British Columbia Sports Betting

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 many other provinces.

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 bet offerings, 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.

  • 1 See Website For Details
    • Licensed and regulated in Canada
    • Easy deposits & withdrawals including Interac
    • Competitive betting lines
    Bet Now Review
  • 2 See Website For Details
    • Licensed in Ontario and Malta (accepts bettors from across Canada)
    • Competitive betting lines
    • Easy deposit/withdrawal options, including Interac
    Bet Now Review
  • 3 #Ad
    • Most popular betting site worldwide
    • State of the art live betting platform including streaming of several events
    • Fixed odds for horse racing
    Bet Now Review

PlayNow.com

PlayNow BC Sports Betting

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 the traditional government run sports lotteries such as Proline and Sport Select offer very poor odds. I do suggest opening a PlayNow account to compliment your accounts with the other Canada-wide sportsbooks we recommend above.

PlayNow.com has become 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.

Sports Betting Canadian Mascot

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 at 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 our 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.

Vancouver

  • BC Lions – CFL
  • Vancouver Canucks – NHL
  • Vancouver Whitecaps FC – MLS

Victoria

  • Pacific FC – CPL

Horse Race Betting in British Columbia

  • Fraser Downs Racetrack, Surrey.
  • Hastings Racecourse, Vancouver.