Calgary Flames Betting Options

The past few years have borne witness to a new reality for Calgary Flames fans. Calgary Flames betting is now big business, and it is available to you within seconds.

Within the province, your choices for where and how to bet are somewhat limited to the options provided by the provincial lottery’s PlayAlberta. However, if you happen to be in or travel to Ontario, you’ll find dozens of sportsbook apps available to you for betting on the Flames.

So, this page is for all Flames fans and bettors who want to know how betting on the team from Calgary works.

Best Calgary Flames Betting Sites in Ontario

At this time, there is only one location in Canada that allows a competitive sports betting market. Ontario opened its doors to commercial sportsbooks in April 2022, and more than two dozen operators have responded so far – including some of the biggest names in all of sports betting. So, if you want to bet on the Flames from Ontario, here are your best options for doing so.

Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars Sportsbook is a well-known brand to most people, as it shares its name with the international casino chain. If you’re in Ontario, you can even access one of Caesars’ physical locations in Windsor. However, the Caesars offering through its online sportsbook app is worthy of attention on its own.

For one thing, the Caesars live betting suite is a top shelf feature. You can find a wide selection of in-play wagers on almost any game underway in the world. Furthermore, Caesars offers a host of streaming options to assist you in monitoring your existing wagers and placing new ones.

Caesars also features a clean and easy-to-use app that is friendly to both beginners and experienced bettors. Although the app isn’t flashy, it is quite functional and intuitive.

Its third primary attribute is an unusual one. Caesars maintains excellence in an oft-overlooked category: customer support. There are multiple ways to get in touch with support personnel around the clock, which is quite crucial for a money-based activity like gambling.

BetMGM Sportsbook

BetMGM Sportsbook is the sports betting wing of MGM Resorts, one of the world’s largest casino companies. The app itself offers more bettor flexibility than almost any other app on the market.

One feature that stands out from the crowd is the Edit My Bet function. Edit My Bet takes the Cash Out option found on most modern sportsbook apps and expands upon it dramatically. In addition to having the option to end your wager early, you can add to it, remove pieces from it, swap out teams, or even increase your bet size.

Another user-friendly option on BetMGM is the Easy Parlay Builder. Rather than having to sift through the options on an entire app’s worth of sports and markets, the builder allows you to shift between betting types and sports with the single push of a button.

As is the case with other top apps, BetMGM also features a robust live streaming option. If you want to keep an eye on your wagers or perhaps make some in-game bets, this feature is critical to your success.

BetRivers Sportsbook

BetRivers Sportsbook might not be a familiar name to most in Canada. The sportsbook’s parent company, Rush Street Interactive, primarily operates in the northeastern United States, and its launch in Ontario was the operator’s first foray north of the border.

Nevertheless, you have plenty of reasons to take a look at what BetRivers has to offer. For one thing, the odds featured for most of BetRivers’ wagers are some of the best you can find. It always pays to shop before you wager, but you’re likely to come back to BetRivers quite often if you want the best deal on a bet.

BetRivers Sportsbook also offers bettors a rarely-seen feature known as the statistics hub. This utility collects and organizes many of the relevant statistics and details that you would normally need to assemble in order to make an educated wager. It is an intelligent addition to the service that, frankly, other sportsbooks might do well to emulate.

BetRivers has one of the most robust live betting and live streaming suites in Ontario, too. If you like to keep your options open after a game is underway, BetRivers is a good choice to stay on top of things.

Bet365 Sportsbook

Bet365 Sportsbook is a European-based sports betting operation that built decades of success overseas before venturing into North America. It is one of the finer sportsbook apps available among the crowd in Ontario.

The most obvious positive that bet365 has going for it are those years of experience. While the app isn’t flashy, it is fast and solid. It works effortlessly wherever you are, regardless of the format you use.

Bet365 may also be the world leader for live betting and streaming. You are unlikely to find more options for more sports than you are with bet365, and you can watch the vast majority of your chosen contests play out directly through the app itself.

Finally, bet365 is one of the easiest and most flexible apps when it comes to moving money into and out of your account. Its list of banking options, which includes favoured choices like Trustly and Interac, is one of the longest in Ontario. Although banking is rarely worth mentioning as a primary attribute, bet365 earns its stripes in this department.

