NFL Betting Sites– American Football Odds and Bets Explained
In America, NFL betting is the king of sports betting, especially in Las Vegas, and it’s no surprise considering its one richest sports on the planet. As for the UK and Europe, NFL betting sites have been hard to come by, but all that is quickly changing. In this guide we will not only explain how to bet on the NFL, but also cover everything you need to know, including how NFL odds work, Specialist Super Bowl bets and much more.
NFL Betting in the UK
Despite being a popular sport in the UK from the late eighties and early nineties, thanks to weekly coverage on channel 4, NFL betting in the UK was limited. If you wanted to bet on American Football it was generally limited to moneyline betting and a small number of Super Bowl bets.
This was mainly due to the fact that watching and understanding the rules of the NFL is completely different from understanding American Football betting markets, as they like to do things differently in America. But as the sport’s popularity has grown, thanks to the International Series games that have been held at Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the last 10 years.
With such a rapid increase in popularity, bookmakers were quick to spot the potential of the sport for gambling and began to add more options for fans in the UK and Europe. There is now a huge range of bets available and it is now one of the biggest sports to bet on.
But these can still be a little confusing, so we have put together this comprehensive guide to online American Football betting to help you understand NFL odds and which are the best NFL betting sites to use.
Best NFL Betting Sites Online
We appreciate that some of our readers may already have a good understanding of NFL betting odds, and don’t need to read this guide in full. So with that in mind we thought we would kick things off with our list of the best betting sites to place an American Football bet.
After all, you can’t place NFL bets without an account at a decent bookmaker, so you need to make sure they are trustworthy, especially for US sports betting, as there are many rogue operators in this market.
The betting sites we’ve listed below have personally been tried and tested by us as we use them for comparing the best odds. They are all well established in the UK and are at the forefront of American Football betting market.
In our experience, these online NFL bookmakers offer some of the best NFL odds, regular bonuses and even some interesting proposition bets. So you can expect to receive excellent betting options and value for money if you opt for any one of these.
Guide to NFL Betting Odds
We’re guessing you are either new to American football betting or just new to online gambling and want to get a better understanding of how it works. One the biggest hurdles that you need to overcome is understanding the markets and betting lines. Even if you do happen to be a little more experienced at gambling online, NFL bets have a slightly different look than you may be used to.
NFL betting lines tend to differ slightly from what you may be used to seeing with UK football betting or even tennis betting, while betting spreads also play an important role.
What are NFL Betting Lines?
NFL betting lines are the specific bets placed on a game, and there are so many betting lines in American Football it can almost be as complex as a playbook. The less familiar include money lines, sides, and propositions, but don’t worry you can place standard player performance bets and super bowl bets.
What do NFL betting odds look like?
NFL betting odds may not quite look the same as what you would normally expect. Depending on the format you choose, you will often see numbers next to each team on the betting site, as well the terms spread and moneyline. The NFL betting line will appear as either of the following examples;
Betting Odds Example A
- Ravens -7 -110
- Eagles +7 -100
Betting Odds Example B
- Chiefs -200
- Browns +180
What is Point Spread Betting?
Spread betting is term you don’t often see in the UK but it’s an element of NFL betting that gamblers in the states love. It also happens to be the most popular bet placed for American Football, so what exactly is an NFL point spread?
Unlike the odds themselves, the spread isn’t generally set by betting site, as it is a general predictor for the margin of victory. It will provide you with an expectation of who is classed as the favourite and who is the underdog. It also provides a buffer when betting on a game.
NFL Spread Odds Example
As we mentioned earlier, one of the numbers you will see next to the team is the spread. You will see a negative value next to one team, such as -7.5, this indicates that the team has been placed as favourites. The opposition will then considered to be the underdog and they will have the same number next to them, but it will be a positive value.
The value of the negative and positive number is the all-important spread. It indicates how many points need to be added or deducted from the total points scored by the winning team. So if you back a team at +7 and they win the game 44-35, as they won the game by 7 points or more then you win the bet. If it turns out to be a close game and they win 38-35 then the bet loses.
As for the underdog negative value, If you backed them at -7, then you would lose the bet based on the first score line mentioned above as the points margin exceeds 7. But you would win the bet based on the second score line as the point difference is less than 7.
What is NFL Moneyline Betting?
NFL moneyline betting is a term predominantly used at US betting sites and are essentially the same as an outright bet in the UK. This means you are betting on a winning team for the game. You may have noticed a second number next to the first betting line example we gave earlier next to the spread, this is the moneyline.
The moneyline bet will likely be the main NFL odds you see, once you visit the American football betting section where all of the fixtures are listed. You will also notice that bookmakers don’t show the spread bet here as the margin of victory has been removed.
What Do Moneyline NFL Odds Look Like?
The Moneyline is displayed as large numbers as either positive or negative value, as you can see in the examples above. Where the spread is present it tends to be either +100 or -100. For straight moneyline bets those numbers tend to be on the higher side, such as +/- 200 due to the margin being removed.
