Winter sports include an exciting variety of games that take place in the snow and ice. Highly popular in Canada and Nordic countries, these games range from ice hockey to downhill skiing.
Much like summer sports, winter sports serve as the foundation for some major events. The Winter Olympics, Alpine Ski Championships, and Winter X-Games are a few notable championships. These popular events draw lots of Canadian TV viewers and betting action.
Speaking of the latter, this page covers winter sports betting and how to get started. It also provides recommendations on Canada's best winter sports betting sites, apps and promotions.
Many online sportsbooks offer winter sports betting lines during the winter months. Therefore, you won't have any trouble finding betting markets for these games. Of course, you should definitely put thought into choosing a winter sports betting site.
Key points during this search include available sports and competitions, bonuses, deposit methods, bonuses and support. We'll discuss more on how you can choose a high-quality winter sports betting site later. Upon settling on a sportsbook, you can get started with the following steps:
The sports gambling industry features plenty of fine winter sports betting sites. But which bookmakers are the best of the best? You can see our picks and other advice on the matter below.
Our Gambling.com team has collectively spent many hours reviewing winter sports betting websites. Based on our research, the following bookmakers are the best with regard to winter games.
We firmly believe that you'll enjoy any of the best Canadian betting sites listed above. However, you may want to put your own research into the matter. In this case, you should consider some or all of the following points when looking for top betting sites:
Many online sportsbooks offer mobile apps. Those that don't have sports betting apps will at least offer instant mobile betting (e.g., in-browser betting). That said, you'll have no shortages of chances to win real money through mobile winter sports betting.
Of course, you don't want to jump at the first mobile sportsbook app you see. You should consider how an app (or in-browser option) performs regarding speed and usability.
Does the app/site offer a user-friendly layout and do the pages load quickly? are the promotions and odds comparable or better than competitors? Answering these questions go a long way towards helping you find high-performance apps.
One of the simplest winter sports betting tips is to find great bonus deals. After all, such offers lead to extra cash and will help boost your bankroll. Here are some winter sports betting bonus deals available throughout the industry:
Winter sports betting odds determine how much you'll need to wager on an outcome. Most Canadian-facing online sportsbooks use American odds for this purpose. American odds use plus and minus signs to the underdogs and favourites, respectively.
Here's an example using a women's ice hockey game:
The key point is that the underdogs pay more money for a lower wager, while favourites pay less for a larger bet. This setup helps spread gambling action more evenly on each team.
Ice hockey, snowboarding and ice skating are quite popular in sports betting. However, plenty of other winter sports are available at mobile sportsbooks too. Here's a closer look the broad range of markets at winter sports gambling sites.
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, sees competitors race to the bottom of the slope as quickly as possible. It uses a time trial format, rather than players racing directly against each other. That said, Alpine skiing betting revolves around individuals achieving the fastest times.
This event involves teams of 2-4 athletes pushing and then riding their bobsleigh (bobsled) down a narrow, icy track. Like Alpine skiing, the goal is to qualify for the fastest times.
The biathlon is a unique sport that combines cross-country skiing with shooting rifles. Biathlon competitions don't impose time limits on the shooting portion, but missed shots add time to an athlete's results.
Cross-country skiing requires competitors to propel themselves across a snowy landscape. Competitions vary in rules and distance, with the longest distance being up to 40 kilometers.
This sport makes players push stones across the ice towards a target. Two teams of four players compete to get the most targets. Winners of these events are the team with the highest score.
Figure skating, or simply ice skating, sees individual athletes or teams of two compete with figure skates. Judges score the skaters' routine, with the highest scores reaching a podium finish.
Freestyle skiing requires a mixture of aerials, half-pipe, moguls and slopestyle. Judges give performers a score based on the players' acrobatics and freestyle jumps.
Hockey involves two teams trying to score goals on each other while using hockey sticks. Hockey betting is the most popular form of sports gambling in Canada.
A luge event features 1-2 people sledding down a narrow icy path. Lugers compete for the fastest times, with some events decided by hundredths of a second.
