Connect with us

Legal NHL Betting Guide for 2024

NHL Icon
  • NHL Odds And Futures Are Active Now
  • NHL Betting Can Take Place At Domestic And Offshore Sportsbooks
  • Some Hockey Sportsbooks Accept Members At 18

The National Hockey League (NHL) was the first professional sports organization in the US to embrace sports betting after the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was overturned in 2018.

While other leagues were reluctant to align themselves with sports gambling, the NHL opened its arms to partnerships, bettors, and data-tracking services. Now, more gamblers than ever are starting to "put their bets on ice," which is where our legal NHL betting guide for 2024 comes in.

With every new NHL season, there are more hockey betting options and NHL playoff odds than ever before. Below, we explain the legal options available to US bettors and offer our advice on the best US-friendly online sportsbooks to place your NHL bets at. Our hockey betting guide will also explain betting options, how to read odds and other important aspects of legal NHL betting sites.

Is It Legal To Bet On NHL Games?

Yes, it is! There are actually no US gambling laws that outlaw NHL betting online with offshore sportsbooks. Since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA, there have been several states that have passed their own sports betting laws to allow for legal domestic operators.

Online NHL sports betting sites that operate offshore are also legal because no federal laws ban their use, and only Washington has nominal laws preventing gamblers from betting real money online. These are historically unenforced, but we suggest that WA NHL bettors follow all local gaming laws.  

Best NHL Betting Sites for 2024

 Site NameCurrent BonusAgeU.S.Visit Site
Top Rated #1 IconBovada Sportsbook50% Max $1,00018+USA Players Legally AcceptedVisit Site Review
2BetUS125% Max $3,12518+USA Players Legally AcceptedVisit Site Review
3Betonline Sportsbook50% Max $1,00018+USA Players Legally AcceptedVisit Site Review
4sports betting logo50% Max $1,00018+USA Players Legally AcceptedVisit Site Review
5MyBookie Sportsbook50% Max $1,00021+USA Players Legally AcceptedVisit Site Review
6xbet logo50% Max $50021+USA Players Legally AcceptedVisit Site Review

2024 NHL Playoff Bracket

Stanley Cup Playoff bracket if the NHL season ended on 3 18 24

🏒 Odds Provided By Bovada

  • Edmonton Oilers +650
  • Florida Panthers +650
  • Colorado Avalanche +700
  • Carolina Hurricanes +800
  • Vancouver Canucks +950
  • Boston Bruins +1000
  • Dallas Stars +1000
  • New York Rangers +1100
  • Vegas Golden Knights +1100
  • Winnipeg Jets +1400
  • Toronto Maple Leafs +1500
  • Los Angeles Kings +2000
  • Tampa Bay Lightning +2800
  • Nashville Predators +5500
  • New York Islanders +5500
  • Detroit Red Wings +6600
  • Philadelphia Flyers +10000
  • Minnesota Wild +15000
  • New Jersey Devils +15000
  • St. Louis Blues +17500
  • Washington Capitals +17500
  • Pittsburgh Penguins +20000
  • Seattle Kraken +20000
  • Buffalo Sabres +30000
  • Calgary Flames +30000
  • Ottawa Senators +30000
  • Montreal Canadiens +50000
  • Arizona Coyotes +100000
  • Columbus Blue Jackets +100000

2024 NHL Teams & Divisions

NHL Eastern Conference

NHL Western Conference

Why Should I Use NHL Online Sportsbooks?

Online sportsbooks offer the most convenience to bettors looking to bet on professional hockey games. In most cases, they also offer the most betting options, the best game lines, and lucrative bonus offers. We consider the online sportsbooks listed in this guide to be the best options for hockey bettors looking for action.

We base our suggestions on these NHL sports betting sites' legal status, the quality of their performance, the fact that they can operate across state lines, their universal age requirement of 18+, and the fact that they offer tons of props, game lines, NHL player prop bets, Stanley Cup futures, and even NHL sims. 

How To Bet On NHL Hockey Games Online

  • NHL bets cannot be placed without becoming a member with one or more online sportsbooks. Readers are encouraged to check out all of the NHL betting sites listed above and should consider joining more than one so that the odds can be shopped for the best sportsbook payouts.
  • Once the NHL sportsbook(s) you want to bet with has been decided, click the signup or join icon atop the homepage and submit the requested information to create your account profile.
  • The next step is to submit your first sportsbook deposit for online NHL betting. USD and cryptocurrency transactions are available, as well as sportsbook promo codes that match a portion of the deposit amount with extra NHL betting cash.
  • Now that accounts are funded, members can make their way to the online sportsbook section of the website and locate the “NHL Betting” or “Hockey” tab. Inside, users will find NHL puck lines, props, Stanley Cup odds, and more.