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings Sportsbook is the sports betting arm of the same-named daily fantasy sports company. Perhaps ironically, DK ceased its DFS operations in Ontario in the days leading up to the launch of commercial sports betting in the province due to the advent of new regulatory restrictions. Nevertheless, DraftKings Sportsbook is one of the best options you have for placing wagers on the Flames in all of Ontario.

One of the biggest reasons to play with DraftKings is the sheer breadth of its offerings. Every conceivable wager on the Flames will be available. 

In addition, DraftKings is quickly becoming a hub for same game parlays. So, if you want to make a parlay that only involves bets from Flames games, DK is a good choice to examine.

Finally, DraftKings is one of the only sportsbooks to offer betting pools. These are free-to-play contests that create a sort of tournament vibe for sports betting. You compete with other bettors for placement on the pool ladder, and the top finishers receive cash prizes for their efforts.

Betting the Calgary Flames in Alberta

If you are a resident of Alberta, your choices for betting on the Calgary Flames are far more limited. At present, the provincial government has not seen fit to open its market in the same way that Ontario has. We hope that things will change, but we don’t have any information to suggest that a shift is imminent at this time.

So, the only legal option available for placing a sports bet in Alberta is PlayAlberta, the sportsbook owned and operated by Alberta Liquor, Gaming & Cannabis. Its sportsbook is only part of the site’s offering, which also includes options for casino, live dealer games, and lottery. 

Now, the good news is that PlayAlberta does take pains not to become a complacent, poorly-run government operation. It frequently issues bonus offers to its players and has a quite responsive customer support function. There are also plenty of games to play, and the sportsbook features a healthy selection of in-play options. You may even find yourself eligible for a Cash Out option from time to time.

However, PlayAlberta remains somewhat limited in several areas. For one thing, any sports beyond the handful of most popular choices are simply unavailable for wagering. You also don’t have many options for banking, either – only Visa, Mastercard, and Interac transactions are acceptable. Needless to say, you won’t be able to shop for the most competitive odds while in Alberta, either.

Thankfully, though, you do have at least one option for betting on the Calgary Flames. You’ll have to decide if the choices you have are worth taking, but it is better to have some opportunities than it is not to have anything.

Calgary Flames Betting – a Primer

Now that we’ve talked about your options for play, let’s discuss Calgary Flames betting. Being a Flames fan is one thing. Being a smart Flames bettor takes a bit more discipline and knowledge. If betting on the team from Calgary is something you’d like to do, then here are the types you will encounter.

• Puck lines – The first type of bet is one that is unique to betting on hockey. The puck line replaces the point spread and sets the line at a standard 1.5 goals. Then, the payouts vary more dramatically than a usual spread bet to compensate for the difference in team ability.
• Moneylines – A moneyline is simply a bet on which team will win. The manner in which the team prevails is irrelevant.
• Three-way moneylines – You may encounter this variant, which offers the option of betting on a tie. Historically, it was possible for NHL games to end in draws, but overtimes and shootouts ended that practice in 2005. So, this bet only focuses on regulation time for its settlement. If you pick the Flames to “win,” they must be ahead at the end of regulation, or you lose the bet – even if they ultimately prevail.
• Totals – Totals, aka the “over/under,” estimate the total number of goals that a Flames game will produce. You then wager whether the estimate is too high or too low.
• Futures – Futures bets are about the end of the season. So, if you want to wager that the Flames will win the Stanley Cup or that one of the players will win the Art Ross, Rocket Richard, or Vezina Trophy, this wager is the one for you.
• Propositions – Propositions, or props, ask questions about statistical achievements that occur during the game. Most of the time, you are betting whether you believe the stated situation will come to pass during the game or not.
• Live betting – Live betting is a high-speed form of prop betting that occurs after a game is underway. The questions posed by live bets tend to be related to smaller microevents during the game, including the outcome of power plays or whether a player will score during the current period.
• Parlays – Parlays combine several single wagers into one massive bet. Each single wager is called a “leg,” and you must get all of your legs correct to win your parlay wager.

Types of Bonuses for Calgary Flames Betting

A common practice in any competitive sports betting market is the sportsbooks’ use of bonuses and promotions. Since it’s so easy for you to move from one book to another, the operators have to come out of pocket in order to keep you happy and loyal. While we are not here to promote any particular bonuses you may find, it is important that you understand the kinds of promotions you may encounter and how they work.

