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Online Basketball Betting: Advice, Odds & Top Basketball Sites for 2024
By John Isaac,Editor at online-gambling.com
John Isaac
Editor at online-gambling.com
| Rules Diffuculty | Medium |
|---|---|
| Betting Types | 20+ |
| Payout | 93.00% - 94.00% |
| How to Win | Tips & Strategies |
| Where to Bet | 888 Sport |
Betting on Basketball: A Full Guide
We will now take the first step to presenting our guide on how to bet on basketball games by briefly introducing what this page is about. First and foremost, this is a basketball betting guide which aims to show you where and how wagering on the sport is done. If you are here for the same reason, then consider this a good time investment.
Wagering on the sport not as complicated as you would think. Like most things, it starts with building a sound understanding of the key components – this is where our guide comes in. But you also will need an online bookie that has your best interest in mind. We can help with that too.
Best Online Basketball Betting Site to Bet for Real Money:
Top Offer
Since you will be spending time browsing a sportsbook anyway, make sure it has everything you need. Our recommended operator successively bridges the gap between user-friendliness and functionality. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In the next paragraph we will talk about rules and terms you will meet along the way.
Basketball Betting Terminology and Rules
Basketball is a game of scoring points, so this is a recurring theme in almost all wagers related to the sport. Before going about placing wagers you must know how points are scored and what the odds you are taking reflect. This may come naturally to someone who knows their way around sports betting, but it’s not necessarily apparent.
We will break down to you, what the top basketball betting sites have to offer and how it is relevant to the rules and dynamics of the sport. Whenever you feel like you are missing a piece of the puzzle come back here to the drawing board to read the basics again.
| Rule | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Select a League | Some leagues are more competitive than others. What’s more, the teams and players will be different. The matches are scheduled in a unique way too. You really want to account for all those variables when you are comparing basketball betting odds. Bet on leagues you are the most familiar with. |
| Find a Fixture | Browsing the vast selection of basketball matches available for betting can be overwhelming, but it is a necessary step. For beginners, we recommend focusing on just one fixture. Select the one you are sure about how things are going to go. Or at least, in which direction. |
| Select Bet Type | You need to have a clear idea of what exactly is it that you want to bet on. The odds can serve as a guideline telling you how probable it is that your bet will succeed. If you want to do more than simply trusting the odds, you should familiarize yourself with the different bet types. |
| Have a Staking Strategy | Every punter betting on basketball goes through phases. They have their ups and downs. That means you will need a strategy that can provide sustain. As a general rule, abstain from putting more than 5% of your bankroll at risk with each bet. |
| Live Betting on Basketball | Not only will you be able to follow the action, but you can see first-hand what isn’t or is going right and learn from the experience. In general, betting live on basketball offers the better user experience. Even if we put aside the live streams, there will be plenty of benefits like unique markets, graphs, live results. |
Those are not hard-and-fast rules, but more like things that come as a result of hands-on experience. You can apply these steps when you wager on other sports too. Hopefully, you will find out, online basketball betting is just like any other gambling endeavour you could take on.
Bet Types
If you’ve been paying attention you’d already know how important it is know how to leverage the best bet types for this type of sport. First of all, let’s make one thing clear. There are many betting lines, all of which have different pros and cons. That makes it almost mandatory to spend some time and study the available options.
We can lend you a hand there. We delve on a regular basis into the latest and most interesting of what the basketball betting websites have to offer in terms of bet lines. It’s recommendable that you do something similar yourself. As it is a very time-consuming initiative, you can simply learn the essentials from our informative table.
| Betting Type | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Point Spread | The spread is something like handicap but reversed. You will get even odds for both sides, and either one can be a winner if their points stay within the spread. Here the final result is of the essence. |
| Total (Under Over) | Total is another bet type that takes into account the final result. You are asked to predict whether the points of a team will go over or will stay under a given limit. A good 50:50 bet you can take advantage of when you don’t know which team is going to win. |
| Money Line | You need not be concerned with the precise results, just the outcome of the match. In other words – who the winner will be. Betting in this fashion keeps things simple and beginner-friendly. |
| Winning Margin | In essence, here you are asked to predict by what margin will one of the two teams win the quarter, half, or the match. A good thing about this wager type is that the punter usually is given a lot of options. |
| Points Scored | How many points will one of the two teams score over the course of the quarter, half, or the match? Usually, odds are given for both team 1 and team 2, meaning that you will have choices. |
| Race to | You are asked to predict which team will accumulate first a given amount of points over the course of the quarter, half or match. Points scored in the overtime don’t count. |
| To Win Half/Quarter | A good short-term wager that lets you get paid before the match even finishes. If you have access to the right statistical information or relevant intel, feel free to bet on who will win the quarter or half. |
| Three Way | This bet type accounts for a tie and wins for either side, hence the name ‘three-way’. It’s quite the rare occurrence for a basketball games match to result in a tie, but it’s worth the try if the odds are good. |
| Futures | Those are the ‘big picture’ type of bets. Tournament winner, who will reach the final, conference winner, MVP Award etc. Also called ‘outrights’ these wagers are a good long-term investment for someone who knows what to expect from the one or many basketball leagues. |
| Specials | Every now and then it doesn’t hurt to try something different. If you are in the mood for a special wager, also known as ‘proposition bet’, you should make your way to the basketball specials section. Will the match go into overtime, exact outcome, and other predictions that have little to do with the game of basketball. |
You can see that variations exist, of the standard wagers you probably already know. You can bank on the ability of the best betting sites to accommodate your wants in terms of betting lines. Some of them will even price up lines proposed by their customers.
