CEBL Championship Odds: Shooting Stars Rocket to No. 1

Canadian basketball has never been stronger, with a bevy of talent holding court in the NBA, and an influx of both public and private investment in grassroots programs to increase the game's exposure and development in "The North".

One such initiative is the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), with its fifth season underway and bettors able to sink their teeth into a variety of markets.

We've already seen some significant shifts a week in, so let's check in on the latest CEBL championship odds.

2023 CEBL Championship odds

Odds courtesy of BetVictor as of May 31, 2023.

CEBL Championship favorites

Scarborough Shooting Stars (+400)

A new favorite has emerged! The Shooting Stars, despite splitting their first two games, are the new top choice for the CEBL championship odds.

Priced at +600 preseason, Scarborough has risen to the top of what seemed like preseason market uncertainty (with six teams priced between +350 and +750), surely aided by their opening win over defending champion Brampton.

Calgary Surge (+433)

The Surge are off to the CEBL's best start, sitting at 3-0, including a win over the preseason title favorite Niagara River Lions. 

All of Calgary's games have been close (its average margin of victory is 2.66 points) but the hot start has been enough for it to, um, surge, up the odds board, leapfrogging three teams from its +600 preseason listing.

Niagara River Lions (+500)

It's been a rough start to the season for the River Lions, who entered 2023 as the favorites for the title, but were handed two losses to start the season — trounced 85-69 by Montreal in the opener before a 85-82 heartbreaker at the hands of Calgary on Tuesday.

The River Lions made significant offseason moves and may just need time for the roster to gel, so despite the slow start, books haven't entirely cooled on them.

Past CEBL Championship winners

Here are all four CEBL Championship winners in league history.

What is the CEBL?

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is a professional basketball league in Canada. It was established in 2018 and began its inaugural season in 2019. The league is recognized by Canada Basketball, the governing body for basketball in Canada.

The CEBL aims to provide high-level basketball competition and entertainment for Canadian basketball fans while also creating opportunities for Canadian players to showcase their skills. It features a unique blend of professional players, top Canadian talent, and international players.

The league currently consists of 10 teams: the Brampton Honey Badgers, Calgary Surge, Edmonton Stingers, Montreal Alliance, Niagara River Lions, Ottawa BlackJacks, Saskatchewan Rattlers, Scarborough Shooting Stars, Vancouver Bandits, and Winnipeg Sea Bears.

The CEBL season typically runs from May to August, allowing players to compete during the summer months when many international basketball leagues are in their offseason. The league follows FIBA (International Basketball Federation) rules and regulations.

In addition to its on-court action, the CEBL has a focus on community engagement and involvement. It aims to make a positive impact in the communities where its teams are based through various initiatives and partnerships.

Understanding CEBL Championship odds

Sportsbooks like BetVictor will post CEBL outright futures in late May before the season starts. These CEBL futures are constantly adjusted throughout the offseason as players get hurt or are traded. Once the regular season begins, CEBL outright odds will change regularly as teams win and lose games and as more players are injured or traded. Sportsbooks will also adjust the CEBL title odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.

CEBL Championship odds will usually look like this:

• Niagara River Lions +350

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $350 if the River Lions win the CEBL title. If it's close to the end of the regular season or even during the playoffs and the CEBL has a very dominant team, you might see that a team is has a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds. 

• Brampton Honey Badgers -150

This means that if you bet on the Honey Badgers during the 2023 CEBL season you would have needed to bet $150 to profit $100 if the Honey Badgers won the championship.

Above we have posted the American odds for the CEBL title. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool.

How to bet CEBL Championship odds

There are many strategies to consider when making a CEBL futures bet on which team will win the championship. Obviously, you're looking to bet on who you think can navigate through the CEBL playoffs and come out on top. So just because a team is in first place midway through the season, it doesn't mean that's the best roster to win in the postseason.

Also, consider how an injury may affect a futures bet. Let's say the Scarborough Shooting Stars are a heavy favorite to win the championship. But what happens if the team's leading scorer, Jalen Harris, gets hurt? In that case, a futures bet on another contender has tremendous value. 

Other things to consider are strength of schedule, and even load management. Maybe a team is undervalued in the futures market because it has played the more difficult portion of its schedule early on. Or perhaps a team has more losses than it should because it has been sitting its best player on the second half of back-to-back games all season. 

Check out more insight into how to bet on basketball.

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