Sports Betting in Québec: Hockey and Winter Sports
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In Québec, hockey is close to a religion, and winter is also the season of the big skiing and snowboarding competitions. It's no surprise that sports betting is part of the après-ski evening. Here's how it works in the province, and what fans bet on in winter.
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The Legal Framework in Brief
In Canada, the Criminal Code gives the provinces the job of organizing games of chance. In Québec, Loto-Québec offers sports betting under the Mise-o-jeu brand, launched as a sports lottery in the early 1990s. For a long time, Canadian law allowed only parlays, where you have to correctly predict several results. Since late summer 2021, a change to the Criminal Code has also allowed single-game betting. Mise-o-jeu is available online and at retailers. Foreign sites also accept Quebecers; their legal status is murkier, and everyone should check the laws that apply where they live.
Sports Betting in Québec at a Glance
- Provincial operator
- Loto-Québec, Mise-o-jeu brand
- Where to bet
- online on the Loto-Québec site and at authorized retailers
- Single-game bets
- allowed in Canada since 2021
- Popular winter sports
- hockey (NHL, QMJHL), football, basketball, European soccer, winter sports
Betting on Hockey
The NHL and the Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens games are by far the most followed in the province. You can bet on the winner, the total number of goals, the goal spread or a player's performance. Watch out for one quirk: depending on the type of bet, the result that counts is either the one at the end of regulation time (60 minutes), which makes a tie possible, or the one for the full game, including overtime and shootouts. Read each bet's description carefully.
The Québec Remparts
In Québec City, the Remparts, of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, regularly pack the Centre Vidéotron. Junior hockey is more unpredictable than the NHL: rosters change a lot from one season to the next, and young players are inconsistent. Bettors who follow the league closely sometimes find interesting odds. A Remparts game after a day at Stoneham is a classic Québec night out.
Betting on Winter Sports
Alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, biathlon: the big winter competitions attract bets too, especially during the World Championships and the Winter Olympics. Québec has a long tradition in freestyle skiing, particularly moguls, and the public closely follows the province's athletes. World Cup events have also stopped here: freestyle skiing and snowboarding at Stoneham, snowboard cross at Mont-Sainte-Anne. Available bets are mostly on the winner of an event or on head-to-head matchups between two athletes.
Understanding Odds
Odds show what a winning bet pays. With decimal odds of 2.50, a $10 bet returns $25, including your stake. The lower the odds, the more likely the outcome is considered to be. In a parlay, the odds multiply: the potential payout climbs fast, but a single miss is all it takes to lose everything.
| Type of bet | How it works | Hockey example |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Who wins the game | Canadiens to win |
| Total | Over or under a number of goals | Over 5.5 goals |
| Spread | Winning by a certain number of goals | Win by 2 goals or more |
| Parlay | Several predictions on the same ticket | Three of the night's games |
Our Fan's-Eye Tips
- Bet on what you know: one league you really follow beats ten random games.
- Beware of your heart: betting on your favorite team is rarely a cool-headed decision.
- Compare odds from game to game: the same team can be a favorite at very different odds depending on the opponent and where the game is played.
- Keep track of your bets to see what works over a season.
For the atmosphere of the big gaming rooms, see the Loto-Québec casinos and our history of gambling in Québec.