Basketball Betting Terms
Knowing the lingo of the game will stand you in good stead if you really want to get far wagering on sports. We have prepared a list of the specific betting terms that are most commonly used in the trade. Whether you are reading about it or you are practising wagering on basketball, you are going to see those.
- Shorter Odds – If the odds get shortened, this means you are given less value for that specific option. This could be caused by the latest news or an unpredicted event.
- Combination Bet – Also known as ‘accumulator’ across the pond, combination wagers allow you to put more than one bet line in your betting slip.
- Handicap – A type of bet where one of the teams has to score extra points. The exact margin by which the favorite needs to win is specified in the betting line.
- Overtime – Whenever the score is tied at the end of the last quarter, the two teams play overtime. Overtime is one of a series of five-minute periods. Many bets only account for regulation play.
- NBA Bubble – The idea is that every team and team staff are isolated (quarantined) somewhere remote. This is where they play and live for the duration of the season.
Betting on basketball is tightly related to the terminology and dynamic of the game, but on some occasions, punters can get out of the box by using certain wager types. In any case, to read and understand the game better, you ought to learn the terms starting with the ones listed above.
Typical Payouts
The payouts you can expect to get are a direct reflection of the betting odds you can find for this sport. That, in turn, is a unique policy for each individual online sportsbook that is influenced by the profit margins the bookie is working with. Not only that, but the bookies would price up meets differently for the different leagues.
Much to no one’s surprise, the most popular league – the NBA – benefits from the biggest payouts. This is a sensible and unanimous decision of the top bookmakers in the industry. What that means is not only can you watch and bet on the matches from your favorite league, but the odds will be advantageous too. Here are the top online basketball betting sites.
| League/Tournament | Nation | Continent | Payout % |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBA Championship | United States | North America | 96.80% |
| NCAAB Championship | United States | North America | 95.20% |
| WNBA Championship | United States | South America | 94.95% |
| Italian League | Italy | Europe | 94.20% |
| Spanish ACB League | Spain | Europe | 95.30% |
| Basketball World Cup | Worldwide | Worldwide | 96.10% |
| Argentine League LNB | Argentina | South America | 94.80% |
| African Championship | African Nations | Africa | 94.50% |
As a general rule, the well-known leagues present a good opportunity to get decent payouts as a bettor. If you want to make a profit of basketball betting, you may need to rediscover the more obscure leagues, as they are a good alternative to the NBA.
Leagues and Tournaments
As we already mentioned, the best sportsbooks lay odds on a number of leagues – both high tier and low tier. You will be surprised to see how many of the divisions around the world are covered. The Chinese, European, and American leagues receive the most coverage.
In the next few paragraphs, we will take a closer look at the most significant for bettors and bookmakers basketball leagues. There are other ones too, but we only picked the most popular leagues. If you have plans to wager on other sports too, feel free to check out our tennis betting sites page.
The NBA
The National Basketball Association is home to some of the best (if not the best) basketball clubs in the world. The clubs themselves are a potent combination of international and American players. ‘The best in the business’ is how the NBA could be described. According to the results from our research, punters are sure to find good value for their wagers too. The NBA is a good choice for a betting market.
NCAA
If you live in a place where it’s legal to bet on college athletic sports, you can turn your hand to what the NCAA has to offer. Basketball betting and the NCAA events tie-up well if you know the current form of the participating teams. Except for the lower rim, everything else is the same as with men’s basketball. And the best teams have what it takes to get the crowd on its feet.
WNBA
The Women’s National Basketball Association is the NBA’s counterpart. It is composed of twelve teams. Unless there’s an unpredicted interruption, the regular season lasts from May to September. Matches of the league are pretty competitive and are played in the same arenas where the NBA fixtures are hosted.
