Menu

NBA betting guide for 2024

NBA betting online in Canada is huge. Our expert guide brings you the top NBA betting sites, best bets and betting tips.
Odds comparison
Betting sites
Best bets
Betting tips
NFL stats
FAQs

NBA odds, schedules & scores

Games Open betway logo 888sport logo pinnacle logo bet365 logo betvictor logo
Previous
1
Next
Teams Open betway logo 888sport logo pinnacle logo bet365 logo betvictor logo
Previous
1
Next
Previous
1
Next

Our top NBA betting sites in Canada

19+ only. Game responsibly. T&Cs apply
Canada’s top sportsbook
1
4.5 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Excellent
C$200 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 100%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 24 hrs

Pros

  • Check icon Dozens of sports to bet on
  • Check icon Dedicated sports betting app
  • Check icon Specific esports promotions

Cons

  • Check icon FAQs section is lacking

Payments

interac payment method instadebit payment method idebit payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method muchbetter payment method
2
4.1 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Great
N/A Bonus
  • Check icon Games: 1,500+
  • Check icon Win Rate: 96.20%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 1-5 days

Pros

  • Check icon Mobile apps for Android and iOS
  • Check icon eSports betting markets
  • Check icon 24/7 live chat

Cons

  • Check icon Poor VIP program
  • Check icon Live chat only in English
  • Check icon Not many payment methods

Payments

mastercard payment method visa payment method maestro payment method skrill payment method neteller payment method paypal payment method
Best navigation
3
4.3 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Great

Coming soon

C$1,000 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 97.17%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 24 hrs
Play Now

Coming soon

Pros

  • Check icon Very modern sportsbook
  • Check icon Low bonus wager requirement
  • Check icon Personalized sports betting

Cons

  • Check icon Promotions aren’t so regular

Payments

idebit payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method muchbetter payment method paysafecard payment method ecopayz payment method
TopList Banner Lock Icon
Enjoy a safe & fun experience We only list fully licensed and regulated sites.
TopList Banner Certification Gambling Commission Logo TopList Banner Certification Mga Logo TopList Banner Certification eCogra Logo
Best promotions
4
4.2 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Great
C$300 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 100%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 24 hrs

Pros

  • Check icon Large sports betting selection
  • Check icon Dedicated sports betting app
  • Check icon Huge selection of promotions

Cons

  • Check icon No live chat support

Payments

interac payment method instadebit payment method idebit payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method muchbetter payment method
5
3.8 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Good
C$500 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 100%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 48 hrs

Pros

  • Check icon Leading sports odds
  • Check icon Fast and easy to navigate
  • Check icon Daily promos & free bets

Cons

  • Check icon No live streaming available

Payments

interac payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method paysafecard payment method muchbetter payment method
New sportsbook
6
3.9 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Good
C$200 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 100%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 1-3 days

Pros

  • Check icon Multiple live betting options
  • Check icon Very appealing site design
  • Check icon Quick payout times

Cons

  • Check icon Deposit & withdrawal fees
  • Check icon Customer support is not 24/7

Payments

interac payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method muchbetter payment method paysafecard payment method ecopayz payment method
Best racebook
7
4.1 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Great
C$125 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 97.22%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 3 days

Pros

  • Check icon Refer-a-friend bonus offer
  • Check icon Stylish sportsbook design
  • Check icon Separate racebook section

Cons

  • Check icon Few esports betting options

Payments

interac payment method echeck payment method instadebit payment method idebit payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method
Best betting odds
8
3.9 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Good
None Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 100%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 5 days

Pros

  • Check icon Lowest margin sports odds
  • Check icon Dedicated esports section
  • Check icon Multi View live betting option

Cons

  • Check icon Lack of bonuses & promos
  • Check icon No horse racing betting

Payments

interac payment method echeck payment method instadebit payment method idebit payment method visa payment method mastercard payment method
Best for esports
9
4.0 /5
Info icon
OGCA's expert team carefully reviews online casinos based on various criteria, including: security, payout speed, win rate, bonuses. Find out more.
Great
C$300 Bonus
  • Check icon Win Rate: 100%
  • Check icon Payout Speed: 1-2 days

Pros

  • Check icon 1,000 daily sports events
  • Check icon Dedicated esports section
  • Check icon 24/7 customer support

Cons

  • Check icon Limited VIP program

Payments

visa payment method mastercard payment method paysafecard payment method ecopayz payment method trustly payment method bitcoin payment method
See our 100+ reviews

How NBA betting odds work

Want to learn how to bet money on NBA games? Here at OGCA, we consider ourselves experts in all forms of sports betting and can help you get started by showing you how NBA betting odds work. To that end, let’s talk about how to read NBA odds by reviewing the betting line for Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals:

Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
Point Spread
-5.0 (1.91)
Moneyline
1.45
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
Point Spread
+5.0 (1.91)
Moneyline
2.90

The Suns are the five-point favourite in the game. This means to win a bet against the spread, they need to win by more than five points. Our odds calculator below will show you that it will take a C$110 bet to win C$100. But if you were confident in the Bucks and go for the moneyline, had they won, a C$100 bet would have resulted in you winning C$290 (a C$190 profit plus what you originally staked).

