While some might find it surprising, others are well aware – lacrosse is one of the most popular sports in Canada, ever since the mid-1800s, and it continues to gain more audience by the day.
In fact, in 1994, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed lacrosse to be Canada’s National Summer Sport.
Lacrosse has been first documented under the name of Baggataway and Tewaarathon in 1673 – the game had 100 up to 1,000 male participants divided into two teams. Four centuries later, the game developed into what we know lacrosse to be today.
The National Lacrosse League, or more commonly known as NLL is the men’s box lacrosse league based in the United States, as well as Canada. The league currently comprises 13 clubs, 5 of which are in Canada, while 8 are in the United States.
Moving on, NCAA, also known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association, is a nonprofit organization founded 111 years ago. The association with headquarters in Indianapolis, U.S., organizes the athletic programs of US and Canadian colleges and universities in three divisions.
In the last decade, the popularity of NLL and NCAA has been rapidly rising, while the popularity of online sports betting has been through the roof. And these two certainly go hand in hand.
If you are familiar with online sports betting, but you haven’t had the opportunity to place your bets on lacrosse yet – you are in luck.
Today, more than ever, online sportsbooks try to provide as competitive lacrosse odds as possible – and the number of collectives and leagues included has been rising, too.
Stick around to discover more about online gambling, lacrosse betting, lacrosse wagers, the most popular lacrosse championships, and everything in between. And if you are in for lacrosse betting – we have a few betting tips for you, too.
Handpicked Lacrosse Betting Sites: The Best Gambling Sites
There are countless gambling sites that include lacrosse in their sportsbooks. Most bookmakers focus on the NLL and the NCAA, however, there are a few lacrosse betting sites that provide you with a comprehensive range of odds for lacrosse wagers.
When making the decision as to which is the best lacrosse betting site for you, it is crucial to think about the aspects that might influence the way you gamble.
You will need to decide on whether you are in for a free bet, deposit bonuses, or different kinds of offers that grant you bonus money.
Nevertheless, our team picked the top gambling websites that offer promotions that can fit anyone’s needs.
These are the best lacrosse betting sites for 2021:
- Sports Interaction – 100% Welcome Deposit Bonus
- WilliamHill – Two Free Bets of CA$15
- BetOnline – Crypto Sportsbook with 50% bonus of up to CA$1,000
- BetSafe – CA$300 Deposit Bonus
- Bet99 – Boosted Wagering and Welcome Packages
- BetWay – Deposit Bonus of CA$300
- 888sport – Free Bet of CA$30
- Mr. Green – Free bets of CA$50
- BetUS – Mobile Lacrosse Betting with up to CA$2,500 Bonus
- Spin Sports – 100% Bonus of up to CA$200
Online Sports Betting Sites: A Guide Through Lacrosse Odds and Bets
If you are new to the lacrosse betting world, the first step you should take before placing a bet is to understand the betting odds. Different betting sites offer several different types of odds – decimal, American, and fractional odds are the most common choices.
Decimal Odds
If you are presented with decimal odds such as 1.50, 3.30, or similar, to get the overall possible win, you should multiply your bet by the given value.
American Odds
The American odds can be either positive or negative. The positive odd such as +70 represent the amount of money you’d win by placing a bet of CA$100. However, the negative odd (-70) shows you the amount of bet you’d need to place so you can become eligible for a win of CA$100.
Fractional Odds
The odds that are shown in fractions are mainly used in UK sports betting sites and you should multiply your bet to calculate your overall win.
Once you’ve got it cleared as to how you can calculate your wins based on the betting odds, you should go over the betting types which we are about to cover next.
Online Betting: Lacrosse Betting Types
Most online sportsbooks offer a wide range of wagers when it comes to lacrosse leagues. In fact, the wagers do not differentiate from other sports pro leagues, or even college lacrosse competitions.
Moreover, lacrosse betting is often divided into three categories: standard bets, props, and lacrosse futures.
Standard Lacrosse Bets
There are three standard lacrosse bet types: moneyline, point spread, and over/under.
