Betting on novelty and entertainment markets is the perfect way to boost the excitement you experience when watching the drama unfold on TV. Most best Canadian online sportsbooks offer novelty markets and TV betting, but it can be difficult to separate the trustworthy sites from the dishonest operators. Fortunately, we have done your homework for you.
Our experts have reviewed all the leading TV and novelty betting sites, and identified those that are worthy of your business. The bookmakers listed on this page are reputable, reliable operators with a long history of treating their customers fairly and paying out on time. They also offer great bonuses, attractive odds and strong customer service, while covering wide range of novelty and entertainment markets.
This page also explains the key novelty and TV betting options that you can enjoy. You will learn how to bet on TV and novelty markets, and you might be surprised by the sheer amount of TV shows, weather events, awards ceremonies, lottery specials and political events that you can wager on.
Also Check Out: The best online betting apps and get in on the betting action.
# | Betting Site | Deposit Limit | Withdrawal Limit | License Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mr Green | C$10 Min | C$20 Min | MGA/CRP/121/2006 |
2 | BetRegal | C$10 Min | C$10 Min | MGA/CRP/148/2007 |
3 | 888Sport | N/A | C$20 Min | MGA/CRP/543/2018 |
4 | Royal Panda | C$10 Min - C$50,000 Max | C$10 Min - C$50,000 Max | MGA/CRP/237/2013 |
5 | 10Bet | C$10 Min | C$10 Min | MGA/B2C/331/2016 |
6 | SportEmpire | C$10 Min | C$10 Min | MGA/B2C/409/2017 |
7 | ComeOn | C$7 Min - C$7,000 Max | C$7 Min - C$7,000 Max | MGA/CRP/178/2009 |
8 | William Hill Sports | C$5 Min - C$99,000 Max | C$10 Min | RGL no. 034 & 042 |
Our team of experts focus on a number of key factors when we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each betting site that offers novelty and entertainment markets. We identify bookmakers with a stellar reputation and a long history of treating customers fairly and paying them out on time.
We shine a light on trustworthy, licensed and regulated operators that have the liquidity to cover any winnings you may accrue on novelty bets. They must also have an impeccable reputation for security and safety.
Then we delve into the depth and breadth of entertainment and novelty markets covered, the quality of the odds and the betting limits permitted. We also factor in strength of bonuses, customer service, range of banking methods, payout speeds, and the general functionality of the site across a range of platforms. We will only recommend bookmakers that receive strong scores across the board.
The sites listed on this page are all run by reputable, established operators, and you can be assured of a quality user experience when placing novelty bets at any of them.
Betting on reality TV shows and other entertainment markets is still a pretty niche pursuit compared to sports like football and tennis. Some bookmakers simply lack the resources or the confidence to cover novelty betting in depth. You will therefore notice a wide disparity in the amount of novelty bets offered from one online betting site to the next.
Large, established operators such as Mr Green, Bet365, Betway and 888Sport have the resources, the experience and the assurance to offer a number of speciality betting markets. Some smaller operators also choose to focus heavily on novelty betting odds in a bid to carve out their own niche.
Sites like 10Bet and BetRegal outsource their sportsbook operations to powerful white-label betting software providers such as Kambi and SBTech. This allows them to provide a large suite of TV betting markets and other novelty bets.
You should also check the betting limits on these markets, as you will generally not be able to place as much money on reality TV betting as you can on big football matches. These markets are highly volatile, and trending topics on social media can cause sharp swings in the prices on offer, so you should always pay attention to the TV stars and entertainers that are enjoying an upswing in popularity on social channels.
Mr Green is a great option if you are looking for novelty bets. Reality shows like The X Factor and Canada's Got Talent are covered in impressive depth, and you can find pretty attractive odds on ceremonies like the Academy Awards. The site also has fun specials such as the next James Bond, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and Sports Personality of the Year.
You will also find a wealth of politics markets, covering US elections, Canadian politics, the EU and international events. Once again, the depth of the site’s coverage is strong. It does not simply offer odds on the next US presidential election, as you can wager on the House and Senate elections, results in each state and specials on the likes of Donald Trump and Mike Pence. There are also outlandish novelty markets, like Gary Neville to become Prime Minister and Megan Markle to become US President.
Bet365 has a wealth of exciting novelty bets for you to choose from, and you can also benefit from great offers. Its flagship 100% matched deposit bonus allows new customers to earn anywhere from £5 to £100 in free bets when they sign up for an account. You will find plenty of exciting offers, including early payouts, price promises and accumulator boosts, plus seasonal promotions, so it is easy to see why Bet365 is so popular.
It takes novelty and TV betting very seriously. You can bet on everything from the winner of Sweden’s Let’s Dance to the victorious party at the New Zealand general election. A number of major specialty and politics markets are covered, alongside almost every sporting event imaginable.