Where To Bet On NHL Hockey Games

The NHL is a vastly popular and pro hockey odds will be a part of any reputable sportsbook’s options. That said, we highly recommend sticking with the online NHL betting sites listed within this guide because they are the first places we check with prior to making wagers on any Stanley Cup odds or National Hockey League puck lines.

The top-rated online sportsbook reviews included here at SBL feature sites that are open to 18 and over sports bettors within the United States and deliver payouts within allotted timelines.

A major perk of doing your NHL betting business with our top sportsbook sites is that they accept and deliver withdrawals using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, Cardano, and more. Cryptocurrency deposits occur almost immediately and BTC withdrawals are the fastest in the industry.

NHL Betting Bonuses for 2024

NHL BonusWhen making an online sportsbook deposit, gamblers will notice NHL bet promotions that offer to match a portion of the transaction total and add it to member’s bankrolls. Some will require that sportsbook promo codes be entered, while others allow for bonuses to be opted for within the deposit screen.

The use of cryptocurrency typically heightens the bonus cash offers significantly over the use of USD. Just be mindful of the terms and be sure you can complete them prior to accepting any NHL betting bonus offer. Accepting sportsbook bonuses is not required to become a member.

NHL Playoff Betting

Once the regular season is over, betting on the NHL Playoffs begins as the top 8 teams from the Eastern and the Western Conferences compete in best-of-seven series for a chance to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Puck lines for each game in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will be posted, as well as year-round National Hockey League futures that will include a list of all teams with moneylines that represent their chances of hoisting the Cup at the end of the postseason.

NHL Playoff prop bets will also be offered up en masse once the postseason begins taking action on any and all occurrences during the game broadcasts. NHL props will increase once the Stanley Cup Finals begin, as the championship series generates more buzz all around.

NHL Live Betting Lines

NHL live betting is fast becoming the most popular way to wager on the sport. With traditional betting, your picks are on ice at the opening faceoff, locked in and unmodifiable. However, live betting allows gamblers to make wagers all game long, as odds update in real time to reflect the action in the rink.

NHL live lines include puck lines (spreads), straight bets, totals, and various props, all of which refresh every few minutes. If you make a bad pregame bet and want to recover some losses, live betting is just the ticket. You can also make wagers based on injuries and other contingencies that change the NHL sports betting odds, and doubling down on a good bet is possible with live betting, too.

Mobile NHL Betting Apps

mobile bet iconIf you're looking for the best NHL betting app, you don't need to browse the App Store or Google Play. Instead, whether you're making iPhone hockey bets or Android hockey bets, you can simply visit any site listed here using your mobile device, and you'll be redirected to a responsive, customized mobile portal.

With touchscreen controls and a slick interface, you can crash the boards with the best of them, wherever you are. From the smallest smartphones to the biggest tablets, NHL mobile wagering allows avid gamblers to put money on their favorite players and teams anywhere, anytime.

Mobile NHL sports betting gives you access to pregame odds and live lines for every game on the calendar, and there's no geo-fencing, so you can bet on sports from anywhere in Canada or the US at the most reputable sportsbooks.

NHL eSports, Sims, And Virtual Betting

At the top online sportsbooks, you aren't limited to NHL betting online as you know it. Lately, NHL eSports have really taken off, giving gamblers plenty of action between games and in the off-season. Additionally, the best betting sites also offer hockey sims to wager on, which is a distinct market from eSports.

When betting, you must take into account not just the teams selected but also the skill levels of the human players running the show. With eSports hockey games, you can also participate in live betting, as the matches play out in real time.

NHL eSports are video game competitions that use the NHL video game software developed by EA Sports. These contests pit real professional gamers against one another, and you can wager on the outcomes of their games. eSports betting is a popular sub-category of NHL bets that has drawn in fans who normally wouldn't care about sports betting. 

NHL sims are akin to eSports in that they use EA's NHL franchise of video games as the backbone for the games presented at offshore betting sites. However, there is no human component with NHL sims.

Instead, bettors get matchups using real teams, players, and stats per the NHL software, and they make their picks on various outcomes using this real-world data. NHL sims tend to play out in real-time, allowing for live wagering opportunities in addition to standard pregame betting.

Virtual hockey sims are not NHL sims. They don't use real teams, players, or historical data. Instead, hockey sim software involves a randomized (RNG) platform pitting fanciful or generic hockey teams against one another in computer-simulated virtual sports matchups.

You can bet on these, and contests last just a couple of minutes before wagering commences on the next batch of games. With hockey sims betting, you can wager on an entire season's worth of action in a single day at most betting sites, and games are played 24/7/365.

NHL Online Betting Options - How Does NHL Betting Online Work?

When betting on NHL games, there are several different approaches a bettor can take. Game lines are one of the most popular markets to for NHL bets, but you also have period lines, team totals, props, and futures betting options available.

