Sportsbooks want your bets, and they offer all kinds of promotions and bonuses to keep you betting with them. That includes odds boosts, where a sportsbook bumps up your odds on a particular bet to increase the payout if you win.
You can find odds boosts for everything from big games to local action. It’s like a sale price on a bet. It can be a great find if you’re shopping around for the best price on a bet. But you still have to win it, and a bad bet with an odds boost is still a bad bet.
You have to ask yourself why the sportsbook is offering the boost before you bet it. If it’s a promo aimed at attracting your action on a bet you were going to place anyway, that’s one thing. If it’s an effort to reduce a sportsbook’s exposure, don’t bother.
Here’s how to tell the difference and more in this guide to odds boosts at online sportsbooks in Canada.
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What is an odds boost?
An odds boost is a common sportsbook promo offer where the sportsbook bumps up the odds on a particular bet. Sportsbooks use odds boosts to get you to place certain bets with them by offering a better price than the competition. The catch is that the bet has to win for the boost to have any value.
Online sportsbooks might boost the odds on everything from NHL odds, NFL odds, NBA odds, and MLB odds to golf and tennis tournaments, MMA fights, and boxing matches. Just be aware that line movement aimed at attracting action to the other side of a bet and reducing a sportsbook’s exposure may be disguised as an odds boost offer.
A good rule of thumb is to take the boost on a bet you planned to place anyway and avoid everything else.
Guide to enhanced odds for beginners
- How does an odds boost work? Sportsbooks bump up the odds on a particular bet, offering a bigger payout for anyone who wins the bet at the boosted odds.
- Where can you find odds boosts? Sportsbooks may promote bet boosts on social media, but the best place to find them is the book itself. Sportsbook will tend to feature boosts prominently on their sites and apps so they’re easy to locate.
- How can you get an odds boost? Just click on the bet at the sportsbook that is offering the boost, and the better gambling odds should show up on your bet slip.
- Which types of bets can receive boosts? The odds on just about any type of sports bet can receive a boost. That said, not too many spreads or totals get a boost. Moneylines and prop bets are the more common targets.
Best Sportsbooks for Odds Boosts
While many online sportsbooks offer odds boosts, some just have a more regular assortment for users to choose from when stacked up against the competition. Here are three shops that you’ll definitely want to check out.
- DraftKings Sportsbook Canada: When you visit DraftKings Sportsbook, there’s a dedicated link for current odds boosts. The exact offerings will vary depending on what’s on the docket, but there’s generally a solid daily selection to choose from. For example, the regular odds for Auston Matthews to record 3+ points in the next Leafs game might be at +550 while the boost bumps it up to +700.
- BetMGM Sportsbook in Canada: BetMGM displays a regular selection of boosts in a banner display on top of the main betting lobby. As you dig into individual games and events, you may even find a special ‘Lions Boost’ for that contest. Boosts can be for various props and results, such as a combo bet on the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat both to win or an NFL player to exceed a certain amount of yardage. At regular odds, the bet might payout at odds of +120, while the boost ticks the potential return up to +150.
- Caesars Sportsbook Canada: Caesars also has a dedicated link to current boosts, and the list is typically pretty large. During our test run, there were a total of 24 different boosts to choose from: seven for NBA and NCAAB, seven for NHL, and 11 for Soccer. You’ll have a hard time finding that kind of variety elsewhere. Beyond the standard individual boosts, there are also plenty of combos to choose from, such as a Maple Leafs win plus a Matthews goal or a pair of Raptors players to score over 24.5 points.
- FanDuel Sportsbook Canada: When you log onto FanDuel, there’s a link for boosts as well as a banner display of current promotional offerings. When we checked it out, there was a good mix of game and prop boosts to choose from, including a combo bet on both the Leafs and Devils to win which pumped the odds from +270 to +350. The user-friendly FanDuel platform is a great place to play in general while competitive odds and intriguing boosts make it that much better.
- BetRivers Sportsbook in Canada: Over at BetRivers, you’ll find current boost offers in one of two spots: the rotating banner display or the house specials link. There’s also a dedicated promotions tab that lists out the regular offerings Beyond standard odds boosts on games and props, BetRivers regular dishes out profit boosts of 20-50% on select bets.