Chinese Basketball Association
The CBA is a great league to practice betting on basketball. In China, this sport is put on a pedestal, and all the financing have turned the CBA into one of the strongest leagues worldwide. Just like with the NBA, a Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) was created as the CBA’s counterpart.
Best Basketball Betting Sites
If you want something good to come out of your enterprise, be sure to get involved with the best basketball betting sites. There are many benefits to this, including better odds, more markets, and potentially better bonuses. We’ve done the legwork already, narrowing the list down to five operators.
| Basketball Betting Site | Welcome Bonus | Pros and Cons | Test Score | Trusted Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 888sport | $200 | Fair Welcome Bonus, Cash Out, Focuses on Other Sports | 100% | www.888sport.com |
| William Hill | $20 | Pioneer Bookmaker, Many Sports Markets, Bitcoin not Accepted | 99% | www.williamhill.com |
| bet365 | $200 | In-Play Markets, Regular Promotions, Outmoded Design | 98% | www.bet365.com |
| 22Bet | $250 | Live Results, Accepts Bitcoin, No Hotline | 97% | www.22bet.com |
Though basketball betting is something like a speciality for these top operators, they don’t overlook the other popular markets. We understand that sports are evolving all the time, so we have got another page covering the best esports betting sites, that might be of use to you.
Betting Offers & Bonuses
Things get that much better when you claim a betting bonus, as it gives you extra spending money in the context of online wagering. The money doesn’t become yours immediately to withdraw, but only after you play it through the required number of times. We just introduced to you how a standard deposit match bonus works.
While a welcome bonus is a one-time deal you get upon sign-up, the basketball betting promotions is what will keep you engaged on a constant basis. The two almost go hand-in-hand – we rarely see one without the other. Even so, we thought you could use a hand finding the best promotions for betting.
| Basketball Betting Site | Bonus* | Wagering Requirement | Min Odds | Min Deposit | Top Payment Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unibet | Up to $250 | 1x | 1.33 | $10 | PayPal |
| Bet365 | Up to $200 | 1x | 1.20 | $1 | Paysafecard |
| 888sport | Up to $200 | 1x | 1.5 | $10 | Visa |
| William Hill | Up to $20 | 1x Deposit + Bonus | n/a | $10 | Neteller |
That is just a glimpse of the expansive range of online wagering deals out there. We filter it all through in order to show you a shortlist of the best options. If you’d like to see more of this, stick around, we make sure to keep tabs on the new online basketball betting promotions.
Live Basketball Betting
It was mentioned earlier that probably your best bet would be to orient towards wagering on live events. Many a pundit lean towards that style of play and are able to make a good profit out of this. Live basketball betting enables you to wager in real-time on a good range of very game-specific markets, so it’s no wonder experts turn this to their advantage.
Top for Live Betting
Placing wagers live is all the rage now and rightly so. That made the top online basketball betting sites quite invested in augmenting the quality of their ‘in-play’ sections. Some people are making a buck out of betting on box and MMA. Whatever sport floats your boat – you can probably find live markets for it.
Basketball Betting Apps
The industry is evolving with a rapid pace, but the purpose of basketball betting apps doesn’t change. They are a convenient, cross-platform way of placing wagers on your mobile device. When we say, ‘cross-platform’ we mean really mean it. Make of the device and the operating system really doesn’t matter.
Being a mobile product, the application we recommend is available as web and a native app. The latter is iOS-only, though an Android app is available for some countries too. You can keep playing on the web app just fine without losing out on anything the online sportsbook has to offer.
By all accounts, the apps for basketball betting make good use of well-known features in the industry. We can say the same about the American football betting sites as they have nifty apps as well. Whichever you may choose, make sure to tap the potential of your mobile device.
New Basketball Sportsbooks
More and more sportsbooks wake up to the realization that basketball betting is indeed pretty big and is in-demand right now. As a result, many new online bookmakers sprang up in recent years. We try our best to keep a count of those, but more importantly, to test and rate them. Here is the top-rated new basketball bookie.
We’d like to caution you against hopping on board at just any new betting site. Some are not worth it and others have not even obtained a license yet. Trivial things like markets and bonuses should be the least of your concerns when we are talking about an unlicensed online sportsbook.
Bet Legally
Wagering on this popular sport is always a focal point wherever sports betting, as a whole, is legal. You should not be concerned about it being banned. To the contrary, if you are of legal age, pursuant to the legislation of your country, you could bet online on just fine. Consult the following table for more info.
| Country | Legal Age | Online Tennis Betting |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 18+ | Yes |
| Canada | 18+/19+ | Yes |
| Germany | 18+ | Yes |
| United States – New Jersey | 21+ | Yes |
| South Africa | 18+ | Yes |
| Italy | 18+ | Yes |
European countries seem more liberal at first glance when it comes to basketball betting since everyone eighteen and above is considered an adult in the context of the law. That effectively enables them to legally gamble online. In the US, the hurdles are two – geological restrictions and the higher gambling age – 21 years.
