Online Nfl Gambling
NFL Odds: Point Spreads, Moneylines, Totals Below see live NFL odds currently posted at legal US online sportsbooks. Use the drop-down menus to change your betting state or toggle between spread, moneyline and totals (over/under) odds. Click on any odds to go directly to the sportsbook and open a. The Packers are listed as an 8/1 betting choice to win the Super Bowl. If you wager $100 on Green Bay to win the NFC and they capture the championship, then you would win $800 (8 ÷ 1 x 100). Your online betting account would then credit your account $900, which includes your win and stake ($100). 2020 NFL SUNDAY TICKET is $293.94 (6 payments of $48.99) and 2020 NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX is $395.94 (6 payments of $65.99). New customers that sign up for DIRECTV are eligible to get 2021 NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX at no extra cost when they sign up for CHOICE or above base package.
The best NFL betting sites for the 2021 football season have emerged from the pack, following our extensive research to find the top online sportsbooks. You can safely bet on the NFL with any of these sites and enjoy competitive odds, fast payouts, and more.
Rank | DE Betting Site | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Betway Sports | Up To€150 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#2 | 22Bet Sports | 100% Up To€122 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#3 | Spin Sports | 100% Up To€200 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#4 | 10Bet Sports | 100% Up To€50 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#5 | Guts Sports | 100% Up To€50 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
We apply a highly refined system to evaluate all of the online NFL football betting sites that are competing for your business. Since we are looking for nothing but the best, we will only approve sportsbooks that check off all the boxes.
Any site that passes this test can be relied upon to provide a superior gambling experience.
For more on how we select the top NFL gambling sites, please keep reading. We’ve also explained some of the main benefits of betting on the NFL online, and provided details on the most popular wagering options that are available.
- Bovada – Best for casual football bettors, wide range of NFL wagers.
- MyBookie – Reliable betting site offering competitive NFL lines.
- BetOnline.ag – A safe site to bet on the NFL with fast payouts.
- BetNow – A top NFL betting site for US residents.
- SportsBetting.ag – Big NFL bonuses with competitive football odds.
Online NFL betting has become increasingly popular over the last few years. As a result, you can now bet on NFL football at almost any real money gambling site. However, this doesn’t mean that you just join the first site you find.
We’ve examined many online sportsbooks and bookmakers to compile our list of the best online betting sites for NFL, and there is a reason why our list is reasonably short. Quite simply, only a few sites meet our high standards in terms of the all-round package they provide.
If you want to bet on the NFL online, and have the best possible experience, then our recommendations are the way to go. Based on our extensive research, there are no better options for online NFL gambling.
How We Rank NFL Betting Sites
Let’s delve into some of the key criteria that’s important to us when choosing which NFL betting sites we recommend to our readers.
You are naturally going to take pause before you deposit your hard-earned money into an online sportsbook account. How do you know that you can trust the people behind the site? After all, anyone can put up a website, and there may or may not be any oversight to maintain legitimacy.
These concerns are totally valid, but you can set them aside when you stick to any NFL sports betting site that has earned a place on our list.
Though it can seem as though website operators exist in a gray area without any guidelines, this is not the case at all.
Major economic powers and smaller jurisdictions alike license and regulate the internet sports betting industry. Reputable licensing bodies go to great lengths to make sure that applicants are fully qualified before they issue permits, so it is wise to stick to sites that are licensed in these jurisdictions.
When we are putting our rankings together, we evaluate the licenses that are held by the contenders, and we consider reputational factors. Longevity is an element that we weigh heavily, and we visit forums that are frequented by serious players that share feedback about NFL betting sites.
The websites that we recommend are deeply invested because licensing fees and operational costs are considerable. They are in it for the long haul, and they take their responsibilities to their players very seriously.
The best online sportsbooks that highlight NFL betting make it easy for players to deposit funds into their accounts. Common methods include Visa, MasterCard, ACH transfers, wire transfers, and Bitcoin, just to name a handful. High rollers are welcome, and there are modest minimum deposit requirements.
With the exception of the credit cards, gift cards, and debit cards, the withdrawal methods are the same as the deposit options, and you can add in phone transfers, E-checks, and checks by mail.
