When you think of Florida, hockey probably isn’t one of the first things to come to your mind. That said, the NHL has established itself in Florida with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers having succeeded in the warm, southern state for over 25 years each. In fact, a Florida team has reached the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the past five seasons (Lightning 2020, 2021, 2022 and Panthers 2023, 2024), with the Lightning winning in 2020 & 2021, and the Panthers winning the Cup last year. Both the Lightning and Panthers are serious contenders again this year.
As the sports betting industry has grown in the United States, NHL betting has taken off as well, with NHL bets a big part of the Florida sports betting action.
On this page I will recommend our top rated betting site for Florida residents, look at the three popular NHL betting options, and provide a simple 3 step guide you can follow to bet on NHL games online from Florida.
Best Betting Site for Florida Residents
| Sportsbook | Bonus | Visit |
|---|---|---|
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100% up to $250 | Visit |
Bovada.lv is our #1 rated betting site for Florida residents looking to bet on NHL games. Bovada is the most popular offshore sportsbook serving the United States market, and they have built a great reputation over the past decade as a safe, secure and fair sportsbooks for Florida residents.
Bovada offers early and fair lines for all NHL games throughout the year, including many prop betting options that let you get deep into the game.
NHL Betting in Florida
Sports betting is legal in Florida following the Court of Appeals ruling in favour of the Seminole Tribe in June of 2023, which reinstated the gaming compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe. Hard Rock Bet is the only legal betting site operating in Florida.
Florida residents also have the option to place bets through offshore betting sites that are located and regulated outside of the USA. Bovada falls into this category, and accepts Florida residents.
Check out our Florida sports betting section for a deeper look at legalities of sports betting within the state.
NHL Betting Options
There are three NHL bets that are the most popular among bettors. These include the money line (to win), puck line (spread) and over/under (totals).
Money Line (To Win)
This is the simplest and most popular NHL bet, as it involves simply betting on which team wins the game. The odds will determine your risk/reward betting on either team in a game, with bets on the favorite paying out less than bets on the underdog, for the same risk. Here’s an example from a Florida Panthers opening game this season:
In this example, the Panthers are favorites at home. The -160 indicates that you must risk $160 to win $100 betting on Florida to win the game. The +135 odds for the Bruins indicates that a $100 bet would win $135 (payout of $235) betting on Boston to win the game.
Puck Line
The puck line is kind of like a spread, and it is almost always set at 1.5 in the NHL. Basically when betting the puck line, the favored team must win by 2 or more, while the underdog team must either win outright or lose by 1 goal to win the puck line bet.
Continuing with this Panthers vs Bruins game as the example you can see that the Panthers -1.5 has odds of +160. A bet on the Panthers to win by 2 or more goals pays out at odds of +160, which means a $100 bet would win $160 (payout $260). On the flip side, betting on the Bruins to either win or lose by 1 goal you would have to risk $185 to win $100 (payout $285).
Over/Under (Total)
The over/under is a bet on the total number of goals scored by both teams in the game. It’s generally set at 5.5, 6 or 6.5 in the NHL, but it can be as low as 4.5 for two defensive teams, and if the game is expected to be a shootout you could see the total get up to 7 or more.
In our example the over/under is set at 5.5 goals. Therefore if 6 or more goals were scored in the game the over bets would payout, while if 5 or fewer goals were scored the under bets would be winners. I should note that the goal added for a shootout win does count towards the total.
Bet On The NHL in Florida – How To Guide
Follow these three steps to get your NHL bets placed from anywhere in Florida.
Step 1. Open an Account at Bovada.lv.
Click the above link, select ‘Join Now’ on the landing page and fill out the short form to open your Bovada account.
Bovada is our top rated betting site for Florida residents.
Step 2. Deposit
Log into your new account and click on the ‘Deposit’ button. Choose one of the deposit options (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, ETH, etc.) and follow the instructions to fund your account.
By joining through our link you are entitled to a 50% matching bonus up to $250 on your first deposit. You will need to claim this bonus in the My Rewards section of your Bovada account.
Step 3. Place Your NHL Bets
Select ‘Hockey’ from the sports menu in the Bovada sportsbook, and then select ‘NHL’ from ‘Trending Competitions’ or the ‘Hockey A-Z’ menus in the left sidebar as seen in the screenshot. Select the bet you want to make and enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip. Once you’re happy with your risk and win amounts click ‘Place Bets’ to lock in your wagers!
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
Florida Sports Betting • NHL betting