Written By:
Dennis
About Author
Dennis has been honing his craft by writing content specifically tailored to the US and Canadian market for the last 3 years. This helps him recognize the preferences of the audience and adeptly create engaging and informative articles, reviews, and guides that resonate with the readers. He uses his experience reviewing tech products to test out various betting platforms and fact-check claims so you make informed decisions.
Fact Checked By:
Ana Gomes de Almeida
About Author
Before joining the team three years ago, Ana worked for five years behind the scenes for household brands like Betway and Betsson. She knows the ins and outs of casinos and sports betting sites. Having witnessed both the positive and negative aspects of the industry, she’s eager to share her expertise with fellow bettors.
Last Update
6 months ago
Last Update:
British Columbia Sports Betting | Legal & Safe Options
At LegalBet Canada, our team has tested 10+ sportsbooks regarding odds, betting markets, live streaming, brand reputation, payment modes, and customer support. Here’s a lowdown on which sites stand out and where.
We’ll also compare British Columbia’s provincial lottery site, PlayNow, to see how it stacks up against the private sportsbooks.
British Columbia Betting Sites Compared
Legality
PlayNow is regulated by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (a corporation owned by BC’s provincial government that manages all gambling and betting products).
This makes PlayNow the only 100% legal option available to bettors in BC.
On the other hand, private sportsbooks aren’t regulated in British Columbia (BC). That’s because BC does not have a regulatory framework for them, as seen with Ontario.
However, you can still use any private sportsbook without legal repercussions.
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Just ensure the private sportsbook you use has an iGO (iGaming Ontario) license.
In case you didn’t know, iGaming Ontario is a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and regulates and manages private sportsbooks in Ontario.
While it is only valid in Ontario, it is a sign of the sportsbook’s legitimacy and safety standards as they are thoroughly vetted by iGaming Ontario.
Odds
Well, now that you know about safety and security, let’s dive into the features, starting with the odds for the NHL, NBA, and MLB.
Note: All odds are true at the time of writing and are subject to change closer to the matchday.
NHL Odds
Well, the match all NHL fans have been waiting for is here. Yes, we are talking about the Stanley Cup finals, with the EDM Oilers and the Florida Panthers all set to take center stage.
But who do the bookies favour? Let’s find out.
While the Florida Panthers are clear favourites to win the Stanley Cup, the odds are pretty even-stevens between the sportsbooks, with most offering the same odds. This makes any of them a good choice to win the Stanley Cup.
Only Betway and Tonybet disappoint as their odds are well below others.
NBA Odds
Like like the NHL finals, there’s also the NBA finals going on. So, if you are an NBA fan, here’s how the odds look for the final two teams.
Overall, Bet99 stands out for the NBA finals as it offers the highest odds for both the favourites (Boston Celtics) and the underdogs (Dallas Mavericks).
MLB Odds
For this match, PlayNow offers the highest odds for the Seattle Mariners. We have also previously noticed this trend, making PlayNow a good choice if you want to bet on MLB.
They are closely followed by Bet99, who also offer the highest odds for OAK Athletics.
For the above match, PlayNow, Bet99, bet365, and Tonybet offer higher odds for the Detroit Tigers, whereas Sports Interaction and Bwin have higher odds if you want to bet on the Texas Rangers.
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While we saw Bet99 and PlayNow generally have higher odds across various leagues, Sports Interaction and bet365 are also pretty competitive. Only Betway and Tonybet had lower odds.
Welcome Bonus
| Bet99 | bet365 | PlayNow | SI | Bwin | TonyBet | BetVictor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus Type | Bet credits | Bet Credits | Bet Credits | Deposit match | Deposit match | Deposit match | Deposit Match |
| Max Bonus | $1,500 | $50 | $150 | $250 | $200 | $350 | $500 |
| Min Odds | N/A | 1.20 | N/A | 1.50 | 1.70 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
| Wager Reqr | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6x | 6x | 5x | 10x |
Sports Interaction, Bwin, Tonybet and BetVictor offer a 100% deposit match bonus, whereas Bet99, bet365, and PlayNow offer bet credits or tokens.
Let’s understand the differences in detail.
Deposit match bonuses are great for anyone who understands the nuances of wagering requirements and wants a bigger reward.
The reward is bigger because you can also withdraw the bonus amount with these bonuses.
Furthermore, you get the bonus immediately after making the deposit rather than having to place a qualifying bet.
On the other hand, bet credits are better for newbies as they do not have wagering requirements. You get more flexibility on how you want to use them. Plus, the odds requirement is usually lower.
