simplify sports gambling on events where one team or player is clearly superior to the other.

  You are betting on your chosen team or player to win by so many points. The spread is set by sportsbook traders.

  For example, Toronto Maple Leafs are listed with a -2 spread. They have to win by two or more points for a bet to come off.

  Eg:

  Toronto
  Marple Leafs
  -2

  4.50

  

  v

  Minnesota
  Wild
  +2

  4.50

  
• 

  Fractions & Decimals

  The best sports gambling sites allow you to toggle how odds are expressed. Besides the American moneyline, prices can also be in fractions and decimals.

  Fractional odds show you winnings and the stake either side of the dividing line. For example, 15/2 is a $2 bet to win $15 for total returns of $17.

  Decimal odds include the stake rather than separate it from winnings. For instance, 8.50 is the same as 15/2, as a $1 bet gives returns of $8.50.

  Eg:

  Bet: $2
  Win: $15
  Return: $17

  15/2

  v

  Bet: $1
  Win: $7.50
  Return: $8.50

  8.50