If you have the need for speed when it comes to the transactions, you may want to use Bitcoin to fund your account. Deposits and withdrawals can be facilitated in a matter of minutes on some sites because there are no intermediaries, and payout processing will usually be free within certain frequency limits.
A site can act with integrity, and they may make it easy to facilitate transactions, but what about the customer experience? This is always going to be a resistance point for online businesses because consumers have to wonder if they will be able to get in touch with someone when they need help.
The NFL betting sites that have gotten our green light are sensitive to this dynamic. They provide top-notch customer service over the phone, through email, and via real-time chat. They offer wide windows of availability, and agents can resolve most issues quickly and efficiently.
Solid Design and Infrastructure
Website design is another important element that we examined closely when we were compiling our list of the top NFL betting sites for 2021. The websites that you will visit if you follow our lead make it very easy for you to get around from the start.
There is no learning curve, and there is no confusion. This is key when you are going to be putting your cash on the line, especially when you are in a hurry to get your action in before you are shut out.
The site operators make huge investments in the infrastructure, and this includes high-tech, state-of-the-art encryption technology to keep sensitive information safe. Plus, while some circumstances cannot be controlled, you can play on these sites for years and never run into any downtime.
Now, these are just a few factors that we consider when ranking NFL gambling sites. There are many others that also influence how highly we rate sites. We won’t weigh you down in too much of the detail, though. Just rest assured that if you’re looking to bet on NFL football online, our recommendations are genuinely the best options around.
Many sports bettors in the US are confused by the current situation relating to the legalities of betting on sports online. This is not surprising, as things have changed regularly over the years and there’s still a distinct lack of clarity about exactly what’s legal and what’s not. It’s not illegal to place a bet on an NFL game through an online NFL betting site.
We won’t get into too much detail here, as you can read more about the whole situation in our page dedicated to the best US sports betting sites. What we will say, however, is that you don’t need to worry about the legality of placing wagers online. There are two different types of sites though, known as regulated and offshore. There is a lot of catch up for the regulated market to make in order to properly compete with the others.
The offshore sports betting sites have far more experience with online betting and are still regulated, just not in the US. Instead, they’re based outside the United States, but they operate legally and are licensed within their respective jurisdictions.
The top NFL betting websites offer a host of benefits for players to enjoy. If you have never placed sports bets online before, you will undoubtedly be quite impressed when you take the plunge for the first time.
Here are some of the main advantages of doing your NFL betting online.
Even if you are fortunate enough to have a brick-and-mortar sports betting parlor in your community, the convenience that is afforded by the online experience is off the chain.
Geography is simply not a factor because you can access NFL betting sites from anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection available.
You can make spur-of-the-moment decisions when you have your own sportsbook in your pocket wherever you may roam, and this is another advantage when you’re betting on the NFL. When it comes time to watch your action, you can hunker down at home or head down to the local sports bar and bet on NFL games as you see fit.
One of the best things about the safe and legitimate NFL betting sites is the bonus money that is offered. You get a sign-up bonus right off the bat, and it is typically tied to the amount of the initial deposit. Maximum welcome bonuses will typically be anywhere from $250 to $1000.
A lot of sites will offer an initial risk-free bet as an additional shot in the arm. The promotions that are offered on each respective site vary, but it is not uncommon to see reload bonuses as well to keep the free money coming for existing players.
Loyalty can be a good thing when it comes to business relationships, but it has its place. If you check out all of the NFL football betting sites that we recommend, you will see that there are different sign-up bonuses offered. To take full advantage of these opportunities, you could open accounts at all the sites to reap the rewards.
Bonuses for NFL online betting vary from season to season, and they’re something we monitor when updating our rankings. We’ve also provided some additional information about the best NFL betting bonuses for 2020 on our blog.
You Can Shop for Odds
Back in the day on the well-trodden concrete of the Las Vegas Strip, grizzled denizens of the sports betting scene would go from property to property shopping for odds. They wanted to make sure that they got the most favorable numbers that were available for the plays that they wanted to make.
When you open accounts at several sites to snag the bonuses, you can easily visit all of them before you place your wagers. The odds can vary, so you will be sure that you are getting maximum value if you shop around for odds.
If you are going to be making NFL bets on a consistent basis, unless you don’t mind losing your shirt in the long run, you have to take bankroll management seriously. We are not going to get into strategy here, but you should wager within your limits and track your progress so that you know where you stand.
