The United States and Canada are both major markets for sports, making them attractive targets for sports betting. However, a recent study shows that sports betting is significantly more popular in the US than in its northern neighbor.
Study Finds Interesting Differences Between Sports Betting in the US and Canada
The study was done by Leger, who conducted it online from August 29 to 31, 2025. It included 1,621 Canadians and 1,015 US residents aged 18 and older, randomly selected from LEO’s online panel.
Leger found out that in the past year, 19% of Canadians and 26% of Americans reported placing sports bets, down from 21% and 30%, respectively, the previous year. Sports betting and fantasy sports remain more prevalent in the US than in Canada: 18% of Americans have taken part in fantasy sports leagues over the past year, compared to 14% of Canadians.
Additionally, American bettors are more likely than their Canadian counterparts to participate in alternative forms of betting, such as micro betting, exchange betting, and eSports betting, and are nearly twice as likely to engage in live betting. For instance, 39% of American bettors have placed live or in-play bets in the past year, compared to just 22% of Canadian bettors.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that the NHL continues to be the most popular sport for betting and fantasy sports among Canadians. Over the past year, 41% of Canadian sports bettors have placed bets on NHL games, compared to 26% for the NFL and 21% for the NBA. Additionally, 32% of Canadian fantasy sports participants played NHL fantasy hockey.
The NFL remains the most popular sport among Americans for both betting and fantasy sports. In the past year, 52% of American fantasy sports players participated in NFL fantasy football, while 59% of American sports bettors placed bets on NFL games. In contrast, NFL betting has declined among Canadians, with only 26% of Canadian sports bettors wagering on the NFL in the past year. This is down from 37% the previous year.
How Do US and Canadian Citizens Regard Sports Betting Ads?
Canadians remain more likely than Americans to feel overwhelmed by the number of sports betting advertisements, though concern is growing in the US year over year. Among those who have seen such ads, 75% of Canadians and 59% of Americans believe there are too many, which is up from 52% in the US last year.
Canadians also show greater opposition to partnerships between sports media companies and betting firms: 51% agree with this sentiment, compared to just 30% of Americans. This seems to have spilled over into the political scene as well, as there are leading voices calling for restrictions on betting advertisements in Canada.
Despite that, it seems that both Americans and Canadians are more willing to bet on sports if supplied with up-to-date information. Around 49% of bettors in both countries say that seeing real-time odds displayed on screen makes them more likely to place a bet during the game.
With new legislation taking effect in both countries, it will be interesting to see how the popularity of sports betting evolves by the end of 2026.
Stefan Velikov
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