• No deposit – The sportsbook puts site credits or bet vouchers into your account as compensation for your initial registration. You cannot withdraw the funds, but you can use them to try the site without any risk to you. These bonuses are sometimes called “welcome” bonuses.
• Deposit – The sportsbook augments the amount of your deposit by a certain percentage and to a certain absolute amount. You then receive your bonus dollars according to the bonus’ playthrough requirement. These bonuses are sometimes called “match” or “reload” bonuses.
• Risk-free bets – You are able to bet on certain wagers or for certain periods of time and can have a percentage of any net losses refunded to you. The refunds come in the form of site credits or bet vouchers, usually, but you still get another chance to bet with the same money, more or less. These bonuses are sometimes called “refund” or “insurance” bonuses.
• Odds boosts – The sportsbook increases the potential payout on a number of designated wagers without any algorithmic or tangible reasons. The additional pay potential is the bonus, and usually raises the payout amount between 15% and 35%. Because of the ephemeral nature of most sports bets, odds boosts are usually created anew every single day.
• Loyalty program – Loyalty programs reward you with points for every dollar that you wager. Points are then redeemable for placement on a tiered system, redemption in a special onsite store, or both. The tiers bear increasing levels of benefits to their occupants, including restaurant comps, hotel stays, and exclusive events. These are sometimes called “rewards” programs, and you are usually enrolled automatically when you register. 

No matter the bonus you choose to bet the Flames, be sure to read the terms and conditions of the offer before you accept it. Pay particular attention to the playthrough requirement, which is the dollar amount of wagers that you must complete before the bonus credits become withdrawable cash in your account. If the requirement is quite high (10x the bonus amount or more), you may consider passing on the offer unless you plan to devote unusual amounts of time to satisfy the requirement.

Tips for Calgary Flames Betting

If you are a seasoned sports bettor, you’ve undoubtedly got a system in place for betting the Flames already. However, if you are new to hockey wagering, there are a few tips and/or pitfalls that you need to know before you begin.

The first thing to recognize is that most hockey games do not produce very much scoring. Most games have no more than five goals combined, and many games are decided by a single goal. When the margins of victory are small, the swings between the favourite and the underdog are more dramatic. So, avoid betting the favourite as a “sure thing.” There are too many examples of underdogs prevailing in “no-win” NHL games to count.

Obviously, you should also be quite skeptical about any Flames games with high totals marks. If most NHL games combine for five or fewer goals, a totals estimate higher than that average is either due to an unusual factor in the game, or the oddsmakers have made a mistake. In either case, unless you have a good reason to believe that a game will feature loads of scoring, you should probably grab the “under” side of the bet if the over/under is higher than five.

Finally, with regard to futures bets, make sure to note that most futures listings feature zero teams that are favourites to win the championship. Even the frontrunner is often listed as a 2:1 or 3:1 underdog. We see this occurrence with futures bets because the chance that a particular team will win against the chance that someone else will win is a low probability proposition. 

Therefore, if you’re trying to find a good bet for the eventual Stanley Cup champion, the best thing to do is look for “value.” In other words, look for situations where your perception of a team’s odds to win are shorter than the listed bet. If you believe the Flames to be 10:1 underdogs to win it all, it makes sense to bet them if they’re listed at 15:1.

Calgary Flames online odds vs. “official” Vegas odds

You might be curious about the difference between the odds you find in Alberta, the odds you find in Ontario, and the odds generated in the home of sports betting, Las Vegas. For the most part, the opening odds are going to be the same across the board, regardless of where you are.

Now, although they might begin in the same place, odds are going to vary independently from one another at different sportsbooks. Odds move at sportsbooks in response to the betting on one side of the wager or the other. 

The sportsbook attempts to balance out its cumulative payouts at all times. A big bet on one side or the other might generate movement to encourage wagers on the other side of the wager. 

Generally speaking, you’ll see more dramatic variations at PlayAlberta or one of the Ontario sportsbooks than you will in Vegas. Because the Flames are hometown favourites in Calgary and other areas of Alberta, bettors are more inclined than the dispassionate handicappers in Las Vegas to wager on them. 

So, expect to see more dramatic changes closer to home. However, big swings may also present opportunities that you cannot find with the Vegas books. If you believe that the line shifts are based more upon emotion and loyalty than the actual outlook for the game, you might be able to find value betting on the other side – if you can stand to go against your own team, that is.