This can be difficult to do in the realm of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks when you are reaching into your pocket to place your bets in cash. The situation is entirely different when you bet online at the top NFL betting sites.
All of the info is stored in the cloud, so in a real sense, a free accounting feature is included when you open your account. This is useful in a general sense when you are evaluating your handicapping success, and the records are easily available if you ever have to discuss a transaction issue with a site.
You might also like to check out these top reasons to bet on the NFL online.
Online NFL Betting Options
There are a number of different types of wagers that can be made at the leading NFL websites that we have separated from the pack. You can keep it immediate and simple if you choose to do so, and on the other side of the spectrum, there are long-term and exotic betting possibilities.
The standard tried-and-true NFL football bet is the straight bet against the point spread. You can place these wagers at the NFL betting websites, and the standard odds are -110 on either side.
You have to lay this extra 10% as the vigorish. If you are not familiar with the term, the sportsbooks do not want to take gambles, and they have to make money somehow. If an equal number of bets are taken on each side at -110, they will make a profit regardless of the outcome.
This is interesting because a lot of people are under the impression that the bookies are trying to beat the players, but this is really not the case. All they want to do is balance the action and take equal wagers on both sides. Bettors are actually playing against other players that back the opposite side.
Moneyline Bets
Another type of bet that you can make on sides to win games is the moneyline wager. With this type of action, you have to pick the winner outright. This sounds easy enough, but the odds complicate things.
Unlike the point spread bet with -110 odds on both sides, the talent differences are accounted for by the variations in the moneylines. To explain through a simple example, let’s say that the Lions are visiting Chicago, and the Bears are nine-point favorites.
There can be slight differences depending on site policies, but as a rule of thumb, the Bears would go off at odds of -400, and the return on Detroit would be +300. It is not a very appealing prospect to lay $400 to win $100, but some people are okay with the risk/reward equation.
On the other side of the coin, a moneyline bet on the plus-side can provide some extraordinary value at times if you can isolate a live dog.
The pro football betting websites post totals on all of the games. A total can be described as an estimate of the combined number of points that will be scored by both squads in a given contest. You can bet the over or the under, and the odds are balanced at -110 on either option.
Parlay Bets
The best NFL betting sites take a lot of parlay bets because many people want to put out a little to make a lot. A parlay is a wager with multiple different betting interests on the same ticket. The more teams on a parlay, the more you win if every single betting interest on your ticket is a winner.
To see the potential payouts for parlays with different numbers of teams, check out this page.
NFL Teaser Bets
Another type of bet that involves putting multiple different plays on the same ticket is a teaser. The difference between a teaser and a parlay is the fact that you get additional points in your favor when you bet a teaser. The standard increments for teasers are 6, 6.5, 7, or 7.5 points.
You can tease sides, and you can tease totals at the online sportsbooks that offer this option. We also have a page on this website that explains how to bet teasers, complete with a payout chart, that you can check out to learn more.
A cousin to the teaser bet is the pleaser. It is based on the same concept since it is a multi-interest wager, but it works in the reverse manner. Instead of getting a more favorable betting line, you surrender points.
This means that a six-point favorite on a seven-point pleaser would become a 13-point chalk for the purposes of your bet.
It’s tough enough to pick a winner against the normal point spread, so this wager is quite difficult. That’s the bad news, but the good news is that the payouts are nice and juicy. For example, if you can hit a two-team pleaser, you get paid at odds of +600.
The internet sportsbooks post halftime lines on sides and totals for NFL games.
This is a complete reset starting out at zero to zero for the second half, regardless of the scoring that was done during the first half.
Online NFL Futures Betting
Every NFL football fan should make at least one futures bet every year. If you are not familiar with them, a futures bet is a wager on a team to win a title. There are odds to win division championships, conference crowns, and the Super Bowl.
You will be hard-pressed to find more value for a single bet because you have action for as long as your team stays in the hunt. There can be some pretty nice odds floated on promising teams that fly under the radar going into a season, and this is a potentially lucrative avenue that should be explored.
Proposition bets are offered on some NFL games at the top betting sites for 2021. These are wagers on certain “games within games.” For example, you may be able to bet on a particular running back gaining over or under a specified number of yards or the number of field goals kicked in a game.
