With a population of around 4.5 million residents, Albertans are very lucky to be home to four major sports teams. This includes NHL and CFL teams in both Edmonton and Calgary. Needless to say the rivalry between these two large Alberta cities is fierce and this added element has helped sports betting take off in Alberta, especially when it comes to hockey or football.
The WCLC offers Sport Select sports betting lotteries to Alberta residents, but because these betting options offer sub-par odds and few options, most Alberta sports fans choose to take their sports wagering online. Alberta residents have many quality online sportsbook options, including the Canada-wide betting sites I recommend below, and PlayAlberta.ca, a government regulated betting site that launched in October of 2020.
Best Sports Betting Sites for Alberta Residents
The Sport Select lotteries of Proline, Point Spread and Pools offered by the WCLC are not player friendly when it comes to the odds offered and the restrictions placed on bettors. Alberta residents who are in the know take their sports betting online to receive a far better betting experience. Listed below are three highly respected sportsbooks that I have used for many years. Each of these sportsbooks is dedicated to providing a great experience for Canadian bettors (Sports Interaction actually cater only to Canadians).
PlayAlberta is the government owned and regulated online sportsbook for Alberta residents that launched in October of 2020.
PlayAlberta is a functional sportsbook with odds that are comparable to our recommended betting sites (much better than Sport Select). The issue with PlayAlberta is the sport selection is limited to only the most popular sports/events worldwide. When I looked at PlayAlberta while writing this page the only sports offered are hockey, football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, and golf. If you want to bet on boxing, UFC, horse racing, esports, motor sports, or the countless other sports/events from around the world, you would have to do so at one of the Canada-wide betting sites I’ve listed above.
PlayAlberta is a viable option for Alberta residents interested in only betting on major sports. I think PlayAlberta can be a useful as an extra sportsbook to compare odds with the top Canada-wide sportsbooks to ensure the best return on every bet.
Offline Sports Betting in Alberta
The legal offline sports betting in Alberta runs through the WCLC (Western Canada Lottery Corporation). Sport Select is the term for all of the sports betting lottery options that WCLC offers.
The Sport Select games, as they are called by the WCLC include Proline, Point Spread, Over/Under and Pools. All residents of Alberta that are of the age of majority are allowed to place their sports bets at their local WCLC outlet through these Sport Select options. You can usually find Sport Select games at your local convenience store or gas station.
Sport Select
Sport Select offers Proline, Point Spread, and Over/Under betting lines for each game.
With a Proline bet the options include V, T, and H for the outcome of the game. The options mean something different for various sports, so make sure you know what you’re betting on if you do decide to play Sport Select. For example in Football a game decided by 3 or fewer points is considered a tie, while in baseball a game decided by 1 run is considered a tie.
The Point Spread and Over/Under options are typical spread and totals betting options with just two potential outcomes: V or H for Point Spread and O or U for Over/Under.
Sport Select used to only accept parlay bets of 3 to 6 selections, but they now also accept single wagers. If your ticket is a winner then you can bring it to a WCLC outlet and receive your winnings.
Like most Canadian sports bettors, I started out betting on NHL games through Proline at my local convenience store. Now that I’m an avid sports bettor I realize how much money I was leaving on the table by not switching to online sports betting earlier. The odds at online sportsbooks are far more player friendly and the added options and freedom that betting online provides makes the experience much more enjoyable and profitable.
Pools
Pools are fun because you have the opportunity to win a lot of money. You also don’t have to worry about odds or spreads because you simply pick which team you think will win the game. A good Pools example would be picking every winner on Sunday in the NFL. Everyone who buys a Pools ticket is entered into the Pool and a percentage of their buy-in goes to the pot (60%). Whichever player(s) hits the most correct winners in that Pool takes home the entire pot. Check out our Pools page for a full breakdown.
Sport Select is great for those of you just starting out in sports betting. I know for a fact that the majority of Canadians have bet on Proline or the equivalent before ever opening an online account. That said the grass is much greener with an online sportsbook. If you bet more than a few bucks a year I strongly encourage you to make the jump!
Major Sports Teams in Alberta
Below is a list of the major sports teams located in Alberta. Click on the city name for a more detailed look at sports betting in that city.
See Website For Details
See Website For Details
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