The NBA is one of the most popular professional sports leagues not only in the United States, but also around the world. Games are televised in numerous countries of the world and because of its popularity betting on games is in high demand.
NBA Betting Sites
Betting on the NBA has now become the go-to choice for bettors during the months of February and March. That’s not to say that bettors neglect the rest of the season. NBA gambling has become extremely popular over the last decade or so as bettors no longer view it as just a hobby while football and baseball are not in season.
It is important to do some research to find a reliable sports betting sites if you are interested in betting on NBA basketball. There are a number of reasons why you should do your due diligence in finding a quality offshore sportsbook that fits with your style of betting. It is important to understand some of the basics before you begin betting.
Sportsbook Banking Options
When done the right way, betting on the NBA can be not only fun, but also profitable. After finding a system that works, you are going to want an offshore sportsbook that has a number of different deposit options. This makes it easy for you to send and to receive money.
When starting out, you will have to fund your account. We recommend Bitcoin for deposits because it is a safe and secure method of protecting yoiur money. Once you make a deposit, be sure to check and see that it ended up in your account in a timely fashion. In our experience, we have found Bitcoin to be the fastest way to exchange funds from one account to another. It’s also encrypted and very safe.
Betting Types
NBA Point Spread Bets
The most popular form of betting on NBA games is the point spread bet, also known as sides. Odds makers attempt to ensure each team has a 50-50 chance of winning. They do this by taking what they consider the correct amount of points from the favored team. Take the following example:
Pelicans +6.5 -105
Magic -6.5 -115
In this case, the sportsbook has pegged the Magic being 6.5 points better than the Peliicans. If you bet on the Magic, you only win if they win by seven or more. Instead, you could bet on the Pelicans and you would win if the Pelicans win or if they lose by six points or less. In betting on either team, the -115 means that a wager of $115 will earn a profit of $100 should you win.
NBA Totals
Another popular bet is called NBA Totals. When betting on the totals, you are trying to determine whether the final score of the two teams combined will go over or under the line given by the sportsbook.
For example, let’s take the Heat and the Lakers again. A common NBA Totals bet would look like this:
Over 198.5 -110
Under 198.5 -110
In the example, the sportsbook expects the total number of points in the game to be 198.5. You can place a bet on the total points being over or under 198.5. Again, a $110 bet would earn $100 if you chose correctly.
NBA Money Line
The simplest, most straightforward bet on NBA basketball is the money line wager. In this type of bet, you are betting on one of the teams to win. Unlike the point spread and the NBA Totals bets, the odds here will vary. The favored team will have lower odds and, of course, higher odds on the underdog. In the same Heat-Lakers example, here is how a money line bet would look.
Lakers +280
Heat -300
If you bet on the Heat, you would have to wager $300 to make $100 profit. On the other hand, a $100 bet on the Lakers yields $280. As you can see, the odds here are much more favorable on the Lakers than the Heat.
In each of these types of bets, a sportsbook will offer odds based on a $100 bet. You can wager any amount though and you will be paid out on a pro-rata basis. For instance, if you simply bet $10 on the Lakers on a money line bet, you would win $28.
Parlay/Teaser
There is the opportunity to combine, or parlay, bets in order to increase payouts. You can parlay NBA bets in an attempt to win big, but for your parlay to win ALL of the bets must cover. You can combine spread, totals, and money line bets to increase the payout of a parlay.
A teaser bet is essentially the same as a parlay, but the sportsbook gives you points to increase your odds of winning. While your chances of winning increase, your payouts decrease. For example, you could wager on a 4-point teaser and the Celtics spread is -10. This 4-point advantage is included in each part of the teaser bet.
NBA Futures Betting
In addition to betting on individual games, you will also find betting markets for the long term. These are known as NBA futures bets. A prime example of an NBA futures bet is picking the winner of the NBA Finals. You can make this bet long before a regular season even begins and continue to place bets on it throughout the regular season and postseason.
Betting on the winners of the Conference Finals is another NBA futures bet. You can also bet on division winners as well as who will win the league’s MVP. You can receive more information on the NBA futures bets page of our website.