These wagers add a dimension to your action, and a prop bet can keep you alive even if your primary wager on a side or total is not doing very well.
Bet the Super Bowl Online
The culmination of the NFL season is of course when the Super Bowl is played. When it comes to proposition bets, there is a small phone book full of possibilities for the big game, and some of the propositions offered at the NFL betting sites are quite bizarre.
They have an over/under on the length of the performance of the national anthem, the color that will be worn by the halftime act, the number of commercials that will be shown, and many other oddball props.
It’s not uncommon to see promotions that are offered around Super Bowl Sunday, so it’s always one of the most exciting days of the year at any of these top Super Bowl betting sites.
Bet With Safe and Reputable NFL Online Sportsbooks
Betting on the National Football League is one of the simple pleasures of life for pigskin fans. It’s easy to become totally engrossed in a game that involves your favorite team, but even if you love the sport, it’s hard to get excited about other contests.
When you choose to bet on NFL football online, all of that changes.
For three hours, you get to enjoy a supreme entertainment experience as you watch the drama unfold with a monetary interest in the outcome. If you win, it’s great, but even if you come up short, you got some fantastic bang for your buck.
The trick to NFL gambling is that you have to be certain that you are placing wagers on a site that you can trust. When we were compiling our list of the top NFL betting sites for 2021, we applied exacting standards, and the ones that have been left standing get high marks across the board.
These online sportsbooks are proven to be safe and reputable. They make it very simple to deposit funds, and withdrawals are readily available. Turnaround times are surprisingly fast, and transactions can be consummated in minutes when Bitcoin is used as the funding source. They provide outstanding service, and they resolve issues in a timely manner.
As the icing on the cake, the best sites that offer online NFL betting provide hefty sign-up bonuses, and we are talking about hundreds of dollars, if not more.
Many sites will give you a risk-free bet to get you started, and the bonuses keep coming after the welcome premium because there are reload infusions.
A single introductory bonus is enticing enough, but you have the freedom to establish accounts at all of the online betting sites that have made our list. If you go this route, you can pocket multiple sign-up bonuses to take full advantage of this opportunity to rake in all the free cash that is there for the taking.
We have provided you with a pathway to the football betting sites that go the extra mile to provide a world-class gaming experience, and the next step is yours.
Go back to our NFL betting site rankings that we’ve gone through extensively, and get in on the action today.
During the NFL season, we keep our readers updated with our top picks of the week. However, just because Super Bowl 54 is behind us doesn’t mean we’re going to stop covering what’s going on across the league.
From following the future of Tom Brady to delivering detailed reporting of the 2021 NFL Draft, we keep you informed of all things pertinent to the National Football League on our blog. We cover pretty much anything and everything that can help you bet on NFL football successfully.
Here are some of our more recent posts, or you can see all our NFL blog content here.
Our experts’ selections for betting on NFL games and other markets can be found in our dedicated NFL betting picks section.
Nfl Sports Betting Online
Where can I bet on the NFL online?
You can bet on the NFL online at any of our recommended betting sites. They all offer extensive wagering options for futures, props, and individual games.
Yes. The NFL betting sites we recommend are all operating legally in the jurisdictions they are based in.
Is online NFL betting safe?
Absolutely, so long as you use reputable and trustworthy NFL betting sites. The online sportsbooks we recommend provide the best online betting experience available and that includes ensuring your safety.
What bonuses are available for online NFL betting?
Every site is unique, but sometimes all it takes is making an initial real-money deposit. In most cases, your rewards will directly be correlated by how active you are placing wagers and how big or small you are betting. Some betting sites also offer NFL contests for additional bonuses and rewards.
Do NFL sportsbooks have minimum and maximum bet amounts?
Most sites set their minimum bet at either $1 or $2. While prop bets sometimes cap out at $500 or $1,000, you’ll find instances where sites will accept five- and six-figure bets. You can always reach out to customer service if you would like to bet larger than what is stated is permitted.
NFL betting sites are competing with one another for your business. That means certain operators are willing to “take a stance” more than others in hopes of capturing the public’s money on one side as opposed to the other.
How do I find the best NFL odds?
