As the NHL and NBA prepare to begin their seasons, the NFL swings into high gear, and postseason baseball inches closer, fans will be getting their fix for high-stakes drama in the weeks to come.
However, Canadians are seemingly putting their hard-earned cash on the line less often, especially compared to sports bettors in the United States.
Key Takeaways
- Just 19% of surveyed Canadian adults reported betting on sports in the last 12 months, compared to 26% of Americans.
- Concerns about sports betting advertising are also increasing, with respondents reporting concerns relating to the integrity of media companies and the games themselves.
- Growth opportunities still appear on the horizon thanks to a dedicated group, with some Canadian bettors still planning to continue or even increase their habits as more leagues begin.
A new study from market research firm Leger found that Canadians are lagging behind their American counterparts in sports betting appetite, with Canadians more likely to express concerns about the number of sports betting ads and opposition to its associations with sports media companies.
Just 19% of Canadian respondents said they have bet on sports within the last 12 months, compared to 21% in 2024. Comparatively, over a quarter of American respondents, roughly 26%, are reported to have done so, though that number is down about 13%.
Canadians also reported being dissatisfied with the pervasiveness of sports betting ads. In an era of increasing division and polarization, a staggering 75% of participants agreed that they felt there were too many ads, up from 72% in 2024.
The U.S. didn’t share quite the same concerns. However, a jump from 52% to 59% of American adults said there are too many ads, which suggests public sentiment could eventually catch up south of the border.
Canadians are also wary of major sports media corporations continuing to cozy up to sports betting operations via sponsored content and other integration measures. Just over half (51%) of Canadians either strongly or somewhat agreed that sports TV and platforms should not ally with sports betting companies outright, with just a shade under 50% expressing concerns about match-fixing. Just 30% and 42% of Americans shared each of those sentiments, respectively.
Opportunities for growth emerge
Despite Canadians sharing their growing distrust of the industry, growth opportunities remain abundant across sectors thanks to a group of loyal and frequent bettors.
The study found already active bettors for upcoming seasons are expecting their wagering habits to increase despite public sentiment.
“Those who intend to continue betting this coming Fall (i.e. bet last year and will bet again this year), their betting activity/spend is likely to increase compared to last year, especially in the U.S.,” the report details.
That includes the NBA, the lone major sports league among Canadians that saw year-over-year betting increases among respondents. That increase helped spur a net potential growth of 5% according to the study, with the metric defined as the percentage of individuals who will likely bet this fall minus the percentage that bet in the past 12 months.
On the whole, unsurprisingly, the NHL took the crown among Canucks, who can’t get enough puck even as participation declines in favor of other sports.
Forty-one percent of Canadian bettors placed wagers on the National Hockey League in 2025, a mark only surpassed percentage-wise by Americans on the NFL (52%). Eleven percent of Canadians also expressed they planned to bet on the NHL this fall, the leading figure among those north of the 49th parallel.
