Vancouver is the sports hub of Western Canada, and with around 2.5 million residents in the Greater Vancouver area, the sports landscape is continuing to grow. The Canucks are the most popular team in the city while the BC Lions of the CFL and Whitecaps FC of the MLS both also have devoted followings.
The sports betting landscape in Vancouver is one of the best of all Canadian cities. Offline sports betting is still nearly non existent (don’t waste your time with Sports Action), but the government run sports betting website PlayNow.com is an ok option when compared to government run sports lotteries in different parts of Canada. That said, most Vancouver residents prefer to place bets through one of our recommended online betting sites focused on the Canadian market.
Offline sports betting in Vancouver is available, but it’s run by the BCLC (British Columbia Lottery Corporation) under the Sports Action brand name and it’s a very outdated product in British Columbia. The Sports Action odds are the worst of any government run sports betting lottery in Canada (more on this here). If you place your bets through Sports Action you are definitely leaving a lot of money on the table.
The BCLC has allowed Sports Action to become progressively worse, as they’ve focused on their online presence, since PlayNow relaunched in 2011, making BCLC the first provincial lottery corporation to offer an online betting option to players.
Government Regulated Online Sports Betting
PlayNow.com is a government regulated online betting site that accepts players from British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
PlayNow is a legitimate option for sports bettors in Vancouver and it’s a step in the right direction with PlayNow.com largely replacing Sports Action as the primary government run sports betting option for Vancouver residents. The site is comparable to our three recommended online betting sites in terms of odds and functionality.
Check out my full review of PlayNow.com including a comparison with our recommended online betting sites on our dedicated PlayNow information page.
Don’t get me wrong. PlayNow.com is definitely the best government run sports betting option of any province in Canada. It’s just not quite on the level of the top Canadian online betting sites quite yet.
Land Based Casino Sportsbooks Near Vancouver
The Parq Casino is located in downtown Vancouver, directly next to BC Place and Rogers Arena. This would be an ideal location for a retail sportsbook, but unfortunately Parq Casino does not currently offer sports betting.
The Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam also does not accept sports wagers, but they do at least have a state of the art racebook where you are able to bet on horse races from around the world.
Hastings Racetrack
Continuing along with horse racing, if you’re into the ponies you can bet on live horses at the Hastings Racetrack, which is located at 188 N Renfrew Street in Vancouver. The racebook at Hastings Racetrack also allows you to wager on horse races from across North America.
Major Sports Teams in Vancouver
Vancouver Canucks – NHL
Vancouver FC – CPL
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – MLS
BC Lions – CFL
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