The easiest option for this is to have active accounts at several of the top NFL betting sites. This allows you to easily shop around for the best odds for any given wager.
Do NFL betting sites allow live wagering on games?
Yes. In today’s day an age, NFL live betting is becoming increasingly more popular and widespread. In turn, sportsbooks that want to remain competitive in this industry have had no choice but to offer in-playbetting.
Can I be taxed for winning real money at NFL gambling sites?
Depending on where you reside, yes. You’ll have to check our in-depth reviews for each particular NFL betting site to be sure.
When is the best time to place my NFL bets online?
The opening lines and the closing lines can sometimes differ greatly, so important to pay attention to all things considered. Typically, waiting until later in the week and as close to kickoff time as possible allows you to bet with the most pertinent information at your disposal.
Does betting on NFL games make watching them more fun?
It sure does. All you have to do is place your hard-earned dollars on the outcome of an NFL game that you will be watching on TV and you will find out just how captivating the experience is!
The sports betting industry is on a meteoric rise in this country and we’re approaching one of the first NFL seasons where it will be possible to legally wager on most games outside of Nevada. Even in a largely illegal market, the American Gaming Association estimates that bettors wagered over $4.7 billion dollars on football last year.
With ample time between games and a wealth of strategy to consider, football is an understandably popular sport for mainstream bettors. Using analytics to gain an edge in predicting how games will unfold can help the savvy bettor go against the grain to earn big paydays. Conversely, the popularity of NFL betting can help bettors isolate a potential winner by piggybacking on research conducted by the masses.
This page can serve as a reference for residents of states that have legalized online betting. It will break down the basics of NFL betting, from various types of bets, to strategy, to tips on how to predict trends and think independently. If you heed this advice and weigh your options and bankroll carefully, you could turn a consistent profit throughout the 2020 NFL season.
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NFL lines this week
NFL team betting guides
Division | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
AFC East | Buffalo Bills | Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets |
AFC North | Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers |
AFC South | Houston Texans | Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tennessee Titans |
AFC West | Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs | Los Angeles Chargers | Las Vegas Raiders |
NFC East | Dallas Cowboys | New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Football Team |
NFC North | Chicago Bears | Detroit Lions | Minnesota Vikings | Green Bay Packers |
NFC South | Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers | New Orleans Saints | Tampa Bay Bucs |
NFC West | Arizona Cardinals | Los Angeles Rams | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks |
Where is NFL betting legal?
When the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in May of 2018, it opened the door for individual states to legalize sports gambling. Beginning with New Jersey (the original plaintiff in the PASPA case), several states quickly moved to legalize and regulate the industry within state lines. Betting on the NFL and other professional sports is still not federally legal, but residents of the following states can place bets at live sportsbooks:
Nevada
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
Mississippi
West Virginia
Rhode Island
New Mexico
Arkansas
Iowa
New York
Oregon
Indiana
Illinois
Montana
Most other states in the US have introduced some sort of bill that would legalize sports gambling. Of course, some states are far closer than others to legalizing the industry. Visit our state betting pages at TheLines.com to get a look at the status in each state.
Best NFL betting sites and apps
There are a number of apps available for sports betting in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia and Nevada. Some of the best:
The top players in the industry are DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, and SugarHouse.
How does NFL betting work?
There are several ways to bet on NFL action. We’ll begin with the most simple type of bet: The moneyline. Taking the Moneyline means you’re betting on the winning team regardless of the margin of victory. Underdogs will get plus-odds on the moneyline and the favorites will have negative odds. For example, if a team is heavily favored they will be listed as Patriots (-230), meaning that a successful $230 bet on the Patriots pays out $100.
This differs from betting on the point spread, which accounts for the expected margin of victory. If the Patriots are heavily favored at home, they might be listed as -13.5, meaning a bet (likely at something close to -110 odds) on the Pats would only pay out if they win by 14 points or more.
Gamblers can also target the overall betting total of a game, which is usually listed as a number around 48.5 with the proposition of taking the Over or Under on a point total. Some sites offer the opportunity to bet on the expected point total of one team (23.5 points for example).
Then, there is often an extensive number of betting props (or propositions) where gamblers can wager on the individual performance of a player, the type of score to open a game, and the specific margin of victory. These options are often more expansive in prime time and playoff games.