However, you get bet credits after placing qualifying bets. And when you place bets using these credits, you do not get to withdraw the initial stake.
Well, now that you understand both bonus types, let’s dive deeper into the bonuses offered by the various sportsbooks.
Sports Interaction, Tonybet, and BetVictor Bonus
For us, Tonybet’s and BetVictor’s bonuses stand out. Here’s why.
Tonybet offers a 100% deposit match up to $350, more than Sports Interaction and Bwin.
And while this is lower than the $500 on BetVictor, their wagering requirements and odds are much lower.
For example, BetVictor requires you to wager the bonus 10 times, whereas Tonybet requires you to wager 5 times.
So, if you deposit $100 on both, you’ll get a $100 bonus, totalling $200 in your wallet.
On Tonybet, you’d have to place bets worth $500, whereas on BetVictor, you’d need to place bets worth $1,000 to be able to withdraw the bonus amount.
Plus, BetVictor also has higher odds requirements limiting your betting options.
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If you want a bigger bonus and don’t mind tougher bonus terms, then BetVictor is the right choice. However, the TonyBet and Sports Interaction bonuses are easier to withdraw.
Coming to Bet99, bet365 and PlayNow,
Well, PlayNow gives you a 100% deposit match offer up to $150 in bet credits. This is much higher than the $50 bonus you get on bet365.
Plus, there are no odds requirements either.
You only need to play through your first deposit, which should be between $10 and $150.
Oh, and don’t forget to use the code 150MATCH (easy peasy, right?).
To top it all, PlayNow also has a rewards program called the Encore Rewards, where you can earn points for playing online or offline at BC casinos. Not only that, you also get rewards for dining at these casinos.
Every 200 points makes $1 in free play. To redeem the points at PlayNow, you’ll need 1000 points as they have a minimum limit of $5 free play.
Food and games? Sounds like a win-win to us.
Note: You cannot use your free plays on Live Casino, Table games, Poker and Video Poker on PlayNow. If you do it offline at BC casinos, you cannot use them for poker.
Compared to this, bet365 has a $50 bonus. For this, you must place a bet with a minimum of $10 and qualifying odds of 1.20.
The odds requirement means you do not have the same flexibility when picking a match as you did with PlayNow.
Lastly, there’s the Bet99 bonus. This is great for beginners who want to place big bets, as it protects them from losses.
Bet99 offers an exclusive bonus of up to $1,500 in bet credits for LegalBet Canada readers. This applies to your first bet.
The minimum amount to bet is $20. Plus, you will get the bonus only if your bet loses.
The way you get bet credits is similar to PlayNow. Once your bet loses, you get the bonus amount as four individual bets, equalling 25% of your wager amount.
So, you would get four bonus bets worth $125 each if your bet was $500.
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Overall, the PlayNow bonus has the easiest T&C, while the Bet99 bonus is great for newbies that want to bet big while protecting their money as you get it back in bet credits.
User-Friendliness
Bet99, bet365, and Tonybet were the easiest to navigate around on the desktop.
That’s because they make navigation easier for the users.
For example, Bet99 has a section in the menu known as ‘Top Leagues’ that gives you instant access to matches from all the popular and latest leagues that Canadians love.
Similarly, bet365 also has a ‘Popular’ section on the left-hand sidebar, while Tonybet has an ‘International Championships’ section.
Furthermore, Bet99, bet365 and Tonybet also give you easy access to the chat or help section, the responsible gambling section, and the option to change odds and language.
Bet99 also has an education section in the top right-hand corner for beginners where you can learn about the various rules of sports betting, how to play casino games, etc.
However, we did not find anything like it on PlayNow and Betway. You must choose ‘Hockey’ from the sidebar to access the NHL matches.
From there, you must select ‘North America’ and then the ‘NHL’.
Quite the long road, right?
Live Stream
When it comes to live streaming, bet365 is our top choice.
While all private sportsbooks offer live streams, we found more variety on bet365.
You won’t just find NHL and NBA matches on bet365; there are also basketball leagues from Korea and New Zealand, greyhound races, horse racing, more tennis matches, cricket, etc.
Furthermore, bet365 is the only sportsbook that offers audio commentary. This feature is handy for betting on soccer, greyhound races, or cricket matches.
On the other hand, the live stream on other sportsbooks is limited to only a few popular leagues and matches, while we didn’t find any live stream option on PlayNow.
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Not only does bet365 stream more matches, they have HD streaming. Plus, the Watch and Bet feature allows you bet on phone without having to minimize the live stream.