Moneyline bets refer to a gambling scheme when you place your money on the winner of a single game.
Betting on the size of the winning margin for the lacrosse game is known as a point spread bet. A minus sign suggests that the team is the favorite.
Last but not least, is the over-or-under standard lacrosse bet, where you decide whether the total number of goals stated in the sportsbook will be higher or lower in a single game.
Lacrosse Prop Bets
Any kind of a scenario that the sportsbook has published odds on can be considered as lacrosse prop betting. The scenarios typically involve whether a team will make it to the playoffs of lacrosse tournaments, who gets the first penalty, which team scores first, and etc.
Lacrosse Futures
Lacrosse future bets, as the name suggests, refer to a bet that will take place in the future. Typically, gamblers bet on who will raise the NCAA Lacrosse Championship trophy, the World Lacrosse Championship trophy, or the National Lacrosse Championship instead.
Now that we’ve covered the bettings types, the online betting sites and the different types of sport betting platforms are up next.
Sports Betting Platforms
If you reside in Canada, and you happen to follow Canadian lacrosse teams, you might as well be looking for the right sports betting site that will give you the opportunity to place the best lacrosse bets.
Besides online sportsbooks, there are other sports betting sites that provide you with different ways to place wagers, such as betting exchanges, and lacrosse matched betting.
Lacrosse Sportsbooks
Canadians simply love the sportsbooks offers – this is the most commonly used type of online sports gambling.
In fact, “sportsbooks” is the very first word that Canadian bettors associate with online wagering.
Betting Exchanges
Betting against the bookmaker is the standard practice for most sport betting sites.
However, when betting exchanges provide you a chance to place a wager against other bettors.
The good news is that you can place for and against bets the same outcome – and nobody will stop you.
Lacrosse Matched Betting
Canadian bettors have the chance to match bets on almost all lacrosse betting sites.
In essence, lacrosse matched betting is when you place 2 bets for the same outcome: for and against.
However, given that one of the bets placed comes from a free bet bonus – you are guaranteed a positive outcome!
If you’ve mastered the wagering calculations, picked your most preferred betting type, and chosen the right gambling platform – it is time for creating your betting strategy.
Online Sportsbooks Lacrosse Betting – Tips & Tricks
Lacrosse is a team sport that has been first played as early as the 17th century. Nowadays, there are four versions of the sport, where male and female Canadian players compete in their respective lacrosse tournaments.
Regardless of which league you’re following, there are several factors that should always be part of your betting strategy.
The gambling strategy that is most likely to lead you to a positive outcome consists of 4 main steps:
- following your team’s games
- get familiar with the star players
- compare the teams head to head
- trust the numbers
Placing a lacrosse bet is just like any other sport – you need to pay attention to the games and the stats.
Follow Your Team
If you love lacrosse as much as we do, you surely have your favorite team that you intend to place your bet on.
However, most times a simple hunch is not enough to place a high bet on a lacrosse team.
Instead of favoring a team solely based on instinct, you should closely examine the teams’ game schedule, follow the team news for potential suspensions, players’ injuries, and stay up to date with the team lineups.
Know the Stars
It doesn’t matter if you are placing a standard lacrosse bet, betting on futures, or lacrosse props – they all depend on the key stars of the teams.
Therefore, before placing a wager on any game, you should get familiar with the star players that each team has under their belt.
A piece of simple information on whether the top athlete is a starter of the game can be crucial to the outcome of the lacrosse game.
Compare the Teams
A head-to-head comparison is a must when you are placing bets in any lacrosse championship.
Once you decide to place a bet on a specific gambling site, you should look for the teams’ table, where you will find all the information you need on the past games of the given league.
Trust the Numbers
If a team has never won a game and it is mid-season, chances are the upcoming match won’t bring good news either.
Hence, you should always look up the teams’ stats before placing your cash on them, and simply expecting the best.
While going through the stats about games played, goals scored, wins at home and away, individual player statistics, or anything else, you should keep one thing in mind – there is no such thing as useless numbers.
And if you have it all figured out up till now, but you are unfamiliar with your betting options or the rules and leagues – we are just about to dive into the lacrosse championships.
