Fantasy Sports Betting Websites for Canadians

Fantasy sports websites are in abundance. Let our Canadian experts choose the very best fantasy draft sites. Daily fantasy sports have been growing from year to year and have exploded onto the scene as of 2015. Our guide will show you just where you can play DFS as a Canadian resident. Visit us weekly to find news updates and the highest paying bonuses.

Name	Rating	Bonus	Bonus %	No Deposit	New	Visit
Bodog		100%	$250			Visit Site Review
William Hill		-%	$0			Visit Site Review
Mybookie		50%	$3000			Visit Site Review
Pinnacle Sports Book		0%	$0			Visit Site Review
FantasyAces		100%	$300			Visit Site Review

Fantasy sports have been woven into the culture of North American sports fandom since the early 1980's and exploded in popularity during the internet age. Fantasy sports allow fans to submerse themselves in their favorite leagues by becoming an owner of their own fictional franchise, building their superstar team via a draft, and competing against others for bragging right and often cold hard cash.

It's that latter of those two that fueled the rise of daily fantasy sports - or DFS - which has quickly become a multi-billion dollar industry in just the last half decade. Rather than competing in season-long fantasy leagues, daily fantasy offers players the same format and strategy but limited the action to as short as one day with real-time updates on their team's status. There is no season-long commitment.

Owners pay an entry fee to enter pools and are given a set payroll to draft a team, with players of different skill levels priced accordingly. The best players often cost the most which means if a owner added them to their roster, they would have less payroll to round out the rest of the team. Points are awarded in real time depending on those selected players' performances and prizes are awarded to the teams with the highest point totals, depending on the rules of the particular pool.

Recently, daily fantasyhas come under fire from critics who claim the game is in the same vein as online sports betting, which is outlawed throughout most of North American - save for Nevada, Delaware and Canada. Daily fantasy has always operated under the claim that is a game of skill - not chance - which separates it from general sports betting.

In Canada, daily fantasy sports have flourished without much question whether it blurs the lines of gambling or not. As parlay sports betting is offered through provincial lotteries and the government is mulling over single-game wagering, DFS remains a singular and very much legal option for fans to show just how much they know about their beloved sports, putting their money where their mouth is each and every night of the sports calendar.

So what separates daily fantasy sports from the traditional season-long leagues and even standard sports betting? Here's a quick breakdown of what make DFS such a great option for Canadians looking to enjoy - and cash in - on their favorite sports:

• One-day contests - Unlike traditional fantasy sports, there's no season-long commitment with daily fantasy. Players can sign up, fund their account, and play at their own pace. Owners join a pool that fits their budget, draft a team - staying within the given payroll - and pit that lineup against other DFS owners in real time. At the end of the day, if the team's total points qualify for one of the pools's prizes, owners are automatically awarded those winnings into their accounts.
• Win real money - DFS offer fans a chance to cash in on their sports knowledge. And this isn't for bragging rights or credits: this is for actual real money. Since DFS is not considered sports gambling, there are zero restrictions when it comes to instantly funding or withdrawing money from your account.
• Legal in the U.S. and Canada - The line between daily fantasy sports and actual sports gambling is being blurred south of the border, where some states have banned DFS despite it being tabbed a "game of skill" compared to a "game of chance", which sports betting falls under. In Canada, because we don't have the same legal limitations on online gambling, there's no discussion as to whether DFS is a form of sports betting or not. So if you're a Canadian worried about the legality of playing daily fantasy sports or the validity of the providers, put those concerns to rest.
• No season-long commitments - Traditional fantasy sports can be taxing on your time and if you fall behind in the standings, it's tough to stay interested for an entire schedule. Canadians can draft a new team and watch them pay out in real time whenever they want. You're not tied into a season-long league and don't have to wait months to collect your winnings.
• Instant payouts - Unlike season-long leagues, daily fantasy sports let's players win and win right now. As long as there is sports action on the schedule, there's an opportunity to cash in on the fast and exciting challenge. Daily fantasy sports aren't limited by banking restrictions like some online sports betting sites, so you can instantly fund and withdraw money without hassle and minimum processing times.

Kicking off your sports season is simple and you can draft your best lineup minutes after signing up. Here are some simple steps to follow to help you get started in the exciting world of daily fantasy sports:

• Pick a provider - There are a number of operators out there - the two biggest being FanDuel and Draft Kings. Each one has their differences as it pertains to real-time point grading and roster building, but essentially the products are very similar.And remember, DFS can be played whenever you want, so there's no season-long commitment like traditional fantasy leagues.
• Sign in and fund your account - Once you know which DFS site you want to go with, follow the sign-up prompts to create your account then find the best method to fund your play. Because it's not considered gambling and is perfectly legal in Canada, offers a full menu of banking options including major credit cards and PayPal.
• Pick a sport and pool - Daily fantasy reaches just about every major sport, including pro and college football, hockey, basketball, baseball, golf and even NASCAR. Once you've chosen an in-season sport, you can select from a number of different DFS pools to compete in. Some are larger and offer bigger cash prizes while others are smaller - offering a better chance to qualify for a prize - but don't pay out as much money. Daily fantasy sites also offer larger tournaments in which DFS owners qualify for a chance to play for huge cash winnings and other prizes. Most pools don't restrict the number of entries you can have, with the option to draft multiple teams in order to better your chances of finishing in the money.
• Draft a team - Owners are given a set payroll to draft their team and must strategically use those funds when buying players. The very best players cost the most, so owners are challenged to draft less expensive talents that could provide solid point values to round out their rosters. There's no trading players, like you would find with some season-long fantasy leagues.
• Submit and sit back - Once you're happy with your draft, submit your entry to the pool and wait for the games to start. Daily fantasy sports providers offer owners a chance to follow their teams in real time as stats and points build up, watching just where they rank in their pools and which cash prizes they are currently in the running for. That fast and entertaining way of getting even deeper inside your favorite sports is the reason why more and more people are enjoying this new game. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, in 2014 over 41 million people have played fantasy sports in the United States and Canada. On average, each of those spends $96 per year on related costs and materials.
• Collect your winnings - If you're lucky enough to qualify for a cash prize, your winnings are automatically deposited in your account at the end of the day and you can put those back in action with your next draft. Or, if you hit it big with a substantial win, you can easily withdraw your account balance and put that money right in your pocket.

