PayPal is an extraordinarily popular method for Canadians to make online payments due to the security it offers and the flexibility of the base funding sources it allows people to use. As such, many people are curious about whether or not they might be able to use PayPal from Canada as their payment method of choice with various offshore sports betting sites. Unfortunately however, PayPal is NOT AVAILABLE for use from Canada (outside Ontario) with any online sportsbook that exists in the 'grey market'. PayPal is only available for use where betting is fully legal in the given jurisdiction - not for use with "off shore" sportsbooks.

Be careful what you read on this subject elsewhere on the web. A lot of scammy betting resource sites write articles about 'Canadian PayPal betting sites' in the hopes that they can get you excited about finding exactly what you want. They'll point you to sites that might accept PayPal from residents of these other regions of the World. Unfortunately for you, they just want to refer you as a customer with bad information, knowing that once you get to the betting site and become disappointed, you'll simply move on to the other available payment methods - but the scammy review site will still get credit for having referred you onward.

For example, when we searched for 'PayPal betting sites Canada' on April 16, 2020 - the top website in the search results listed 7 sportsbooks on their PayPal betting site page for Canadians. Not only do none of the listed sites accept PayPal from Canadian players, two of the sportsbooks do not even offer Canadian dollar accounts. This is what you're up against when researching things in this area - a lot of dishonesty. Stick with OddsJet for real information for Canadian bettors.

PayPal alternatives for Canadian sports betting payments

Luckily, there are other online payment methods available to Canadians that do work with betting sites. Services like Instadebit, iDebit and Citadel Instant Banking allow for cheap and instant online bank debiting. Interac e-transfers are also available for use at a limited number of bookmakers, as is Bitcoin. E-wallet platforms MuchBetter and ecoPayz works similar to PayPal in that you can connect a bank account or credit card to your e-wallet account in order to send and receive payments - but in the case of ecoPayz, it can take some time to properly get set. Other available online sportsbook payment methods for Canadians might include MasterCard, Visa, paysafecard, as well as via online banking through your bill payment interface. Read our reviews of legal Canada betting sites for more information on all our providers.

Why is PayPal not available at any betting sites from Canada?

PayPal is a highly regulated company, so they only facilitate payments for their customers to betting sites or gambling sites that are fully legal, licensed and regulated for players in their local given jurisdiction. As such, the only betting site in Canada (outside Ontario) that supports PayPal is PlayNow.com as it is licensed to serve players resident in BC, as part of the BCLC. So-called 'grey market' betting sites are not fully legal online betting options for Canada, so PayPal will not facilitate payments between residents of Canada and these gaming providers. As various provincial markets open up to legal online gaming, newly legal providers may look to add PayPal as a supported banking method.

What is PayPal?

PayPal is a service that enables you to pay, send money, and accept payments without revealing your financial details.

How to fund your online sportsbook account with PayPal?

If you lived outside of Canada, perhaps in Western Europe, you would simply register your credit card or link your bank account to your PayPal account. Then on the cashier page at your betting site of choice, you would be able to log in securely to your PayPal account in order to confirm the transfer to the betting site. PayPal would then complete the transfer for you without sharing your financial details with the betting site.

About PayPal the company

Established in 1998, PayPal are currently listed on the NASDAQ, symbol PYPL. Their open digital payment platform allows their 210 million active account holders the ability to send money, pay or get paid. PayPal account holders can receive funds in over 100 currencies and may withdraw funds in over 55 currencies. In 2016, they processed over 6 billion transactions in 2016.