Betting on Grey Cup futures

Futures markets allow you to bet on events due to take place a significant amount of time into the future. For example, at the start of every CFL preseason, oddsmakers assign futures odds for every single team to win the Grey Cup that year.

These are based on a variety of factors, mainly how good the sportsbook considers the team to be. For example, a favorite like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers could start the year off with +270 odds to win the Grey Cup, while an underdog like the Ottawa Redblacks could have their opening odds set much higher at around +3000.

Every team is given a positive betting value in the Grey Cup winner futures market. Essentially, not even what sportsbooks rate as the best team in the league is favored enough to receive a negative betting value. CFL futures markets can have more than one favorite, and more favorites translates to greater value for CFL bettors due to the competition’s parity.

Other examples of Grey Cup futures available every season include correct matchup and straight forecast futures. Grey Cup futures bets can be placed at any time both before and during the CFL season, and the odds will change throughout it depending on the performance of certain teams. Many CFL bettors choose to place their Grey Cup futures bets earlier on in the season, as this presents a better opportunity to get value from the odds.

The Grey Cup winner futures market is certainly among the most popular across all of CFL betting. It attracts attention every season from novice and experienced bettors alike, all of whom have an opinion on who will get their hands on the biggest trophy in Canadian football that year.

Naturally, the favorites for this market are the teams considered to be the strongest at that time. This may include the defending champions, or franchises who narrowly missed out last time but have since strengthened their roster. Any team aiming to win the Grey Cup needs both consistency during the regular season to secure a postseason spot, as well as the resilience to edge their opponents in one-off playoff games.

Grey Cup winner futures odds can change depending on how teams perform during the campaign. Given how quickly the fortunes of a CFL team can be impacted over the hustle and bustle of the regular season, it’s not unusual for a preseason longshot to conclude their regular season schedule among the outright favorites.

Another Grey Cup futures market to consider wagering on is the straight forecast futures market. This differs from the Grey Cup matchup futures market, which only focuses on correctly selecting the two teams that will make it to the championship game. Indeed, the Grey Cup straight forecast futures markets allows you to bet on not only the two teams that will make it to the Grey Cup game, but also which franchise will win it.

A straight forecast futures bet is naturally difficult to get right, given you’ll need to hit on three different outcomes for your wager to cash in. However, similarly to a parlay bet, the increased difficulty comes with boosted odds. This high-risk, high-reward format isn’t as appealing to some CFL bettors, but it’s almost a must-play if you are confident of predicting both which teams will be in the Grey Cup and how it will play out.