Quality hockey betting websites are designed to give people worldwide a chance to wager real money on hockey games. The international appeal of hockey and the availability of the internet worldwide have created the perfect situation for hockey betting fans regardless of their location. Anywhere there is a connection to the internet, real money hockey betting is never far away.
Hockey betting websites focus primarily on the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation. As far as betting options go, the NHL gets the most attention by far. International hockey betting is mostly limited to the World Championships, although some betting sites dig deeper into the IIHF. In any case, hockey fans have plenty of options when it comes to online hockey betting.
Best Hockey Betting Sites
Finding Hockey Betting Sites
The trick to finding hockey betting websites is to be picky. There are hundreds of betting sites on the internet, but the quality of those sites ranges drastically. If you take your time finding a hockey betting site, you’ll be glad you did in the long run. It never hurts to visit more than one hockey betting site before settling with your long-term pick.
We have done a lot of research over our years in the business and feel confident in recommending the sites on this page. These online sportsbooks have consistently been ranked as the best on the internet by a variety of sources. Our own experiences with these betting sites have been positive as well. If you’re itching to bet right away, you won’t go wrong by using any of these sports betting apps.
The main thing we look for when choosing hockey betting sites is the security of your funds. Every betting site in the world claims to have security locked down tight, but the only true test of a betting site’s security is the test of time. That’s why you may notice that our top-ranked hockey betting websites are all established websites with big names.
Of course, the types of hockey bets available also play a role in how we rank the top hockey bookmakers. The more options you have, the higher we rank the site. Things such as the generosity of the lines and rewards program are also taken into consideration. The short of it is that we like to see betting websites that offer the best possible all-around experience for hockey bettors.
NHL Betting Sites
The NHL is the primary league people think of when they hear the word “hockey betting.” There are plenty of other hockey leagues out there, but the NHL is the one that generates the most interest and gets the most betting action. Every serious betting website on the internet makes sure to cover NHL games throughout the year.
The biggest hockey betting event every year takes place during the Stanley Finals. This is the time when the best hockey teams in the league (and some of the best players in the world) meet up and battle it out to determine which team is the greatest of them all. The Stanley Cup Finals are exciting enough already, but it becomes a whole new experience when you put money on the line at NHL betting sites.
The advantage to NHL betting online is that you can compare bookmakers and easily find the best lines for your bets. When you bet on NHL games in person, you will rarely be able to shop around like you can on the internet. Speaking of which, shopping around for the best lines is one of the most effective tactics you can use to increase your hockey betting return.
Ice Hockey World Championships Betting
This is the one international hockey tournament that comes close to the NHL in terms of prestige and media fanfare. Although the Ice Hockey World Championships is not the most prestigious hockey tournament globally, it is still one that attracts a significant amount of betting action. If you follow hockey closely, this is one tournament that is always worth betting on.
Not all hockey betting websites cover the Ice Hockey World Championships, unfortunately. If you’re interested in betting on this tournament, you should stick with the biggest betting websites in the world. The websites listed on this page all have an international focus and are great places to check out for real money betting on the World Championships.
Types Of Hockey Bets
Hockey betting websites offer a variety of bet types that can be used to wager on hockey games. If you’re new to hockey betting or need a refresher, the following paragraphs briefly explain how various hockey bets work.
Moneyline Hockey Bets
This is a straightforward bet on the winner of a hockey game. To account for differences in team strengths and attract betting on both sides of each bet, sportsbooks use money lines to alter the payout odds for each team. In any given hockey matchup, one team will be considered the stronger team, and people who bet on that team will have to risk more money for a limited win. People who bet on the weaker team are rewarded with much larger payouts.
Puck Line Betting In Hockey
The puck line bet in hockey works similarly to the money line. The difference is that instead of altering the payout odds so much, bookmakers give 1.5 goals to the underdog team and take away 1.5 goals from the favorites. This means that the stronger team must win by at least two goals for bets on that team to win. People who bet on the underdog can win the bet if their team wins or only loses by a single goal.
Hockey Totals
Totals work the same way in hockey as they do for other sports. In this bet, the sportsbook chooses a number representing the total number of goals that it predicts will be scored in the game. Sports bettors try to guess whether the actual combined score of both teams will be over that number or under that number.
Grand Salami
This is the same thing as a totals bet, except it combines all goals scored by all teams during an entire day of hockey games. The sportsbook adds the total number of goals that it thinks will be scored by all hockey teams that day. The bettors try to correctly predict whether the total number of goals scored that day is over or under the posted amount.
Hockey Prop Betting
Prop bets in hockey focus on a variety of things other than which team will win the game. Prop bets are varied in nature, but they focus on things such as which team will score first, which team will score last, which player will score the first goal, and so on. There is no limit to the types of prop bets that sportsbook apps can create, so you will occasionally run across some exciting prop bets.
Hockey Futures
This type of bet looks ahead a little farther than other types of hockey bets. Futures bets tend to deal with season-long wagers, such as which team will win the Stanley Cup or who will be voted the MVP for the year. Futures bets in hockey take much longer to resolve, but they often offer much higher payouts than standard short-term bets.