How to Bet On NBA
When a new NBA season begins, the exciting opportunity to get in on all the great basketball action comes. Following the greatest basketball league in the world is pretty exciting in itself, but placing wagers and getting in on the action as the games roll by ups that excitement several notches. What’s more, when these stakes come through, you win some cool cash for your troubles.
But before you begin, you should have a solid understanding of the basics of legal, fun, and safe NBA betting. In this extensive guide, our betting gurus cover all the common bet types in the NBA.
Is NBA Betting Legal In The US?
Before 2018, if you were looking to bet on an NBA game, you would have had to get on the next flight out to Nevada, the only place where you could bet on sports legally. All of that changed after the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA, ruling it as unconstitutional. Thanks to that ruling, each state was allowed to make its own sports betting rules, and several of them have gone on to legalize the activity. Several states are in the process of enabling retail and online sports betting within their borders.
Betting on the NBA is legal in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, and other states. To place your legal NBA wagers, all you have to do is visit a licensed mobile sportsbook app in the state in which you reside. It’s entirely safe and quite exciting. Of course, you must first meet the legal gambling age requirements.
How Do I Read NBA Lines, Odds, and Bets
Spreads
When talking about NBA betting, you must mention spread bets as long as you talk about sports betting types. The spread (or the ‘point spread’) is a number that oddsmakers set to encourage bettors to place balanced wagers on the favorites and underdogs.
An NBA point spread with a value of -7.5 indicates that the favorite team is fancied to win by 7.5 points. For the underdog to cover a spread of +7.5, they must either win or lose the game within a seven-point margin. With its extensive 82-game regular season, the NBA offers more betting opportunities than
other major North American professional leagues. Taking part in NBA spread bets could set you up for a season potentially filled with so much value.
Teasers
This bet type is a form of parlay betting, but it’s not as straightforward as most other sports betting types. The critical thing about teaser bets is that they allow you to modify the point spread and adjust the odds to favor you. For example, assume that you placed a -5.5 point teaser on a two-legged parlay on the Warriors (-6) and the Grizzlies (+9) to cover against the spread (ATS). The lines will shift in your favor, the Warriors dropping to a spread of -0.5 as favorites and the Bulls boosting to +14.5 underdogs. The Warriors will only have to win by 1+ points, and the Grizzlies can lose by as much as 14 points for your bet to succeed. The most popular teaser points are -4.5, -5,and -5.5.
Totals
Total bets, also known as over/under bets, are among the most uncomplicated sports betting types. Before a game, the bookmakers set what they consider to be the estimated number of points both teams will combine to score at the end of the game. The cool thing about over/under bets is that you’re not wagering on a particular team. You’re simply predicting whether both teams will score over or under the points line that the sportsbook set. Generally, oddsmakers set their totals bar at a number that they believe will encourage a balanced number of bets on either side.
Futures
NBA future bets are excellent because they allow fans to get in on significant events way before those events happen. Basketball fans can wager on how they think their favorite teams/players will end the season, even before it begins. The most prominent individual and team accolades (NBA Championship, MVP, Rookie of the year) are the ones that attract the most future bets. Due to the longer-term nature of these bets, timing is key; the earlier you place your wager, the bigger your potential payout.
Bet on the NBA Today
With so many states now allowing online sports betting and more looking to do so in the future, there has never been a better time to place wagers on theNBA. To get involved with the fun, download a sportsbook app on your phone and use our expert advice to place the best bets throughout the NBA season