NHL Game Lines

Each pro hockey game for the regular season and playoffs will feature NHL game lines for betting that consist of the following three items:

NHL Puck Lines -  Also referred to as point spreads in other sports, NHL puck lines are the number of points that teams are projected to win or lose by. 

NHL Moneyline Odds - Bet on the team that will win the game using moneyline odds. Positive moneylines reward more than the amount bet whereas negative odds require more risk than can be won. 

NHL Over/Unders - Bets can be made on whether the points scored by both teams will fall over or under the line set by NHL oddsmakers.

NHL Puck Line Betting

NHL gamblers can bet on teams to cover the spread using pro hockey puck lines. Franchises must win by more, or lose by less, than the puck line (aka point spread) in order to cover and win. A positive NHL puck line is granted to the underdog and a negative spread is given to the favored team. 

NHL Over/Under

NHL betting sites offer over/under odds as the third element of hockey betting lines. Bets that correctly select whether the total goals scored by both teams is over or under the set line will win. 

Team Totals

Totals allow users to bet on the total number of points scored instead of a winner or loser. Totals refer to the combined score from both teams, and the bettor wagers on whether the total points scored will be over or under the lines given. 

NHL Futures

NHL futures betting odds allows gamblers to bet on future outcomes, such as the 2024 Stanley Cup winner, division winners. Conference winners, Art Ross Trophy winners, Hart Trophy Winners, and many more. Futures bettors generally get the best lines during the preseason or the offseason. 

NHL Prop Bets

NHL prop bets can be either player-related or team-related, allowing bettors to put money on single-game statistical performances, like how many points a player will score to how much ice time a line gets. Season prop bets are also available for individual teams, players, and more. 

Prop bets generally do not affect the outcome of the game and could include something like “will a fight happen in the first period?” NHL player prop bets can also include non-game outcomes that ask outlandish questions that include "will a player propose to his girlfriend."

Other NHL player prop bets have been posted in the past for what each championship roster member will do with the Stanley Cup while they possess it. 

NHL Parlays

NHL parlay betting is stringing multiple bets together to yield bigger winnings. You can place multiple bets on the same game, like a straight wager and over/under bet, or you can string different game line bets together in the parlay.

Period Lines

Period lines are similar game lines but are based off a single period of play. Period betting allows gamblers to wager on the spreads, straights, and totals for each individual period.

How To Read NHL Odds & Puck Lines

The most common element of an NHL betting line will be the moneyline odds that represent the amount of money that can be won and the probability that the occurrence will happen.

Moneyline odds allow for simple NHL bets on the team that will win the game, or whether an occurrence will happen. NHL moneyline odds are presented as positive or negative numbers. For positive odds, the (+) number represents how much you would win if you placed a $1 bet at an NHL betting online site.

The negative (–) number represents how much you have to wager to win $1. Below, you will find examples and how much wagers are worth based on the odds given.

For more detailed information, check out our guide to reading betting odds.

NHL Betting Strategy Guide

The following NHL betting tips and tricks are intended to make you more aware of betting possibilities and how you should approach professional sports betting.

Pro hockey, like any other sport, is a game in which outcomes are unpredictable, so bettors must use their skills in determining the best NHL odds that will yield the most money. Below are some helpful tips to be aware of when partaking in NHL sports betting lines and odds.

NHL Betting Partnerships

Appropriately named NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is taking a new approach to sports betting by embracing the industry since there are so many states that have passed sports betting laws. The NHL has committed to several sports betting partnerships, which began during the 2019-20 season.

The league announced its second partnership deal with FanDuel in 2019. This deal makes them the official daily fantasy sports partner of the NHL as well as an official sports betting partner.

Also in 2019, commissioner Bettman announced that the NHL had inked another multi-year deal. This time, the beneficiary was William Hill, making them the third official sports betting partner of the NHL. Commissioner Bettman went on to tell the press that this deal provides a tremendous opportunity for further fan engagement and that the league hopes to increase viewership across the sport.

In addition to these NHL betting partnerships, several teams have also inked deals with bookmakers, giving them more rights to branding and exposure.

NHL Stadium Sportsbooks

As mentioned above, some teams and stadiums have partnered to bring NHL betting sites closer to the fans. In 2018, the New Jersey Devils opened up William Hill betting lounges in the Prudential Center, where fans could follow the games and place bets.

In 2019, SugarHouse Casino followed suit after they inked a deal with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center. The Las Vegas Knights were the first to ink a deal with William Hill.

Additional NHL Betting Tips: NHL Stats, Scores, and Streams

Below are useful links that can help you place an educated bet while keeping up with the live action that NHL hockey affords. These sites are guaranteed to have updated stats, scores, and injury reports. You can add to your NHL betting strategy by tracking scores, game recaps, and live streams.  

Stats: NHL.com/stats
Live Scores: ESPN.com
Live Streams: NHL.com/tv

NHL News