Lacrosse Versions
As a sport that has been present for over 400 years, the game has lived through many modifications and overall changes.
The sport has four versions, each having different sticks, rules, game fields, and gear, such as:
- Field Lacrosse
- Box Lacrosse
- Women’s Lacrosse
- Intercrosse
The main differences are that the men’s games can be played both indoor and outdoor, while the woman’s game is played exclusively outdoors.
Moreover, men’s lacrosse is a sport that involves a lot of physical contact, while the women’s game does not allow any physical contact whatsoever.
Following are the short explanations for each of the versions.
Field Lacrosse
The field lacrosse team consists of 10 male players – 3 attackers, 3 midfielders, 3 defenders, and one goalkeeper.
The sport game is played outdoors, and every one of the ten players has a lacrosse stick that comes in 3 different sizes.
Moreover, field lacrosse is a contact sport and all players must wear protective equipment such as helmets, gloves, elbow pads, and shoulder pads.
The teams compete for an hour, with the match being divided into 4 periods of 15 minutes.
Box Lacrosse
Box lacrosse is yet another form of lacrosse that is played by teams of 5 athletes and a goalie on a hockey rink. The ice hockey rink is covered by artificial turf, or the lacrosse match is played in an indoor soccer field instead.
The inception of box lacrosse happened in the 1930s, as Canadians were looking for a way to promote hockey arenas outside of their season. A few years later, box lacrosse was nearly as popular as field lacrosse.
This type of lacrosse features a speedy game, which is accelerated by the shot clock that allows teams to aim for to goal within half a minute of gaining ball possession.
Both the National Lacrosse League and the Canadian Lacrosse Association play box lacrosse. However, the NLL has introduced a few changes to the rules compared to the Canadian Lacrosse Association.
For instance, the NLL games are divided into 4 quarters of 15 minutes, while the CLA games have 3 periods of 20 minutes.
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s lacrosse is rather different from the male sport, with the main differences being the gear the players have, as well as the level of physical contact allowed.
Moreover, the set of rules are different from one country to another, and they can even differ in different leagues. Nevertheless, women’s lacrosse disapproves of any kind of physical contact between the players in all leagues.
The teams have 12 players each, and all players have certain limitations which are exclusive to the female game, only.
Intercrosse
The fourth type of lacrosse is intercrosse, also known as soft stick lacrosse.
Intercrosse is a non-contact sport with its own set of rules and special gear.
Interestingly enough, intercrosse is a rather popular sport in Quebec, Canada, that is played by 5 players per team, with a larger and softer ball.
The game can be played indoors and outdoors, and it is part of the curriculum for physical education classes in Canada.
Once you get familiar with the types of lacrosse available today, you might want to check out the sports leagues and learn their main differences.
Popular Lacrosse Leagues and their Betting Odds
Today’s sport – modern lacrosse, is regulated by the World Lacrosse International Sports Organization.
The International Lacrosse Organization is a host to the World Lacrosse Championship for men, the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup, the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, and the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championship for both men and women.
Furthermore, Canada and the United States are known to have college lacrosse leagues alongside professional lacrosse leagues.
Following are examples of the most popular professional and college lacrosse leagues in the region, as well as their available online wagers.
National Lacrosse League – NLL
The National Lacrosse League was founded in 1986 and it has been active ever since. The league has 15 teams in total, out of which 5 are from Canada, and 10 are from the United States.
The NLL’s regular games are played from December to June, which is unlike any other lacrosse tournament.
The current teams are separated into 2 divisions – the Eastern and the Western Division.
Buffalo Bandits, Halifax Thunderbirds, Rochester Knighthawks, Toronto Rock, Albany FireWolves, Georgia Swarm, New York Riptide, and Philadelphia Wings are part of the Eastern division.
The Western division consists of 6 teams: Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Vancouver Warriors, and Panther City Lacrosse Club.
Moreover, an expansion to the Western division is announced for 2022, with the Las Vegas team joining the NLL.
NLL Online Betting
The NNL takes the title of the most trendy, professional league in the US when it comes to online lacrosse betting.