If you are looking for a site with a more international focus when it comes to novelty bets, 888Sport would be an excellent choice. It covers events from all over the world, such as MasterChef Australia and the Eurovision Song Contest, in exceptional depth.
For example, you can bet on who will win The Bachelor, but you can also find markets on the age of the winner and the state he will come from. You can bet on the winner of Big Brother, but also the gender of the winner.
It also has betting on financial markets, prizes, and political events from the UK, the US, Norway, Brazil and Australia.
10Bet is a fantastic choice for sports betting specials. It uses award-winning Swedish white-label provider Kambi to power its sportsbook, which allows it to offer an enormous range of betting markets. Most sites will offer futures betting on which team will win the league, and many will also offer wagering on the top goalscorer, relegation and the battle for the top four. However, 10Bet goes much deeper. You can bet on the top player for assists, for example, along with a wide range of football betting specials on each team.
You will often find more than 300 betting options on a single match. It starts with all the classic options, such as full-time result, total goals, both teams to score, double chance and so on, but the list of specials is seriously impressive. You can bet on total shots by a particular team, a player to score at least four goals, a team to win after going a goal behind, total offsides and all manner of scorecast and wincast options.
Novelty betting generally refers to wagering on non-sporting events, such as reality TV shows, talent shows, awards ceremonies, prizes, weather events and financial markets. Examples include the winner of Dancing On Ice, the identity of the next Batman actor, whether it will snow on Christmas Day in a certain city and who will win the Oscar for Best Director. Political betting is sometimes grouped in with novelty and TV betting, but it is generally a bit more serious.
Sports betting sites will identify the most popular TV shows, the most important awards ceremonies and the key elections taking place around the world. They will assess the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, tapping into historical data where available, before assigning odds to the various contenders. The odds will often change dramatically.
For example, if a contestant on The X Factor gives a poor performance on stage, receives harsh feedback from the judges and generates negative comments on social media, you can expect the odds on that contestant winning the show to grow longer. If an actress wins a Golden Globe, you might expect the odds on her winning Best Actress at the Oscars to grow shorter.
Most online bookmakers will provide a long list of the different sports they cover on the left hand side of the homepage. You will find TV and novelty markets under “Specials”, “TV & Specials”, “Entertainment” or “Novelty”. Sometimes politics betting is grouped in with these novelty markets, but some sites have a specific section for politics wagers.
Once you land on the page for novelty betting, you will be presented with a list of the various markets on offer. They may be grouped into country, or different categories. Find a market you are interested in, choose your bet – for example, Greta Thunberg to win the Nobel Peace Prize or Tom Hardy to be the next James Bond – and then click on the odds next to that selection.
You will then trigger a betslip. Choose the amount you wish to stake, and it will inform you of the amount you stand to win if successful. If your prediction proves to be correct, your account will be credited with the funds.
Outright bets relate to the outcome of a long-term market, such as the winner of Britain’s Got Talent or the Sports Personality of the Year. It is a pretty straightforward wager: if your prediction is correct, you make a profit; if any other contender wins the event, you lose your stake. This is the most common form of TV betting and novelty betting.
These are the most common ways to bet on reality TV, novelty and entertainment markets:
Bookmakers will impose certain terms and conditions when offering novelty, entertainment and reality TV betting odds. The most important consideration for bettors is the maximum payout. For example, Bet365 caps all payouts for non-sports and speciality bets at £25,000, so there is no point in trying to wager £10,000 at odds of 2/1 on an entertainment market.
You will also find terms and conditions regarding the settlement of various markets. For example, if a bookmaker is offering odds on whether it will snow in London on Christmas Day, it should specify that it will base the result on Met Office data or AccuWeather.
You would not then be able to claim you were standing in Islington and a snowflake fell on your head if the official data does not reflect that. Bookmakers also reserve the right to cancel bets if they suspect foul play. You should check out the terms and conditions at each site before placing a bet.
Betting on novelty and specials markets can be great fun. For example, you might find odds on a hot dog eating contest, Webber-Merriam’s Word of the Year or a US Spelling Bee.
Betting on the Royal Family is also really popular. Whenever a Royal is expecting a baby, you can bet on the name, gender, date of birth and so on. You will find betting on the career choice of Meghan Markle’s son, Archie, and whether she will give birth to triplets.
TV betting is one of the most popular novelty categories. You will often find odds on the winner of popular shows such as Love Island, The X Factor, The Bachelorette, Strictly Come Dancing and so on. Betting sites also allow you to bet on the age, gender and state the winner might hail from, along with various other specials bets.
Bookmakers also offer betting on hit TV dramas. For example, you could bet on the next Game of Thrones of Walking Dead character to be killed off, or which Royals might play themselves in a future series of The Crown. Betting on the next Dr Who has been another popular market over the years.
Some bookmakers offer a huge range of political betting markets. If you are interested in US politics, you can bet on the presidential election, midterms, results by state, House and Senate elections, Democratic or Republican vice president nominee, and many more options.
