The Canadian Football League has been around for over sixty years and has built up a huge, dedicated fan base across Canada. It’s championship game, called the Grey Cup, annually awarded to the league champion, has been handed out since 1909 and is one of the most coveted trophies in all North American sports.
How to Bet on CFL Games
Betting on Canadian Football League games is very much like betting on the NFL or NCAA football in the United States, or even basketball leagues such as the NBA. The three most popular bet types are moneylines, spreads, futures and totals, with props being offered by some sportsbooks, depending on the league and game.
The conventional markets are the perfect place to start, so let’s look at an example using a couple of popular CFL teams:
CFL Moneyline Betting
Moneyline betting is straightforward: you’re just picking the winning team.
Take the example below of the Blue Bombers (-195) vs. the Redblacks (+165.)
Here, the negative number (-195) signifies the favorite, while the positive number (+165) indicates the underdog. The bigger the negative number, the stronger the favorite, and vice versa.
Those numbers, very simply, show a bet on the Bombers to win outright at -195, meaning you have to bet $195 to win $100. Betting on a Stampeders upset would pay better at +165 – where a winning bet of $100 will win $165.
Check out our moneyline bet guide here.
CFL Point Spread Betting
In CFL point spread betting, oddsmakers set a margin of victory that the favorite team is expected to win by, and bettors wager on whether the favorite will win by more or fewer points than that margin.
For our example below, if the Montreal Alouettes are favored by -7.5 points against the Edmonton Elks, it means that Montreal is expected to win by at least 8 points to cover the spread. If you bet on the Alouettes, they must win by 8 or more points for your bet to be successful.
Conversely, if you bet on the Elks, they can either win the game outright or lose by less than 8 points for your bet to win.
Click here to learn more about point spread betting.
CFL Over/Under – Totals
In CFL over/under totals betting, a benchmark is set for the combined score of both teams in a game, and bettors wager on whether the actual total points scored will be over or under that benchmark.
For example, if the over/under total for a game between the Edmonton Elks and the Montreal Alouettes is set at 48.5 points, bettors have the option to bet on whether the total points scored by both teams combined will be over or under 48.5.
If you bet the Over, you’re predicting that the total score of both teams will be 49 points or more. If you bet the Under, you’re predicting that the total score will be 48 points or less.
In this specific example, if the final score of the game is 27-21, the total points scored would be 48, which is under the set total of 48.5. Therefore, if you bet the Under, your bet would be successful. Conversely, if the final score is 28-24, totaling 52 points, the Over bet would win.
Check out our bet guide for more on Over/Under bets.
CFL Props
Prop bets can be as varied and unique as a sportsbook can come up with, and they offer some really fun options for bettors to get in on the action.
For example, you can place wagers on touchdown-related events, such as predicting the first or last player to score a touchdown in the game, whether a player will score a touchdown at any point during the game, or even which team will score the first touchdown of each half.
Other popular prop markets include over/under bets on statistical benchmarks such as passing, rushing, or receiving yards, as well as the total number of pass attempts, completions, or receptions by players or teams.
Additionally, you can wager on various outcomes within specific quarters or halves of the game, including the moneyline, spread, and total points scored. You can also predict the total number of points scored by individual teams within quarters, halves, or the entire game.
In our example below. the prop being offered is which team will make a first scoring play on a day, with the Elks the +400 favourite to score a touchdown for the first score of the game.
Click here for more on prop bets.
Futures
CFL futures betting involves placing wagers on long-term outcomes, such as predicting which team will win the Grey Cup at the end of the season. These bets are typically placed before the season starts or early in the season and offer the potential for significant payouts if you correctly predict the outcome.
As of this writing, Winnipeg is the +200 favourite to win the Grey Cup in 2024, meaning, if you bet $100 on the Blue Bombers to win it and they do, you would win $200, plus your original $100 stake, totalling $300.