Try out our NBA odds calculator below to work out other types of odds, betting stakes and potential winnings:

NBA best bets & betting options

Novice bettors among you may not be aware of the many ways in which you can bet on the NBA. Of course, to stand the best chance of winning, you need to be able to recognize the various NBA bet types for wagering real money.

Check out some of the most popular below:

Moneyline bets

A popular form of basketball wagering, the moneyline bet is simply wagering on which team will win. But to really understand how it works, it helps to have moneyline NBA betting explained.

When you make this type of bet, you’re betting that one team will win outright, so you may just want to pick the favourite. Betting on the underdog is the riskier choice, as oddmakers have already predicted this team isn’t going to win. Then again, the rewards are always greater.

For instance, had the Bucks won Game One of the 2021 NBA Finals, a bet on the moneyline would have resulted in you winning C$290. On the other hand, fans that bet on the Suns needed to bet C$222 to win C$100.

Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
1.45
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
2.90

Point spreads

To account for one team being better than the other on paper, sportsbooks will set a point spread to level the playing field. The better team, represented by a minus sign, has to win by more than the point spread offered by the sportsbook.

Meanwhile, the underdog – represented by a plus sign – has to win the game outright or lose by an amount smaller than the point spread. Bets like this are often referred to as ‘against the spread’ (ATS).

Take the example we used earlier. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Suns were expected to win by five points. Since they won by 13, bettors that backed the Suns to win against the spread won their wagers.

Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
-5.0 (1.91)
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
+5.0 (1.91)

Over/under bets

Rather than picking one team to win, bettors will sometimes feel more comfortable going for an over/under NBA bet – also known as a totals bet. Instead of choosing a winner, you decide whether you think the final combined score will be more or less than a given number.

For example, for the NBA Finals game, the total was listed as 219.5 points. You could therefore choose for the combined total to be over or under that amount.

O 219.5
1.91
U 219.5
1.91

Props bets

NBA prop bets, or proposition bets, are wagers fans can make on aspects of a game other than the final outcome. It’s not unusual to see over 100 of these bets for any given game during the regular season. Prop bets will almost always be listed as totals (over/under) bets.

Some common prop bets are:

  • Alternate spreads
  • Who scores first basket for each team in the game/each quarter/each half
  • Halftime score
  • Score by quarters
  • How many shots a player or team will make/miss
  • Number of three pointers by a particular player or team
  • Number of assists/rebounds by a particular player or team

NBA futures bets

As you’ve probably guessed, NBA futures are bets made on the outcome of events happening in the future. Some of the more popular futures bets include betting on conference winners, division winners, the NBA championship winner, as well as various awards.

Parlay betting

NBA parlays are a great way to increase your winnings, but be aware that they also mean taking on additional risk. The potential to win will increase exponentially with each leg you add to the bet.

A leg can be a bet on the moneyline for one game, against the spread for another and the over/under from a different matchup. Most sportsbooks will also let you do same game parlays with each leg consisting of different prop bets (number of assists by Player A, points by Player B, and combined assists/rebounds by Player C).

Parlays can be as long as the sportsbook allows, but remember: you can win eight legs of a nine-leg parlay, but losing one leg means you lost the bet!

Live betting

NBA betting continues even when matches are in-play thanks to live betting. Top NBA betting sites will offer you live markets to gamble on, offering odds for things like the spread, moneyline, the final score, etc, as the game progresses. Be aware that odds shift constantly based on what happens on the basketball court.

Sal Vetri's expert NBA betting tips

Sal Vetri
Sal Vetri, Sports Betting Expert

Our sports expert Sal Vetri has provided the following NBA betting tips, to help you place smart bets and find the best NBA betting picks:


1
Be aware of the TWO best times to place an NBA bet.

The two most opportunistic times to place a wager on the NBA are the moment the betting lines hit the marketplace and the moment after an injury is announced to a key player for any given team.

