Sport has been part of the fabric of society for centuries and has provided sports enthusiasts with plenty of memories, good and bad, emotions that range across the whole spectrum, and hours of fun playing on fields, rinks, and courts. Sport has given way to a wide range of activities beyond spectating and while billions around the world actively partake in sport, there is an alternative way to follow sport that is capturing the attention of more Canadians.

Wherever you come from in Canada, or whoever you root for on the ice or on the football field, the sports betting movement is beginning to make greater waves and provides fans and enthusiasts with another way to back their favorite team or player. Until April 2022, when Ontario became the first province to legalize and regulate online gambling, which includes sport and event betting, Canada had maintained a strict stance against the overall action of gambling.

However, with the ground-breaking legalization of online gambling by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, sports enthusiasts now have an avenue to bet on a wide range of sports before an event happens, and during an event.

Put your sports knowledge to the test!

For the more astute and enthusiastic sports fans, they will have fixtures and events stored on their reminders way in advance of them happening. This not only gives those that also bet on sports the chance to get slightly longer regular odds, even for teams and players that are heavy favorites, but betting with regular odds also provides more fixed odds on the outcome of an event.

Unless something drastic happens, like a team-wide illness for example, the odds will be made weeks and months in advance of an event happening and adjusted accordingly based on factors such as results, injuries, or form. Getting bets with regular odds placed ahead of an event offers punters the chance to scour the betting markets for odds that could shorten in the long run. This is especially common before a season such as the NHL or NFL begins. Online sports books generally offer longer odds before the commencement of an event or a tournament due to the lack of information on teams or players.

Stay sharp with live odds!

With any potential bets placed, individually on an event or as part of a parlay, it is then time to kick back with the action. However, action alone is not enough for sports enthusiasts nowadays. Those into sports betting now have a more reliable and interactive way of being a part of the event. Live sports betting was introduced in 2002, but technological and software advances in recent years have vastly improved the interfaces and platforms supporting live betting.

As a result, more users are adding live sports betting to their sports-spectating experience. There are smartphone apps that also allow for quick live betting action. Compared to regular odds betting, the odds provided by the online sports book are extremely fluid and are representative of the action happening right at that moment or at the stage of an event. The recent NHL match between the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils is a good example of how odds can change throughout an ice hockey match.

Jake Allen defies the odds!

In the 3-0 win for the Devils over the Oilers, goalkeeper Jake Allen produced a heroic performance to shut out the Oilers and single-handedly give the Devils the platform to steal a win. In the end, a goal in each period gave the scoreline an added gloss, and provided an upset after bookmakers had the Oilers down as pre-match favorites.

TitanPlay live betting odds would have continued to back the Oilers with slightly lengthened odds, even after Stefan Noesen put New Jersey into the lead, such was the Oilers’ dominance in front of goal. Even at 0-2 (Jesper Bratt), the live betting odds did not lengthen to undesirable levels. The momentum remained with the Oilers as Edmonton continued to pepper Allen’s goal with shots, making a draw still a possible outcome.

At 0-3, the odds lengthened significantly and were firmly stacked against the Oilers. In the end, Allen made an astonishing 31 saves to earn his second shutout of the season, but more importantly, helped his team to a win that upset the regular odds before the match.

In advance or in-play?

In this scenario, backing the Devils’ regular odds before the match would have amounted to a decent win. Even backing them during the match with a lead would have earned decent live odds such was the ferocity of the Oilers’ attack. With the Oilers’ odds lengthening with each goal conceded, there could have been smart money won by backing a comeback. Alas, one did not materialize.

The stock market-esque approach to live sports betting is a feature that truly tests the knowledge of sports fans. As always in sport, anything can happen, and even the most knowledgeable of sports fans can be proved wrong. The thrill of live sports betting is a differentiating factor between making bets with regular or live odds, with calculated instinct playing a greater role in live betting. Besides from the thrill factor, the difference between regular and live odds ultimately lies in the timing.

Securing odds in advance of an event versus taking advantage of fluid, constantly changing live odds gives punters plenty of options when it comes to following and betting on sport.