Gamblers can choose to combine multiple propositions on a game, or multiple bets on different games, into a parlay. This wager is an all-or-nothing proposition which only pays out if all (anywhere between two and a dozen) bets are successful. The more bets added to a parlay, the greater the potential payout.
A teaser is a form of parlay that involves a combination of two to ten wagers in which you can adjust the point spread or total to your specifications. These bets are therefore more likely to succeed, but the payouts are smaller than in a parlay.
Finally, there is an option to bet on NFL futures. Rather than betting on an individual game, Futures offer gamblers the opportunity to bet on the eventual Super Bowl champion, divisional champion, or the number of wins that a team will accrue during the regular season. There are also futures bets available on postseason awards and other ongoing storylines.
Super Bowl odds 2021
Football Gambling Online
NFL live betting
Another method of wagering on the NFL is live betting, also known as in-play betting. No longer are gamblers required to place their bets before opening kickoff and ride out the storm. Now users can watch a game unfold for one, two, or three quarters and place their bets based on updated odds.
The odds on online sportsbooks will shift throughout games and sometimes it won’t be possible to place a live bet until a team finishes their current drive and the odds can solidify. This can be a very effective method for the experienced sports fan. Those who can read how a game is unfolding in the opening minutes can target a line aggressively.
For example, the most recent Super Bowl between the Patriots and Rams turned into an offensive quagmire where neither team appeared poised to rack up many points. Those viewers that read into game flow and placed a bet on the Under (even as it shifted lower) were rewarded by a comfortable payout in a game that ended 13-3.
NFL betting trends
There are several free sites that will disclose information on where the public is betting in terms of the moneyline, point spread, and point total. These trends can lead to a shift in the lines as sportsbooks try to adjust when too much money is coming in on one side or the other.
These trends can also indicate which side of the line is a better bet based on the sheer number of bets coming in. However, the percentage of bets coming in on one side or the other is often not as telling as the percentage of money coming in on one side of the line.
Best Online Nfl Betting Site
A ton of bets indicates that the reactive public expects a favorite to roll, but a ton of money on one side indicates that experienced gamblers or “sharps” have found something in their research to inspire confidence.
Following the money usually profits, but there is a high level of risk and reward in “contrarian handicapping” by going against the public and backing an underdog at plus odds.
NFL line shopping
With so many sportsbooks and platforms competing for your wagers, there’s no reason not to shop around for the best deal. Some sites might have a team with a line of -4 (-110) on a particular game, but another site could have the same team at -3.5 (+120). There is generally an industry standard, but even a sleight differentiation can lead to huge changes in dividends in the long run. It’s vital for bettors to shop lines on multiple sites even if they don’t have a huge bankroll. If that’s the case, simply decrease the amount you’re betting on each game.
You can also shop lines by timing when you place your bets. Oddsmakers will set an Opening Line early in the week, but that could change based on how the public bets the game. Sometimes it makes sense to hammer an Opening Line right away so that you get the best odds possible. For example, the Packers could open at -7 at home against a poor opponent, but after 90% of bets come in on Green Bay, that number could rise. Conversely, the underdog might become appealing late in the week if the spread rises to 13 or even 14 points. Waiting for the right line can create the perfect opportunity to bet against the public at even better odds.
NFL Betting Tips
Finding a betting formula
Consistent success in NFL betting is hard to come by, since sportsbooks are often eerily accurate in how they set Spreads and Point Totals. In order to turn a profit, bettors have to find their own formula for determining value and potential winners.
It’s possible to “follow the masses” by betting on favorites that are seeing a huge percentage of wagers, but it is far more reliable to analyze trends and look for value based on those raw numbers.
As the season progresses, it can become apparent which teams have a tendency to “play down” to their opponent. Certain teams tend to play better when going up against heavy favorites, and many teams tend to play better or worse in prime time games. Analyzing a teams’ recent travel schedule, results on the road vs. at home, and tendency to rebound after a loss (see Bill Belichick’s Patriots) can help bettors find a winning formula.
There are certain analytics available for free on many sites that can help you predict how a game will unfold. Here are some of the key analytics that we use to predict game flow:
- Pace (the average number of plays a team runs per game) – This can primarily help you identify fast-paced games that are likely to go Over the total, or slow-paced games that will go Under.