This sport mixes cross-country skiing and ski jumps. Participants compete to both achieve high scores on the jumps and outrace opponents during cross.
Popular in the North American region, short track speed skating sees professional athletes race around a 111-meter track. Events typically involve between four and six people racing against one other.
This sport is similar to the bobsleigh event because it too has participants race down an icy track. The key difference, though, is the skeleton sled, which has a bony appearance.
This event sees participants slide down a curved ramp and attempt to jump as far as possible. Betting on ski jumping is one of the bigger winter sports betting markets.
Competitive snowboarders slide down a snow-covered hill in hopes of getting the fastest time. It's a featured event in both the Winter Olympics and X-Games.
Speed skating is a broad term that includes long track, short track and marathon race sports. The latter features events that can be anywhere from 40km to 200km.
The winter months provide plenty of events for wagering purposes. The absolute biggest of these affairs include the Winter Olympics, World Ski Championships, Winter X Games and European Open Championships.
Taking place every four years, the Winter Olympics are the pinnacle of winter sports. They feature the world's best winter athletes competing in a variety of events. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics were the last set of games to take place. You'll next be able to enjoy Winter Olympics betting for the 2026 games in Italy.
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships takes place every two years in different locations. It last ran in Cortina, Italy in 2021 and will happen in Courchevel-Meribel, France in 2023. This event features the best male and female skiers racing in different types of events.
Staged by ESPN annually, the Winter X Games focuses on freestyle events. It often serves as the launching point for new freestyle tricks, like Shaun White's 1260 Double McTwist. Aspen, Colorado has hosted the X Games every year since 2002.
This competition pits Europe's top winter sports competitors against each other. The annual Open European Championships took place in Bavaria Germany in 2022.
No matter if you're interested in Winter Olympics betting or the X Games, you'll likely want a variety of bets. The following sections provide a few tips on how different winter bet types work.
Outright markets are popular for individual winter sports. They call on you to pick the winner of a competition from a large field. Therefore, you need to know a wider range of competitors to execute successful strategies. Here's an example of an outright bet:
Match betting revolves around individual matches and can include several bet types. Moneylines, spreads, totals and in-play betting all center on single matches. Here's an example of a match moneyline:
This is a prop bet that deals with the winning margin of a game or race. It calls on you to use a unique betting strategy to win. You can see an example below:
Another prop bet, this type requires you to pick a winner's country of origin. It too demands a different betting strategy to win consistently. You can start by looking at the nationalities of previous winners. Here's an example of this bet type:
Winter sports have been running on the big stage ever since the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Many notable athletes have competed in the Winter Olympics, X-Games and World Ski Championships over the years.
You may be interested in who has won the most gold medals and/or the overall winner in Olympics history. After all, a gold medal is the crowning achievement of any winter game. If you'd like to increase your winter sports knowledge and see great previous achievements, you should check the following stats. These numbers cover both men's and women's record speeds.
One of the simplest winter sports betting tips is to find a great online bookmaker. By gambling with elite betting sites, you can expect more markets, better odds and worthwhile promotions. Regarding the latter, you could find free bets, a bet credits stake or even a casino bonus. The casino bonus is valuable if you enjoy online gaming.
Notable winter sports bets include moneylines, totals (over/under), live bets, prop bets and futures. Fortunately, most online bookmakers offer these wager types for the Winter Olympics and other big events. You can quickly make them after registering and depositing at a mobile sportsbook.
An important winter sports betting strategy involves finding the best odds. You can improve your chances of finding the best winter sports odds by reading our Gambling.com Canadian sportsbook reviews. Team GDC reviews discuss whether or not an operator has some of the best odds.
The best winter sports for betting purposes vary based on individual tastes. Regarding popularity, though, figure skating, hockey, snowboarding and Alpine skiing draw many bettors around the world. You'll often find these markets at betting sites during the winter.
Yes, many online bookmakers offer live bets in a prominent section. As you may know, live betting provides wagers in real time during matches. With ice hockey, for example, you might see a wager on which team will score the next goal. Live winter sports betting leads to some interesting strategies.