Statistics Tool
We believe betting is not just about luck but also about being on top of the numbers game. This is why we are glad bet365 has a detailed stats section.
You can easily access and view the stats for any team by clicking the stats icon.
Once on the stats page, you’ll find details like a team’s number of victories, the number of goals scored, the highest margin of victory, head-to-heads, odds for previous matches, recent form, etc.
Scrolling below, you’ll also find stats for each player.
You can also switch teams and leagues, view fixtures, full league tables, etc., via the menu on the statistics page, making the experience very user-friendly.
Coming to other sportsbooks, Bwin has a stats section similar to bet365.
On the other hand, Betway and Bet99 only provide basic stats on the match page, while Tonybet, Sports Interaction, and PlayNow do not show any stats nor have a dedicated stats section.
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Only bet365 and Bwin have a detailed stats page that allows you stay on top of the numbers for all leagues and matches and make better bets.
Education Guides
Both PlayNow and Bet99 have extensive education sections.
These sections are perfect for newbies who want to learn about betting and casino games in depth.
From a glossary of the common betting terms, guides on how to place bets, mistakes, and explanations of the various bet types, there’s every detail you need to know on PlayNow.
In fact, they go a step further and give the users demos of each live casino game, such as blackjack and roulette., to help them understand the rules and steps.
Bet99 also has detailed guides. However, we believe live demos are a more engaging way of teaching new users how to play casino games, so PlayNow wins it for us.
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Bet99 and PlayNow offer detailed guides on sports betting. However, for casino games PlayNow offers video demos that explain the game better.
Notifications and Alerts
Bet99 allows you to mark leagues and matches as favourites and add them to the ‘Top Leagues’ menu we discussed above, while Sports Interaction and Play Now allow you to ‘Pin’ matches of interest so you can quickly revisit them.
While bet365 does not have these options, they allow you to set notifications and alerts for certain sports (that Bet99 and PlayNow do not).
Here’s a complete list of the sports and the alerts you can create for them on your desktop, tablet, or mobile.
- Soccer—Kickoff, Goals, Corners, Substitutions, Yellow and Red Cards, Halftime Result, Full Time Result, Penalties, and Penalties Missed. You can also create team-specific alerts for up to a week or the entire season.
- Tennis – Start of Match, Final Score, Game Results and Set Results.
- Basketball – Start of Match, Start of Quarter, Start of Half, Result of Quarter, Half Time Result, Result of Match and Point by Point Score.
This is really beneficial for anyone who cannot watch the live stream but wants to keep tabs on the scores and latest updates.
In fact, you don’t even need to bet. This could be you simply keeping tabs on the score of your favourite team without the need for another app.
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To ensure you see the notifications for the set alerts, don’t forget to first ‘Allow’ notification on Chrome on your desktop.
DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM in British Columbia
DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are not available to users from British Columbia. This is because these sportsbooks operate only in regulated markets like Ontario.
However, the alternatives mentioned below are at par (if not better) with DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM in terms of odds, betting markets, customer support, apps, user-friendliness, etc.
Verdict
During our testing, we found Bet99, bet365, and PlayNow to be the top sites for BC users.
PlayNow is 100% legal and offers good odds as well. Even their bonus has simpler terms and conditions.
However, if you want live stream, a more user-friendly sportsbook, a dedicated stats tool, along with good bonuses, and competitive odds, bet365 and Bet99 are worth the consideration.
Sports Interaction, Betway, Bwin, and Tonybet are also trustworthy sites. However, Bet99, bet365, and PlayNow outperform them in various aspects.
Is Betting Legal in British Columbia?
Yes, betting has been legal in British Columbia for decades now—this applies to the entire province, including Vancouver.
The BC Lottery Corporation, on behalf of the British Columbia government, oversees all betting activities in the province.
They do this through the Gaming Control Act, the official legal document dictating what is legal and what isn’t in the province, including online betting.
You can legally bet only on provincial lottery sites like PlayNow, as BC does not have any licenses or a regulatory framework for private betting operators (as you’d find in Ontario).
However, since using private operators does not result in fines or punishments for users, you can use them without worrying about legal hassles.
The only important thing is to find the right private sportsbooks to ensure the safety of your money and identity.
Who Legally Can Bet in British Columbia?
In order to bet in BC, you need to be physically present in the province and at least 19 years of age. Much as is the case with Ontario and Quebec, you’ll need to install a geolocation tool to bet online from BC.
This helps sportsbooks ensure you’re in the location you claimed to be from when you signed up and verified your account. It also prevents anyone from taking over your account and betting with your funds.
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