All of the above books are great spots to scope out regular odds boosts. That said, they may nail it for some sports while coming up short in other areas. When looking for boosts for a specific sport, these are the best ones to visit.
- NFL and CFL: DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars
- NHL, NBA, and MLB: Caesars, BetMGM, BetRivers
- Golf and Tennis: BetMGM, Caesars
- Other Sports: BetMGM, Caesars
How to boost your own odds
From time to time, sportsbooks will run odds boosts that you can customize. That means applying an odds boost to any bet you want. Online sportsbooks, such as DraftKings or BetMGM, might set a boost amount and allow you to apply it to any bet, though the book is likely to limit it to certain games or odds.
For example, FanDuel Sportsbook might offer a +100 odds boost that you can apply to anything. You choose to bet on the Toronto Raptors odds (+120) vs. the Miami Heat, and if Toronto wins, you’d win $220 plus your bet back for every $100 that you bet. Without the boost, the bet would have paid $120 plus your bet back for every $100 that you bet.
Open odds boosts like this are the best kind. They give you the option to get better odds on a bet you would have placed regardless. Just make sure to opt in and check the odds on your bet slip to make sure the boost is there.
NHL odds boosts
Canada is hockey country, and betting on NHL games may ultimately prove more popular than anything else here. NHL-specific odds boosts may include the following:
- NHL moneyline script flips: The Toronto Maple Leafs are moneyline favourites at home, sitting at -150 over the visiting New York Rangers. An odds boost may bump the favoured Maple Leafs odds up to +110, though. Now, Leafs backers don’t need to lay money to win money and instead would more than double their cash with a Toronto victory.
- Even bigger NHL parlay boosts: NHL parlays are tough to win. That’s why you get a big boost to your odds to begin with. Sportsbooks may also come in with an even bigger odds boost on certain parlays. You can bet on the Leafs to beat the Rangers, the Leafs scoring first and sniper Auston Matthews scoring a goal in the game at +250. But if a boost raises the odds to +325, this is suddenly a much better bet.
- Propped up NHL props: NHL props can receive odds boosts, as well. Auston Matthews may be at +125 to score in an upcoming Leafs game, but an odds boost might drive that up to +200. Bigger potential payouts make for better bets and a reward that might be worth the risk.
| Sportsbook | NHL Odds Boost Example |
|---|---|
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Bet $1, Win $100 on the NHL game of your choice, paying out a $100 bonus if either team in the game you bet on scores |
| BetMGM Sports | Thursday NHL Parlay Boost: Odds on Maple Leafs, LIghtning, and Blues or other three-team all-to-win parlays boosted to +400 |
| Caesars Sportsbook | NHL Profit Boost Promo: Earn a 33% profit boost on NHL games up to three times per day by betting a maximum of $25 at minimum -200 odds |
| BetRivers Sportsbook | Bet $25, Win $250 NHL Promo: Get a 20% profit boost on NHL live bets - Bet up to $25 to earn up to $250 |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | 2021 NHL Playoffs Boost: Pittsburgh Penguins to win the series against the New York Islanders Was: -142/Now: +100 |
NFL odds boosts
Since NFL betting tends to be the most popular league when betting, books in legal sports betting provinces are likely to run a number of NFL odds boosts. These might include some that turn moneyline favourites into underdogs, parlay boosts offering even bigger payouts for stringing multiple wins together and improved NFL odds for popular player props.
| Sportsbook | NFL Odds Boost Example |
|---|---|
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Bet $5, Win $280: 56-1 odds boost on any NFL Wild Card Game with a $5 maximum bet |
| BetMGM Sports | Super Bowl LVI 20-1 Odds Boost Promo: Bet $10, Win $200 if the Rams or Bengals score a touchdown in the Super Bowl |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Thursday Night Football Boost: Steelers Win and Najee Harris first TD scorer boosted to +1100 |
| BetRivers Sportsbooks | NFL Parlay Boost: Get a 20% parlay profit boost - Bet up to $25 on a 3 or more leg parlay to earn up to $250 |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | Bet $5, Win $150: Odds boosted to 30-1 for $5 bets on every team in every NFL Wild Card Game |
NBA odds boosts
With the recent success of the Toronto Raptors, Canada’s only NBA team, NBA betting is almost as popular as anything else. You might see NBA moneyline, point spread or totals boosts, parlay boosts, or prop boosts similar to those available for other sports.
