American Football Betting Sites
Football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of viewership and the amount of betting action it receives. Millions of people tune each week to watch both the NFL and college football, and research has shown that an estimated $100 billion is wagered on professional and collegiate football each year. Best American Football Betting Site 888 All bookies will offer at least outright or match result markets for American Football, but if you want to go beyond that there are several great bookies, the best of which we think is 888 Sport. 888 are a global brand and as such understand a global audience. With the best American Football betting sites, there will always be a variation in the prices that you can get on the biggest matches. But if you’re looking exclusively on the NFL and NCAAF, you will mostly be receiving a very high order payout rate when using the sites that we have recommended here on this review.
American Football, just “football” in America, is also known as gridiron and, despite the fact that gambling is severely restricted to Americans themselves, it is a sport on which many a sports punter gambles the world over. The vast majority of that money is bet on the National Football League (NFL) in the USA, although as bookmakers expand their operations there is increasing coverage of lesser leagues, such as college football, Europe and America’s secondary league, the UFL.
But the NFL and the Superbowl are the pinnacle of the game with the heroes of the sport at that level among the richest sportsmen on the planet. American football is big business and so is betting on it, with around half of all sports bets placed in Las Vegas being on the sport.
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How To Bet On American Football
Akin to football (or soccer), betting on American Football is massive and so consequently there are a huge range of bets and markets offered by the bookmakers. Also like football, the nature of the game lends itself to a broad range of betting opportunities, with various stages and events within each game. Here we look at some of the most popular bets, although the list is by no means exhaustive.
American Football Bets
- Tournament winner – One of the most common bets is on who will win a tournament with around 99% of such bets being on the NFL and thus the Superbowl. You can bet at any stage before or during the season on which team you think will triumph in the finale in February.
- Money line – Another simple and popular bet is which team will win a given game. This might be called match odds, “to win” but the most common American term is the money line.
- Match spread – This is possibly even more popular than the money line in the US and is a handicap bet. The bookmaker will offer the team expected to lose a points advantage, so they will start +4 (the handicap can be any whole or half number, e.g. +3.5 or +12) and the other team -4. The odds for both sides are then the same, slightly less than evens.
- Total points – This is a bet on the total points that will be scored by both teams combined. The bookmaker will give a points figure in whole or half points and you can choose over or under that figure. As with the spread the odds for both outcomes are usually the same and slightly smaller than even money (2.00).
- Prop bet – A proposition bet is one not directly related to the final outcome of the match but a side bet on an event within the season or game. Aside from the Superbowl and big televised games these are not a huge feature of American Football betting. However, there is a wide range of prop bets, from how many games a team win will in the regular season to how many touchdowns there will be in a game or how many yards the quarterback will pass for. You can also bet on who the MVP or Rookie of the Year will be as well as no end of other options such as the half-time score, which quarter will have the most points and even (just in the Superbowl) crazy bets like how long the singing of the national anthem will last or whether or not the singer will have a “wardrobe malfunction”!
American Football Betting Rules
Because the standard bets are relatively simply by nature there aren’t too many rules to look out for. The main thing is that unlike in soccer, where extra-time is rarely included in bets, overtime almost always does count unless otherwise stated. Moneyline bets level after overtime are a “push”, which means you get your stake back.
With a bet on the spread, the winner will be deemed to be settled at the end of the fourth quarter, even if overtime is played. If the scores are level after the application of the handicaps it is a push, unless “tie” was offered at the time of the bet (which it usually isn’t). Total points bets include overtime and if the total points are equal to (i.e. where the spread is given in whole not half points) to the quote the bet is a push.
The final thing to consider is that most bets will stand if 55 minutes of the game has been played, even if it is subsequently abandoned and even replayed at a later date.
Betting Strategy
Information as ever is the key. If you know more than the bookies and you apply that knowledge with an unbiased standpoint you will find value bets and profit. Betting on American Football, with its heavy emphasis on the spread, is particularly suited to that and one great tip is to apply your own handicap to matches.
Do your research, look at the form and then decide what handicap you would give a particular side. If you think the Ravens will beat the Broncos by eight and the bookies think three, then you’ll want to be backing the Ravens pretty heavily.