Let’s say an AFC game between the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles is taking place. On this occasion the Ravens are considered to be favourites with a moneyline of -200; while the Eagles would be the underdogs at +200
So if you bet £20 on the ravens you would win £10 due to the negative value of the moneyline. If you bet $10 on the lesser favoured Eagles, you would win £20 because of their positive moneyline.
While some American Football betting sites stick to the American format for authenticity, some will display them in a more familiar fractional format. At those sites you will see the Ravens at 1/2 and the Eagles at 2/1.
American Football Betting Totals
Unlike the spread and moneyline, totals are the type of bet you may be familiar with and is another popular bet in the NFL. In the UK this is more commonly known as the over/under and relates to the total number of points scored in a game. But given the amount of points that are usually scored it’s more like a jacked up goal rush bet.
NFL totals options at betting sites increase in 2 point increments and usually start at 22.5. The totals will always be to the half point in order to avoid an exact match result and tied bet. Depending on the current form of each NFL team playing, each over/under will have different odds applied.
Unlike “soccer” games, the odds don’t just increase from the lowest score. If a game is expected to be high scoring, such as when a strong offence is facing a weak defence, low scores like 28.5 points will have higher odds than maybe 35.5 points.
NFL Futures
Futures are another familiar bet under a different name, and chances are you’ve already placed a similar bet to this in another sport. Futures bets are pretty much as they sound, they represent NFL betting markets that aren’t taking place that week or under a standard league game.
Similar bets would be Premier League, La Liga or F1 Championship winners. The most popular NFL betting futures tend to include the following;
- Division Winners
- Conference Winner
- Super Bowl Winner
- Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Regular Season MVP
NFL futures are usually placed in the early stages of the season as front runners begin to emerge, but teams that are expected to be strong contenders are usually backed even before a ball is thrown to secure the best odds. But it’s worth noting that as the end of the American Football season and the Super Bowl gets closer, your odd will reduce.
Super Bowl Betting Odds
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of the American football season and it is bet on more than any other game. In fact, Super Bowl, Super Bowl betting actually makes up a large percentage of NFL bets for the entire season., so it deserves a category all of its own.
The Super Bowl is contested by the winner of the AFC Conference Championship game and the NFC Conference Championship game. With the winner being declared Super Bowl Champions, they also like to call themselves “World Champions” despite no other country playing in the competition.
So with their only being two teams playing, you would think that Super Bowl betting markets are limited, but you would be wrong. There are actually some very niche bets available for the Super Bowl, some take place as part of the game and the rest are for events surrounding the game. These are known as proposition bets, which we’ll explore later on.
As Super Bowl betting draws a big crowd, there are also plenty of special promotions available at the best NFL betting sites, these include cash back bonuses and accumulator odds boosts. Some bookies even like to use the event to entice new players, with sites like BoyleSports offering massively enhanced odds on a likely outcome as a welcome bonus.
NFL Proposition Betting
We mention this in the last section, but what are proposition bets? Proposition bets for NFL games are betting options differ slightly from the main NFL betting lines. Prop bets extended betting markets to include things like passing or running yards and touchdowns within American Fooball betting. Field goal attempts, punt returns and picks also get their own proposition bets.
But it’s the Super Bowl where these bets really take a strange turn. Special bets include what colour the Gatorade will be when it’s poured on the winning coach. Half time shows also get a special bet of their own, in Super Bowl XLIX you could even bet on Katy Perry’s hair colour.
NFL Betting Tips
Before placing any bets, familiarize yourself with how the NFL works and learn the rules, key terms, and the typical scoring system. Hopefully our guide has provided you with a solid foundation to help you NFL place bets more effectively. But here are a few more NFL betting tips to help improve your betting strategy.
Compare Odds
Don’t rely on just one bookmaker. Check multiple betting sites to find the best odds for your chosen market. Even small differences can significantly impact your potential payout. This is particularly useful for early bets on NFL futures.
Track Odds
Sticking with odds, spread and other elements of NFL betting can fluctuate as the game draws closer. So it’s not unusual to see things like the spread move from 7 out to 9 points. This can happen for several reasons but has its obvious benefits. As one team loses value the opposition can become a more attractive option, which is perfect for value betting.
Check Form and Injuries
This is important for any sport, so isn’t just limited to NFL betting. American Football is full contact sport with some big hits, which means key players can easily get injured. This can have a serious impact on a result and bookies don’t always take this in to account, so look for opportunities like this to improve your odds.
Form is also key when betting on the NFL. Strong teams like the Chiefs are generally always favourites, but for most teams it’s a good run of form that has them chasing the conference and division leaders. Comparing NFL stats to a team’s injury list can be a decent indicator of how the game could unfold. For example a game with two solid defensive lines is likely to be low scoring, whereas two strong attacking teams are surely to result in a high scoring games.
NFL Betting Sites Summary
Whether you are new to American Football betting or just looking to tweak your skills, we are hoping our quick NFL betting guide has been able to fill some gaps in your knowledge. By selecting one of best betting sites you can quickly put what you have learned to the test, especially if you’re new to online betting.
We feel our explanation of betting lines and NFL odds should stand you in good stead as you begin your journey in to placing bets on the NFL. But although it may take some getting used to, the more you place bets, the easier it will become to weed out the junk bets.