Written By James Theodorakopoulos, DTO

12 min read

Published 11:47 AM EST, Thu March 20, 2025

Online sports betting can take place from the comfort of home or in bars. (Unsplash/Amit Lahav)

For decades, single-event sports betting remained prohibited in Canada, with only parlay-style betting (wagering on multiple games at once) being allowed through provincial lottery systems. However the sports betting landscape in Canada changed significantly in August 2021 with the passage of Bill C-218, which legalized single-event sports betting. This law allowed provinces to regulate and offer single-game wagering. This provided bettors with more choices and easier access to bet and wager on sports events and games than ever before.

Following the changes in these laws, the betting market saw a huge rise of mobile apps and online platforms offering same game betting services. This allows Canadians to place bets conveniently from their smartphones or computers on any sports game or event around the world at any time and on just about any aspect of the game. Many of these sites and apps also offer “complete online casinos” where they merge sports betting, live table games, and digital slots machines all into the convenience of one app.
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The legalization of single-event sports betting was a major turning point for gambling and betting in Canada. Following these changes in regulations, ads and commercials for sport betting and sportsbook apps began popping up all over the place. Appearing during ad breaks and intermissions on just about every sporting event and game, many featuring high profile athletes and celebrities to promote their apps and websites. Many of these companies even have become direct sponsors for individual teams or leagues, earning them consistent advertising slots during ad breaks. Even earning them their own dedicated segments on pre-game and intermission shows. Using these opportunities to promote betting opportunities like the current odds on certain bets or having analysts sharing their own opinions on certain bets.  

On these websites users may choose to bet on aspects such as which team will win, or whether a team or individual player will earn above or below a certain number of a specific stat, such as goals, points, assists,etc. In addition to this came the rise of parlays and same game parlays, these allow gamblers to combine several different bets together from one or multiple games and events to stack the odds and increase potential payouts. These websites also offer many different promotions such as sign up bonus or highlighted bets with increased payouts or “loss” protection.   
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While making bets on your favourite sports and the big games with friends and family can be fun and enjoyable. Sports betting carries high risks of addiction and irreversible financial loss. Canadians can take steps to gamble responsibly by setting limits, using self-exclusion programs, and being aware of warning signs of problem gambling.