- Offensive efficiency – Especially in the red zone, offensive efficiency can serve as a great indicator for which teams are capable of finishing drives with touchdowns and therefore covering the spread. Pass yards per attempt is another indicator of which teams are successful on offense in terms of controlling possession and creating points.
- Turnovers – On the other side of the ball, teams with great defensive efficiency in the red zone may help games stay under the point total. Teams that have shown an ability to create turnovers are far more bankable in terms of hanging close in games and potentially stealing a game when they’re underdogs.
- Win Probability – This is an advanced tool that can help tremendously with live betting. Algorithms can provide the likelihood of a team holding on for the win and that makes for a very safe bet.
- DVOA – There are comprehensive numbers on how defenses perform against specific position groups. There are also numbers on how an offensive line performs in terms of creating space at the second level and whether defensive lines are stronger on the right or left side. Match up the numbers from each team to consider whether star players will have more of an impact and sway the outcome.
- Home Field Advantage – Teams such as the Packers, Chiefs, Saints, and Patriots have a tremendous home-field advantage for several reasons. Lofty point spreads in those venues should be considered with more weight than a lofty point spread for a team like the Bengals, for example.
Each game brings its own criteria in terms of analytics and there is almost always ample time to crunch the numbers and find an edge.
NFL betting mistakes to avoid
Sports gambling can be a destructive force and should not be taken lightly or considered as a main source of income for anyone but the most experienced handicappers. Here’s a list of a few of the pitfalls that can turn a harmless habit into a money-draining problem:
Online Nfl Gambling States
Best Online Nfl Gambling Sites
- Chasing your losses: Gamblers can be overcome by a need to be “made whole” after losing their initial bet. This can be problematic during NFL Sundays since there is a new wave of games starting at 4 p.m. EST and two prime time games providing the opportunity to go “double or nothing” after an unsuccessful run in the early games.
- Managing bankroll: Again, the spreads and totals assigned by sportsbooks are often extremely accurate in terms of the final result, which means that few bets are a “sure thing.” Gamblers need to manage their bankroll wisely and avoid betting big on too many games regardless of their confidence level.
- Emotional betting: While gambling on NFL games should be fun, it’s not fun to lose your money because you were afraid to bet against your hometown team. Gamblers should always bet based on data, trends, and their gut feeling, rather than by their allegiances as fans.
- Hoping for longshots: It’s important to get good odds on a wager, but taking a bet that has little chance to come to fruition is not a reliable method. A horse with 50/1 odds would certainly pay out handsomely in the Kentucky Derby, but there’s a reason nobody expects that horse to have a shot at winning the race.
- Banking on favorites: Conversely, it’s unwise to always follow the public and take the more popular team with your wagers. Things change on a weekly basis in the NFL and teams always find a way to surprise. Remember that the other guys get paid too, and they’ll fight to the final whistle to post a more respectable score and potentially get under a lofty point spread.
- Betting while impaired: Again, NFL Sunday is a time to relax and enjoy a few adult beverages, but don’t get carried away while intoxicated. Accept losses when they come and avoid becoming overconfident because you’re feeling loose and unafraid of losing a few hundred dollars.
Online betting vs. retail sportsbooks
Nfl Online Betting Sites
Few states have legalized online betting within state borders because it’s so difficult to regulate. But if you’re in a state with legal online betting, there are clear benefits to that platform. While retail sportsbooks will only accept bets before a game kicks off, online betting sites allow users to bet throughout the contest and adjust to live odds. The convenience of betting from your phone or laptop is hard to beat. That’s why live sportsbooks will offer promotions and try to enhance the in-game experience in order to draw in more numbers.
How to watch NFL games
Online Nfl Gambling Sites
Every Sunday select NFL games are broadcast on local TV. Viewers can watch any game by purchasing the Sunday Ticket through DirectTV, or the scoring highlights and exciting finishes compiled by the Red Zone channel. There are also options to stream NFL games through various online platforms. During the 2019-2020 season there will be Thursday Night Football games from Week 1 to Week 15 that will be broadcast on FOX and NFL Network. Sunday Night Football games are broadcast on NBC and ESPN carries Monday Night Football games.