On Sunday, November 19, 2023, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will take on the Montreal Alouettes in the pinnacle of the Canadian Football League – the 110th edition of the Grey Cup. But it comes as no surprise that most bettors are backing the Bombers to take home the trophy, as the team will be playing in its third CFL championship final in a row, winning two of those.
But on the weekend, the Bombers will face the inform Montreal Alouettes, which are coming in hot after a major playoff upset against the Toronto Argonauts. But this was not enough to stop the lines’ move against the Montreal team, which are considered underdogs, and the spread movement tilts in favour of the Western Final victor – the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Fans are Placing their Bets
One of the leading private operators in Ontario and official sports betting partner to the CFL, FanDuel, reported that more than 80% of its moneyline handle in for the final on Sunday was on the Winnipeg team as of Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, on the spread, the number of bets on each team was almost matching, almost 70% of the money was on Bombers to cover.
Meanwhile, bettors on BetMGM put 70% of the wagers and 67% of the handle on the Alouettes to cover the spread as of Thursday. It opened at seven before hitting 8.5 points at odds of -110. For the total, the operator shared that 75% of the bets and 94% of the money was on the Over, which began at 47.5 and since then it remained at this position.
In addition to that, the provincially ran Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation opened Winnipeg as 9.5-point favourites for the title. On Thursday morning, the line at the Crown Corporation’s PROLINE sports betting brand was still -9.5, but at odds of +100. OLG revealed that early bets came in on Montreal, as 70% backed the Alouettes on the spread and 75% predicted they would win.
Additionally, FanDuel reported that the operator has clocked a significant increase in betting on the three-down football league in Ontario this year in comparison to the previous one. The gambling company added that player props are on the rise and predicted that they will further rise into the final when elements like weather become clearer.
Talking CFL Integrity Ahead of the Final
Ahead of the Grey Cup on the weekend, there were talks about how CFL players avoid sports betting scandals. The league puts tons of effort and technology into ensuring the integrity of the sport. But Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea believes it is simple for players and coaches as they are told not to bet on the league and those are pretty simple rules to follow.
Meanwhile, Montreal Alouettes head coach Jason Maas noted that following sports-betting-related guidelines for players was not his focus, but said that the matter is quite black-and-white. He remarked that if a player wants to play in the league, then they should not bet on its games. Mr. Alouettes said that they are all adults in the league, and they should all follow the rules.