Another thing is to make sure you fully understand and assess the benefits of half points, either on the total points or spreads. Whilst the chances of hitting the exact points total (so if the total points is given as over/under 54 we are talking about the game having exactly 54 points) is slim, using previous stats you can try and assess whether you might be better taking slightly lower odds for a total of, say, 53.5 instead.
Main Leagues
American football is without doubt the biggest and most prestigious sport in the United States of America. Professional and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with high school and youth football also very popular. Whilst the NFL may be the primary focus globally, college football attracts huge crowds domestically, with several sides boasting average attendances in excess of 100,000!
The two main “leagues” in American football are the National Football League’s (NFL) National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The winners of each Conference then go head-to-head in the annual Super Bowl at the end of the season.
National Football Conference & American Football Conference
The National Football League is American football’s major league, consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between two divisions. 16 teams participate in the National Football Conference, with the other 16 battling it out in the American Football Conference. Each Conference is divided into four geographic divisions, North, South, East and West, each containing four sides.
The NFL’s 17-week regular season usually runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games in the regular season. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each league – four division winners and two wild card entries (the other highest ranked sides) – progress through to the play-offs. The winners then go head-to-head in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February each year.
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl has been going strong for over 50 years, with the first ‘Big Game’ taking place on January 15th, 1967. The game has got bigger and bigger each year, and is now considered an unofficial American national holiday, known as ‘Super Bowl Sunday’. The Super Bowl is among the most viewed sporting events in the world, only second to the UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual sporting game.
Not only is the Super Bowl popular for the action on the pitch, the pre-game and half-time ceremonies have seen the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Beyoncé – and several other acts – perform on the biggest stage.
At the time of writing, the NFC has the slight edge with 26 wins to the AFC’s 25. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl titles, with six championships to their name. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots have taken part in the most Super Bowl’s to date, with nine. The 2018 edition of the Super Bowl takes place at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 4th, 2018. It will be the 52nd Big Game, officially known as Super Bowl LII.
Whilst it’s undoubted that American football is much more popular in the US then say the UK for example, the sport is actually one that has developed quickly on a more global scale. The main benefactor behind this is that the coverage of the sport is much wider than it’s ever been. The likes of Sky Sports and other international sports broadcasts have all included healthy selections of games from the NFL.
In terms of other leagues, well they are few and far between. There are very few bookmakers that actually provide markets on them mainly because of the lack of professional leagues from outside the US. One thing that we have found as a result is that if you are looking to bet outside the NFL you will likely have to join bookmakers to whom those leagues reside in. The UK for example does not have a professional league, or at least one that gets any coverage, so the only viable options come from the NFL.
That being said, as with a lot of American sports the college level games are just as popular in the US as the professional leagues. College football is something that we look out for in terms of depth within American football but quite frankly, this addition would be a bonus.
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Best American Football Betting Sites
#1 – Ladbrokes
We are going to be honest here and say that Ladbrokes really surprised us with home comprehensive their American football betting section is. We’ve gone over numerous sports over the years and sometimes the bookmaker can be a little hit or miss, but we definitely see their American football section as a major hit.
To start with they cover the NFL, NCAAF and the CFL, but on differentiating levels. The NFL is their bread and butter league and its here where you are going to find the majority of markets and the majority of betting activity. We really liked their specials section that included a few markets that weren’t necessarily run of the mill betting opportunities such as teams to go 16-0 and MVP throughout the season.
In game betting markets were also on a really decent level. Games were having upwards of 15 pre-game markets to bet on that included points spread, money line, total points, half/quarter lines and game specials. Whilst in terms of quantity they don’t cover as much as a US bookie would, for the most part they will cover more than enough for the majority of bettors out there, especially those of us in the UK and EU.
One thing we do want to mention is that Ladbrokes turn all of their NFL games in-play, meaning you can bet live as the game takes place. You can keep up with a real time score but in terms of details about the match, we found this to vary depending on the game, with the higher profile games getting a little more information than most.