Canadian teams are known to be the most successful in the league, and Toronto Rock has won the championship 6 times since the inception of the league!
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NLL season was suspended for 2020.
Nevertheless, the upcoming 2022 season will have 14 teams competing in 18 regular games – and online sports betting sites are expected to publish their odds, as soon as the season is ready to start.
Canadian Lacrosse League – CLax
The Canadian Lacrosse League (CLax) was founded in 2011, as a semi-professional indoor lacrosse league for men. The league mainly took place in Ontario, Canada.
Just like the NLL, the league’s season lasted during winter, while the playoffs were held in early spring.
The inaugural season was opened in 2012, in which 6 Canadian teams took part.
Unfortunately, the indoor lacrosse sports league consisted of Canadian teams, ceased operation in 2016, due to the league’s enterprise format being no longer functional.
CLax Online Betting
Lacrosse betting sites no longer offer any CLax betting wagers, as the league is unfortunately no longer operational.
National Collegiate Athletic Association – NCAA
The NCAA lacrosse division was founded in 1910, and it has a three-division system that was first presented in 1973. The league features both NCAA men’s lacrosse and NCAA women’s games.
The college lacrosse Division I had 74 male and 117 female college lacrosse teams in the season of 2019/20.
The Second Division had 74 male college lacrosse teams and 114 female lacrosse teams for the same year.
Division 3 on the other hand featured 247 male college lacrosse teams and 292 female college lacrosse teams.
NCAA Online Betting
The betting lines of NCAA online betting are rather popular once the season kicks off.
Naturally, the First Male Division is by far the most prestigious league in the lacrosse championship.
Hence, you can place all kinds of bets on individual games, as well as on the tournament overall.
Other Popular Lacrosse Leagues
Besides the NLL and the NCAA, there are other popular leagues that you can find at some of the online sports betting sites, such as:
- United Women’s Lacrosse League
- Women’s Professional Lacrosse League
- Major Lacrosse Tournament
- Premier Lacrosse League
United Women’s Lacrosse Tournament – The United Women’s Lacrosse Tournament is the women’s lacrosse championship that has been operational since 2016. There are 4 teams competing for the title: Baltimore Ride, Boston Storm, Long Island Sound, and Philadelphia Force.
Women’s Professional Lacrosse Tournament – The Women’s Professional Lacrosse Tournament is a professional league that was formed in 2018. The league currently has 5 lacrosse teams competing for the title.
Major Lacrosse Tournament – The Major Lacrosse Tournament is a semi-professional field lacrosse tournament that was founded in 2001. The tournament now has 9 teams within the United States that compete in a 14-game season during the summer.
Premier LL – The Premier League was formed in October 2018 by Paul Rabil, after he separated from the Major Lacrosse Tournament. The main prospect behind the PLL is to allow the best athletes to travel around different cities in the United States, with the goal to spread the lacrosse thrill all around the states.
Wrap up: Lacrosse Online Sports Betting
Lacrosse has been one of the most popular summer sports in Canada for over 200 years now.
The NNL is the most famous professional league, while the NCAA is the most followed college league for Canadian and American citizens.
Vancouver Warriors, Saskatchewan Rush, Halifax Thunderbirds, Calgary Roughnecks are only some of the most successful lacrosse collectives.
As online gambling is becoming more and more popular by the day, the high demand for lacrosse betting in Canada only follows naturally.
Today, there are countless sportsbooks and different gambling sites that offer a wide array of betting lines – and it is up to you to find your best wagering options.
That is why our team has stepped in and made a list of the best gambling lacrosse sites – with the sole intention to make your decision a little easier, thus providing conditions for making an educated guess.
Lacrosse betting is a fun way to earn some side cash while showing off your knowledge of the game and the leagues.
However, our team wants to emphasize that while lacrosse betting can be thrilling, it can also be addictive. Therefore, it should never be seen as a way of earning money as a steady income. If you suspect that you might have a gambling problem, you should not hesitate to ask for help and reach out to Gamblers Anonymous.
Last Updated on November 18, 2021