The menu goes far beyond football. Canadians can test their hockey knowledge against other puck heads in daily NHL leagues and enjoy action for a ton of other major North American sports:

• NHL hockey - With nightly action on the ice, NHL daily fantasy truly takes advantage of the no season-long commitment.
• NFL football - The most popular sport in North America has leagues running every Sunday as well as single-game pools for standalone primetime games on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights.
• NBA basketball - Much like hockey, NBA daily fantasy is a terrific way to keep things fresh throughout the 82-game schedule.
• MLB baseball - Fantasy sports have their roots embedded in baseball, and that popularity has carried over to the daily fantasy leagues that run all spring and summer long, and into October.
• College football - Why wait until Sunday for football fix? The college kids provide great value and have a huge schedule to choose from.
• College basketball - Much like the NBA, college hoops is on the sports schedule every night and let's hoop fans test their mettle from tipoff tournaments to March Madness
• PGA golf - Be it for the entire tournament of just that day's round, golf fans can build their own DFS team and watch them climb the leaderboard with every hole.
• NASCAR -Think you know who has the inside track when the green flag flies? Pick which drivers you think will finish near the front and avoid the big wrecks during NASCAR's weekly races.
• Soccer - This is a growing market, especially with DFS providers expanding overseas. Major leagues like the EPL and the Champions League are available to draft.
• Mixed martial arts - It would only make sense that one of the fastest growing sports in the world would be available through one of the fastest growing online games.

Building a winning team from you daily fantasy draft isn't as simple as just picking the top players. Owners are limited by a set payroll and with players priced based on their expected production that day, there's a lot of skill involved when it comes to balancing a roster between elite-level talents and value players, who could produce beyond their price tag. Here are some tips for your next draft:

• Have an idea of how games will play out - Before you randomly start adding players to your roster, look at the schedule and form an opinion on how you think those games will play out. Can a team get its running game going against the top rushing defense? Is the top scorer in the league going up against a hot goalie? Can this superspeedway specialist excel on a half-mile oval track? Looking deeper in how a game or event can unfold will help you make more educated selections during your DFS draft.
• To stack or not to stack? - Stacking is a strategy found in team sports with connected stats, like quarterbacks and receivers in football or forwards in hockey. The theory is that if a WR has a big day, so will the QB. Stacking is often done in what appear to be one-sided matchups, between a very good team and very bad team. There should be a surplus of scoring in those games, which means plenty of DFS points.
• Injuries and recent play - Finding value in lower-cost DFS players is the key to winning consistently. One way to find those hidden gems is to look at how injuries are impacting a team and which players could step up to fill those holes. Another tip when scouting a DFS sleeper for your draft is too look at recent play rather than season-long statistics. A player could be picking up steam or emerging with a bigger role in the offense, but still priced based on their season-long production.
• Know points format - Different daily fantasy sports providers have different grading systems when it comes to assigning points. Some statistics are valued higher or lower, depending on the provider, so know which stats best suit your potential draft picks and play accordingly.

Yep, participating is 100 percent within the perimeters of Canadian law. Unlike the United States, Canada isn't bound by limits on online gaming due to laws like the PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) or the infamous wire act, which has been interpreted and misinterpreted over and again. So even if daily fantasy sports fell into the realm of sports betting, it wouldn't be prohibited by Canadian law.

Daily fantasy sports have operated under the guise that it is a game of "skill" and not a game of "chance", like casino betting or gambling on sports - even though the techniques and tools used to handicap a sports bet are the same used to draft a winning DFS roster. But due to that legal grey area, DFS has come under fire in the U.S., where it was recently banned in Nevada which stated that it was in fact a form of gambling and not regulated under their strict state gaming licensing laws. This has prompted many other states to review their take on DFS.

In Canada, however, such aninvestigation isn't - and likely won't be - underway. With many of the professional leagues going all-in on DFS, like the NHL, NBA, and MLB (all of which have franchises in Canada), and welcoming the advertising revenue and expanded audiences watching their DFS points in real time, daily fantasy sports have become a viable and legal option to bring fans closer to the game.

If you've seen one of the many ads, you know most operators offer a free bonus or special code when signing up for a new account. These offers can vary in terms of value and stipulations. Here's a quick overview of some of the bonuses offered by daily fantasy sites:

• Sign-up bonus - These are often times given in key word codes during commercials or special offers. Most sign-up or "welcome" bonuses are a percentage of your original deposit, maxing out at a certain dollar amount. These sign-up bonuses come with strict stipulations, however, with users required to wager a certain amount of money before any of their bonus funds are released into their account balance.
  
• Frequent player points - Most operators have their own version of loyalty or frequent player points, which are accumulated each time you draft and submit and entry. These player points can sometimes be used in place of money for an entry fee as well as qualify players for free roll games and special tournaments.
• Special qualifying tournaments - Daily fantasy providers often reward their active players with special tournaments and prizes in the form of free-roll entries, allowing players to compete in large tournament fields for no cost. These tournaments can be for huge cash winnings, exotic trips, and luxurious prizes.