#2 – BetVictor
Bet Victor’s coverage is all to dissimilar to Ladbrokes in that they include a wide range of games from the NFL and the NCAAF. One area in which they don’t compare is the lack of coverage for the CFL. Whilst we know this isn’t going to be a huge deal for the majority of you, we do feel that it was quite a big omission giving that their two rivals above both offer up – varying – markets for this competition.
Their betting markets for each game were more than commendable with around 20 or so to bet on. Again, we found that the higher profile games or even the games that are going to be broadcasted around the world tended to get a little more coverage in terms of markets at least, but nonetheless, it was pretty solid all round.
We want to give an honourable mention to Coral before we finish and they ran Bet Victor very close for third spot. The reason why Bet Victor just piped them is because of their pricing. They are extremely good value on the whole and we will say that if value is your number one priority then they will probably be the best bookmaker long term. They aren’t that much better than the two bookies above and you will find times where they aren’t best priced, but on the whole we have found them very tough to beat.
How to Bet on American Football
If you are someone that is based outside the US then you may think that it would be quite tough to bet on American football. The sport is predominantly played over there – to any decent level at least – and you would think that Euro facing bookmakers would have a plethora of alternative sports to bet on.
Hopefully if you’ve read our three bookmaker picks you will see that this is no longer the case and it’s very easy to not only find a bookmaker that should suit your need, but also find a market in the industry that is extremely competitive, even outside the US. The increased exposure of the sport means that you get variety and choice as bettor so it’s important you work out what you want to bet and then base your decision around that.
Betting Markets
The one thing that you will find from betting American football is that the betting markets can be quite different to those that are used to. There are three main options that you will be able to choose from. The first is called the spread. The spread is basically a handicapping market where you give one team an advantage over their rivals. An example may be that Team A is +6 on the spread whilst their opponents are -6. All that this means is that after full time the points are either deducted or added depending on which selection you made to give the result versus the spread.
The second one is the totals in which you simply choose the over or under for the total combined points for a game. This will often include a fraction to prevent any push results. It may look like over 46.5 or under 46.5. The final one is the to win (or money line) where you simply bet on which team you think will win the match overall. Remember, American football does not have draws, so a result will always occur, even if overtime is needed.
American Football Bets
- Winning Team/Money Line – Simply select which team will win the game. Remember in American Football there are no draws, so a positive or negative result has to occur.
- Points Spread – A points spread is basically the same as handicapping. One team starts with a positive number of points and the other team with a negative. The scores are then adjusted at the end of the game to determine the points spread winner.
- Game Totals – This is the total number of points scored in the game cumulative of both teams. A line will be set by the bookmaker then you simply choose to go over or under that line.
- Team to Score First – Simply select which team will score first in the match. This can be a Touch down or a penalty.
- First Scoring play – Choose which play will be the first scoring play. This can include a touchdown, field goal or any other score. You will need to select the team in which scores the points as well.
- Shortest/ Longest Touchdown Scored – You can select in yards the shortest and longest touchdowns of the match. This will be an over or under line set by the bookmaker.
- Winning Margin – Select the winning margin of the game. You will need to first get the winning team correct then a number of points brackets can be taken on the margin of victory.
NFL Betting Rules
American Football Betting Sites 2020
It’s worth pointing out that match bets will include overtime and in the event of a tie even after overtime, then the bet will be marked as push and all stakes will be returned. This also applies to all points and total points markets where overtime will be used. This will not apply to markets that are specific to certain quarters or half’s, where these will be completed upon the completion of each. Betting on overtime markets will only include the outcome of this section of the game and will not include the previous quarters.
Proposition bets will become void if the game is abandoned for whatever reason. If that market has already been settled prior to abandonment then these bets will stand. Player props will require that player to start for that bet to stand.
Rule Highlights
Nfl Betting Sites
- Abandoned/Postponed Games – If a game is postponed or abandoned then bets are classed as void. This is only overturned where the game is replayed within that game week. Settled bets prior to the postponement of a game will stand.
- Push Rules – Push rules are applied in 2 way markets. So if the result turns out to be the same then stakes will be returned.
- Overtime – Pre-game bets do not include overtime. Overtime betting can be placed on in-play markets only.