Games televised by the National Football League are the most-watched sporting events in North America – live in team stadiums and on television screens and streaming Internet connections. In 2012, the last time such an audit was made, average attendance at live games was 67,604. That’s enough to make NFL contests the most-watched live sport in the entire world.
If you’re an NFL fan, or if you have even a slight familiarity with the game, you already know almost everything that’s required of a football bettor. The information below is designed to help you transition from an NFL fan into a sports bettor.
The Point Spread
The point spread is the most commonly-used odds format in all of sports betting. Using a point spread, your sportsbook gathers bets on both sides of a contest, handicapping the favorite in order to attract bets on the underdog.
Here’s an example of an NFL point spread:
Dallas @
Washington -3.5
The (-3.5) symbol next to the Redskins means the book favors them to win, and a bet on Washington will only pay off if they win by four points or more. A wager on the Cowboys will pay off if they beat Chicago outright or lose by three points or fewer.
The Moneyline
Bets on the moneyline ask the bettor to pick which team will win outright, regardless of points scored.
Here’s an example of an NFL moneyline using the same example as above:
Dallas +110
Washington -130
The number next to each team’s name tells us a couple of things – the plus or minus symbol tells us which is the favorite, in this case Washington. The number next to that symbol gives information about the financial side of the wager, though it’s different for the underdog and the favorite.
In our example Washington is the favorite, so bettors earn a payout of $1 for every $1.30 wagered. A successful bet on Dallas will pay out $1.10 for every $1 wagered. The forty cent difference between these two bets represents the incentive the book uses to make underdog bets attractive.
I like the moneyline and so do a lot of sports bettors – it just hasn’t caught on as much in NFL betting as point spreads and parlays.
When you do find a moneyline wager available, you might be in luck if you lock in your wager early. The difference between the two numbers in any line (the $0.40 from our above example) can swing wildly due to changes in popular opinion. This concerns the smaller number of total bets made on the moneyline.
If you have a strong feeling about a team’s chanced and want to wager on the moneyline, get your bet n early before action on that heavy favorite increases. Obviously, the opposite is true for underdogs – locking in a wager at the last minute, when you can get the best price from the book, is the best way to go. Why buy Dallas at +110 on a Tuesday when you can get them for +140 on Saturday morning?
Game Totals
Also called over/unders, game totals are wagers on the total number of points scored by both teams in an NFL game.
Bettors who think the point total will be more than the number established by the book bet “over;” those who think the total will be less bet the “under.” Here’s an example of what a totals line looks like for our above made-up game example:
Dallas/Washington – O/U 31
In this example, a bet of “over” pays off if the two teams combine for 32 points or more; while an “under” bet wins if the teams score 30 points or fewer.
NFL Betting Basics
I’ve put together three tips to help you out with some basic NFL betting strategy:
Tip #1: Home vs. away statistics are a valuable tool.
The impact of home field advantage (and away team blues) has a huge impact In the NFL. Because seasons are short and home turf makes such a difference, it’s important to research both teams’ performance on the road and at home. This one statistic is a powerful tool in quickly handicapping any pro football game.
Tip #2: Become familiar with league injury reports.
Like in Major League Baseball, football teams are given a lot of leeway in terms of how they operate their injury lists. Teams can hide major injuries until the last minute – it’s also possible for coaches to fake or exaggerate injuries, all in an attempt to confuse the opposing coach. The NFL injury report system moves quickly – you need to keep up to make an accurate pick.
Tip #3: Watch for (and Take Advantage of) Line Movement
Lines move over the course of a week – the reasons are legion. Watching how lines change is what can elevate you from an amateur bettor to a serious NFL punter. Changes in a line can affect your overall strategy and tell you where the smart money is played. Line movement strategy is a bit advanced for newcomers, but you can start to step your game up to the next level now by taking note of line changes.
So why wager on the National Football League? For beginners, the sport offers a lot of research time between contests, compared to a sport like baseball or basketball. For experienced bettors, NFL wagering offers a huge pool of bets and action on all market sides.
Put another way – bets on the NFL are a good fit for people of all experience levels. These are easy-to-understand wagers, and research involves simple stats available at the push of a button. Because American pro football is so popular, the wagers are widely available at brick-and-mortar and online sportsbooks. To people who enjoy betting on the NFL, it’s the perfect sport, with something for everyone.
Football Betting Questions and Answers
Football is the most-watched and attended sport in America. The NFL also draws the most weekly betting action of any sports season.
Assuming you’re interested in betting on NFL games, keep reading as we discuss commonly asked questions among bettors.
How Does Online Football Betting Work?
Finding an online sportsbook that offers football betting is really easy because almost every sportsbook has football lines. Once you find a good sportsbook, you want to visit the site’s cashier and look for a banking option that you can use.
Once you’ve picked a banking option, you can add funds to your sportsbook account. The only thing left after this is to look for bets that fit into your bankroll.
What is a Point Spread in Football?
Point spreads are a certain type of bet where the underdog is given points while the favorite must make up points. Here’s an example:
Buffalo +3.5 (-110)New England -3.5 (-110)
In this case, New England is the favorite and must win by at least 4 points for a successful bet. Buffalo can lose by up to 3 points and still result in a successful wager.
What Is the Moneyline?
One of the most-important concepts to understand with football betting is the moneyline. This is a straight-up bet on who’ll win the game, but each team has odds attached to even out the action on both sides. Here’s an example:
Chicago +125Minnesota -140
In this example, you’d need to bet $140 to win a $100 profit on Minnesota, and wager $100 to win a $125 profit on Chicago.
Is Football Betting Gambling?
One of the best aspects about football betting is that there’s skill involved. And if you’re more skilled than fellow bettors, then you can make a profit.
Nevertheless, football betting is still considered gambling because you’re risking money on every wager. And the house takes a 10% commission from the losing side for running the games, meaning the average bettor will end up a long-term loser.
How Can I Win in Football Betting?
There’s no easy answer to this question because football betting strategy is a complex subject.
But some of the basic things that you need to do include adopting a proper bankroll management strategy, looking for favorable lines early in the week, and limiting yourself to 1-2 good bets a week.
The more time that you pour into these tips, the more likely you are to win money eventually.
Why Do Football Betting Lines Move?
As mentioned in the advice above, it’s important to look for favorable lines early in the week because they can move. But why is this the case?
Whether it be point spreads or moneylines, one side may draw more action from the public than the other. A sportsbook will then readjust the line to make the other side more attractive to bettors. Here’s an example:
(Before)Cleveland +10.5Pittsburgh -10.5
(After)Cleveland +9.5Pittsburgh -9.5
In this instance, Cleveland was getting too much action at 10.5, so the oddsmakers took a point away from them to help even out action.
What Is a Parlay in Football?
A parlay is a combination of one or more individual football bets that are linked together. Every wager in a parlay must come through for you to win the total bet.
Parlays are obviously harder to win, but the benefit is that you also earn a much larger payout when successful.
Is Football Betting Legal?
This answer varies based on what country you’re in. Football betting is widely accepted and legal in Canada.
The United States, on the other hand, considers online football betting illegal under the Wire Act of 1961. Despite this fact, it’s perfectly legal for people to bet on football in most states, and offshore sportsbooks still offer lines to American residents.