| Sportsbook | NBA Odds Boost Example |
|---|---|
| DraftKings Sportsbook | NBA Odds Boost: Giannis Antetokounmpo to score 30 or more points and the Milwaukee Bucks to win boosted to +270 |
| BetMGM Sports | Bet $10, Win $200: 20-1 odds boost on the New York Knicks to hit at least one three-pointer in a week's worth of games |
| Caesars Sportsbook | NBA Profit Boost Promo: Get a 33% profit boost on NBA bets, up to three per day by betting, $25 max bet at -200 minimum odds |
| BetRivers Sportsbooks | NBA Profit Boost: Get a 20% profit boost on NBA live bets - Bet up to $25 and earn up to $250 |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | Bet $5, Win $150: Odds boosted to 30-1 (+3000) for every team in every game throughout the NBA Playoffs ($5 max bet) |
MLB odds boosts
With the Toronto Blue Jays making some noise recently, MLB betting should prove popular in Canada, as well. Potential boosts could include increases to run lines, moneylines or totals, boosts on parlays, and options for various props.
| Sportsbook | MLB Odds Boost Example |
|---|---|
| DraftKings Sportsbook | 100-1 MLB odds boost: Bet $1, Win $100 on any MLB as long as either team records a hit |
| BetMGM Sports | Home Run Boost: Bet on any MLB Opening Day game and get $1 in free bets for every home run hit by every team on Opening Day |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Caesars Super Boost: Odds on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Diego Padres boosted from were -140 to even money (+100) |
| BetRivers Sportsbooks | MLB Profit Boost: Get a 20% profit boost on MLB bet with -200 odds or greater |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | MLB Odds Boost: Yankees or Rays to record a hit in the team's first plate appearance boosted from -120 to +150 |
Odds boosts for college football and basketball
Bowl games and March Madness odds boosts tend to be popular options at sportsbooks, including for the College Football Playoff and national title game. The betting works basically the same as it does for NBA and NFL action, so the odds boosts likely will, too.
Odds boosts vs. teasers and parlays
Since it’s so much harder to string multiple wins together than win a few individual bets, parlays already pay better odds. Still, from time to time, sportsbooks will offer an additional boost to the odds on a parlay bet as a part of a promo.
Teasers are a little different, as they are parlays where you can move lines in your favour. You’ll still get a bit of a boost compared to betting each leg individually, but it won’t be as big as a standard parlay. That’s because moving the lines makes a teaser easier for you to win.
How do you know if an odds boost is worth it?
Deciding whether an odds boost offer is worth it starts with looking at the bet before the boost. A boost to the odds of any bet you would have made otherwise is a no-brainer. It’s simply offering you the chance at a bigger win for a bet you’d be making anyway. On the flip side of that, a boost to the odds of a bet you wouldn’t place may not be worth it. A losing bet doesn’t offer any value, no matter how much of a boost the odds receive.
The next thing to look at is the reason for the boost. A small promotional boost on an otherwise good bet may be worth it. Line movement aimed at reducing a sportsbook’s exposure disguised as an enhanced odds offer isn’t.
Price boosts should provide you with some value, but they can’t do that if the bet doesn’t win. Boosting the odds on any bet will make it look more attractive, but that can be deceiving. A bet with almost no chance of winning is still a bad bet no matter what the odds are. That’s why it’s best to only accept boosts on bets you liked at the original odds. You can also try a boosted bet that you initially did not like, but only if the boost is big enough to make the reward worth what you consider an obviously bigger risk.
Bet on odds boosts that turn favourites into odds-on underdogs, avoid those on big dogs, consider the bet and the reason for the boost — in that order — and you’ll be well on your way to making good odds boost decisions.