Are Online Sportsbooks Safe To Use?

Before you deposit at an online sportsbook, you want to make sure your money will be safe. (Photo credit: Alan Cleaver / Foter / CC BY)


Forget about the disparity in odds and payouts for a minute.

When considering whether to choose online sports betting over Proline, Canadians have two primary concerns: are online sportsbooks legal, and are online sportsbooks safe?

Is using online sportsbooks illegal?

First, let’s get the legal question out of the way. There is nothing specific in the Canadian Criminal Code that suggests it is illegal to bet online, nor does Canada have an equivalent to the Wire Act in the U.S.

(It is illegal, however, for you to start up your own website and start taking bets from everyone else. You might want to come up with another retirement plan, unless that plan includes filling your bedpan in the Corrections Canada retirement castle.)

Is using online sportsbooks safe for your money?

So, now that we know you aren’t going to jail for betting on the Leafs tonight, let’s address that other concern: Is your money safe with online sportsbooks?

The short answer is: Yes — as long as you’re careful about which sportsbooks you use.

If you’ve heard horror stories about people getting ripped off by online sportsbooks, they’re quite possibly true. Some sportsbooks promise lucrative bonuses, then make excuses when it comes time to deliver them. Others negate a winning bet with some obscure rule buried in the fine print. And many are much quicker to accept your money than to pay it out, charging high withdrawal fees or quoting issues with their payment processors.

A few bad apples don’t spoil the whole bunch, though. There are a select few online sportsbooks out there that understand they can make decent money if they run a clean, ethical operation.

The best sportsbooks for you

Below are the ones that most deserve your trust. Check out our sportsbook selector tool to determine which ones are the best fit for you:

Pinnacle Sports

The, well, pinnacle when it comes to online sportsbooks. Pinnacle Sports offers reduced juice, convenient banking methods and lightning-fast payments (including a free one every month).

Sports Interaction

A truly Canadian sportsbook that operates out of the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory native reserve in Quebec. Sports Interaction features a 100% signup bonus (up to $125), opinionated lines (often beefing up the payouts on underdogs) and user-friendly banking methods and fees.

Bodog

Originally founded by a Canadian, Calvin Ayre, and now perhaps the most-recognized online betting site in the country. Bodog gives new players a $100 bonus on their first deposits, provides a wide variety of fun wagering options and, like Sports Interaction, can be a lucrative sportsbook for betting underdogs.

William Hill

Another massive United Kingdom bookmaker, William Hill betting shops process more than one million betting slips on an average day. William Hill has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2002 and caters to us Canucks with a Canadian-dedicated site.