There have also been outlandish specials like Donald Trump opening Area 51 to the public or going on holiday with Vladimir Putin in the past.
If you are interested in Canadian political betting, you can place wagers on the likes of the next party leaders and so on, alongside election betting, predictions on referendums and much more. Political betting is often available on a number of elections taking place across the globe. It can also delve into local elections, while you will find plenty of markets covering general current affairs too.
Music is another popular category when it comes to novelty betting odds. The most popular options focus on the winner of The X Factor or The Voice, or award ceremonies like the Grammies or The Mercury Prize. The Eurovision Song Contest is huge from a betting perspective. You can bet on the winner, the number of points certain countries will accrue and other specials markets.
You can also bet on whether bands like Oasis or One Direction will reunite. Anther popular wager involves prediction the number one single on Christmas Day. When the Super Bowl takes place, you can bet on how long it will take the singer to finish the National Anthem and the outfit that the half-time entertainment act will wear.
The Academy Awards generates a great deal of attention among bettors each year. You can speculate on the winner of each category, along with totals betting on the number of awards some of the prominent movies will secure.
You will also be able to bet on the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and other film awards. Bettors enjoy trying to predict which actor will take on a famous role next. Betting on the next James Bond, Batman or Superman often proves popular, and you can even place bets on the characters that will die in certain films.
Betting on the weather is a surprisingly popular pursuit. One of the most common markets is whether it will snow on Christmas Day in a particular city or country. You might find novelty betting odds on whether the hottest day on record will be beaten over the next year, or for any part of the UK to introduce a hosepipe ban for example.
You can also find betting markets on the top summer temperature in a country, whether the temperature will go over a certain point within the next month, and so on. Make sure you check the terms and conditions to see which provider will be used to settle the bet, and check out historical data as a guide.
A number of online bookmakers allow you to bet on lottery specials. The best Lotto sites will offer specials betting on draws from around the world. Options include whether the bonus ball will be odd or even, the number of the bonus ball, the colour of the bonus ball, the first ball drawn, the lowest ball drawn, the highest ball drawn and many more.
Your ability to bet on specials markets in canada will depend on your location. Each province in Canada has its own set of laws surrounding online betting and in some cases these laws are beginning to change. For example, new Ontario Sportsbooks are opening up as the online betting has recently been legalised. So, be sure to check what your options are in your province in advance of signing up with any betting site.
You can bet on a huge range of popular TV programmes, including The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent, Love Island, Dancing On Ice, The Voice, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Sports Personality Of The Year. You will often find betting odds on soap operas, popular dramas and TV awards too.
You should look for novelty and TV betting sites that cover a wide range of markets and offer quality odds compared to their rivals. Great novelty betting sites will also be easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing, while offering compelling bonuses, excellent customer service and a wide range of banking options. You should stick to trustworthy, reputable operators with a long history of paying out customers in full and on time.
It really ramps up the excitement you feel when watching a TV talent show, an awards ceremony or election countdown. It can also be very profitable if you conduct thorough research and make astute predictions. There is always something fun to bet on within the specials and novelty section, but it can be a serious business too.
The most popular novelty bets among Canadian punters include the Oscars, Nobel Prizes and Politics. Canadians also love to bet on TV shows such as The X Factor, Canada’s Got Talent and even Game Of Thrones, along with the Eurovision Song Contest. Political betting is also huge during an election year.
The list of payment methods varies from one site to the next. However, common payment methods include debit card, credit card and wire transfer. E-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller and PayPal are also common, while many punters like to use a PaySafeCard. Some sites are set up to accept Bitcoin payments, and crypto is becoming increasingly popular in the gambling industry.
The safest online betting sites are established, reputable bookmakers that have been treating customers fairly for many years. Bookmakers with a strong land-based presence, such as William Hill, are among the safest online betting sites, along with large online operators such as Bet365 and 888Sport. You should find a well-known site with the liquidity to cover your winnings, and avoid niche sites that have poor reviews from customers and industry watchdogs like Gambling.com.
Bet365 is the worlds’s most popular online sports betting company. It offers competitive odds on a huge range of markets, along with great bonuses, a slick user interface and excellent customer support, so it is easy to see why it is so popular. However, the best betting site is highly subjective. Some people like Betway because it offers really attractive odds, while others like 888Sport because it offers an enormous amount of markets and creative bonuses. Read our betting site reviews to find your perfect match.
Bookmakers generally require you to deposit some of your own money in order to unlock sign-up bonuses. For instance, Bet365 will give you £100 in free bets, but you have to deposit £100 of your own money first. Betsafe has often run promotions whereby you deposit £5 and receive £20 in free bets. These are generous offers, but they require a deposit. You should be wary if a site offers you the opportunity to win real money with no deposit, as it could prove to be a scam.
"A passionate sports betting expert and journalist with over 15 years spent in the gambling industry."
Reviewer since June 2016