  • Once the NBA betting lines open, this is the friendliest time to place a bet. The lines are now ‘soft’, meaning there is not much action (money) being placed yet. During this time, you have the ability to get the side of the bet you like before the market and professional bettors influence that line (line movement/changes).
  • Moments after an injury is the most advantageous time to place an NBA bet. It’s a common trend for teams not to announce injured/resting players until moments before tip (and sometimes after). This puts Vegas and the books at an extreme disadvantage. Following accounts like Fantasy Labs NBA on Twitter is the best way to get an information edge over the books. Be aware that you may only have two to three minutes to place a bet before the books change the line due to injury/rest.
2
Incorporate game pace into your over/under picks, its essential.
  • Pace refers to the number of possessions per team during a game. When choosing Overs, target games where two teams are in the top-10 in average pace per game. These pace statistics can be found on numerous basketball information sites for free. Now, Vegas ‘attempts’ to incorporate the pace into its lines, but many argue there’s an edge in targeting fast-paced games. In the 2018-2019 season, the NBA saw its fastest paced season by a wide margin. The league average pace rose by over 4 possessions per game. Vegas was inefficient in being able to quantify and keep up with just how fast the teams were playing. Teams will likely continue to play faster, and we can continue to take advantage of the lack of data Vegas is working with when it sets its Over/Unders.
  • You can project game pace using the following equation: (Team A Pace – League Avg. Pace) + (Team B – League Avg. Pace) + League Avg. Pace
3
As with any investment, be sure you’re getting the best deal.

Shopping your lines is essential in NBA betting. Now, shopping your lines has a few components.

  • First, you can shop the vig of the line. The vig is what you see next to each line. For example, (-110) is the vig. You want to make sure that (-110) is the best number you can find. In a vacuum it might seem great, but after some research you may be able to find a (-105) line. This means you only have to bet C$105 to win C$100, compared to C$110 to win C$100 with the original line you found. Less risk. These numbers add up over the long haul of a bettor’s career and can be the difference between profitable years and years of losses.
  • The second way to shop in Vegas is by shopping the actual line itself. If you think a favourited team is going to win, then you’ll want to find the sportsbook offering the lowest spread for that favourite. Maybe the first line you see has the Lakers as a -5 favourite. If you are a Lakers backer on this night, it would be smart of you to look and see if any other books are offering a Lakers -4.5 or Lakers -4 line.
  • Shopping lines is crucial in NBA betting, as the lines you want are rather easy to find if you put the effort in.
4
Take advantage of player prop bets.
  • Vegas is most inefficient at projecting player props, and they just so happen to be the softest lines (least money on them), due to professionals having strict betting limits on these types of bets. The stricter limits for professionals on these types of bets should be a clear indicator that Vegas is not confident it can consistently beat sharp/smart bettors on player props.
  • Start by identifying some point guards in high pace games. These guards are usually in an elite tempo environment, where points, assists and rebounds are likely to occur faster than Vegas can accurately project them to.

Best NBA teams to bet on

When picking a team to bet on, either for a certain match or championship, we recommend doing your homework and finding out any NBA betting data info and data.

For the regular season, a review of last year’s playoffs and regular season is a great place to start. That way, you can get a good idea of the teams ready to compete now, the teams to watch and which ones might slide down.

The current NBA champions are the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to their win, the Los Angeles Lakers were defending champs. In recent years, the most successful team has been the Golden State Warriors. They appeared in the NBA Finals from 2015-2019, winning three times. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are tied for the most wins with 17 each.

Regularly looking at expert picks and NBA betting predictions is also great way to increase your chances of winning real money. Some of the NBA basketball betting tips we recommend here at OGCA are looking at team form, NBA rankings, head-to-head history and player injuries.

NBA stats & info

NBA 2021-22 dates
  • Training camp starts— September 28, 2021
  • Regular season starts— October 19, 2021
  • All Star Game—February 20, 2022
  • Regular season ends—April 13, 2022
  • Playoffs begin (first round)—April 16, 2022
  • NBA Finals begin— June 2, 2022
  • NBA Finals will end no later than June 19, 2022
  • 2022 NBA Draft—June 23, 2022
NBA divisions & conferences
NBA format
NBA rules

More on basketball betting

FAQs

What is the NBA?

The NBA, or National Basketball Association, is the top pro basketball league in North America. It features 30 teams, with 29 being from the USA and one from Canada (Toronto Raptors).

How does NBA betting work?
What are the best NBA betting sites?
When does the NBA season start?
What is the spread in NBA betting?
How do I bet on the NBA Finals?
Can I bet on the NBA on my mobile?

OGCA must reads