Be that as it may, change is on the horizon of US sports betting. In fact, it already has begun. More and more states are waking up to the opportunity that online betting present and are amending their laws to make room for it. With these reforms afoot, soon the geological restrictions may very well disappear for US punters. This means that many enthusiasts will be able to enjoy betting on their favourite leagues such as the NBA or the WNBA.
Basketball Betting Tips and Strategies
In the face of the famous ‘the house always wins’, there is something you can do to turn things around and put yourself in a favorable position. Before we move on to the more advanced basketball betting strategies, we want to bring to your attention several quick tips.
- Find and Compare Odds – To stay adequate, you need to compare different sportsbooks. More importantly – compare their odds. Shorter or longer odds can give you an entirely new perspective on things and change your decision-making.
- Bet the Beaten Favorite – Not just in this sport, but all sports, in general, the concept stays the same. After a loss, the favorite to win the competition tries to redeem themselves and go all-out for the win.
- Who’s in Form – Make an assessment of the last five matches of each team and see whose temporary form is the best. They are clearly trying to make a statement. If you spot a tendency or a trend, act on it!
- What’s at Stake? – Always factor in what each team is fighting for. Is the motivation there or they are just going through the motions? If you want to stay on top of your basketball betting game, you will need to add ‘motivation’ to the equation.
- Watch the News – Sometimes watching the news is enough to learn of an injured key player or a change in tack. If you really mean to get busy with the whole betting on basketball thing, you will have to find a reliable source of sports news.
Aside from the basketball betting tips, we have 5 staking plans to share with you. They are easy to adopt and many punters have tested them already throughout the years. So, there’s the proof-of-concept too. You can go ahead and do a more detailed research on each strategy if you want to.
| Strategy | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Accumulator Bets (3-Legs) | If you want to make a profit from the very start wagering on a single outcome might not be enough. The multiplier (odds), if too high a number will mean you are taking a big risk. What you can do is line up a few betting lines in a single betting slip. Their odds multiply by each other. |
| Back and Lay | If you can find a basketball betting exchange, you will be able not only to back team but also lay wagers. To lay means to bet against a certain outcome. By combining the two, punters are able to devise intricate strategies and minimize the risk of losing. |
| 1st Quarter /2nd Quarter | Find a bookie that covers this type of wagers. It is a good alternative for when you can’t figure out who the winner of the match will be. And you don’t have to. Instead, try to predict which team will take the lead and keep it up until the third quarter. Who’s the better frontrunner? |
| Handicap Betting | As the name suggests, this type of wagers gives advantage to one of the teams. This is done with a view of equalizing chances of winning for both teams. Some teams could be able to fare surprisingly well under these circumstances. A variation for experienced players would be the Asian handicap bets. |
| Hedging | This is a very ambitious style of betting that requires a lot of preparation. In essence, you are trying to cover all possible outcomes by using one of two approaches. Back and lay the same bet is one of the options. Option number two is to bet the two sides if you are able to find a loophole. |
Most basketball betting websites are taking issue with hedging and have devised odds scraping techniques that make it practically impossible. That’s why a hedging strategy can only be executed successfully if at least two sportsbooks are involved. The success of the other four strategies is hinged on the betting markets diversity.
Basketball Betting History
Basketball betting was at odds with the laws in the UK and the US at one time, but that is no longer the case. It took time for the American legislators to accept the concept that it is not simply a form of gambling but, rather an investment requiring skill more than anything else.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| May 1961 | On account of the British Betting and Gambling Act 1960, the first legal betting shops opened doors for visitors. |
| 2005 | The Gambling Act comes into effect in the UK. That puts the Gambling Commission in charge and gives a start to better-regulated basketball betting markets. |
| 2011 | Amendment in the US gambling laws makes room for legal basketball betting. The UIGEA was proclaimed ‘outdated’, thus and with that, the existence of legal basketball betting was, practically, made possible |
| 14 May 2018 | The federal ban on basketball betting is lifted. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was found as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court |
| June 2018 | Legal basketball betting launches officially in New Jersey and Delaware. Of the two, Delaware was first in legalizing betting on basketball. |
| November 2018 | Basketball betting becomes legal in Pennsylvania. With the federal ban on sports wagering being lifted and quite a few states acting on it, Pennsylvania quickly follows suit. |
All these events played a role in shaping the sports wagering industry and sports betting as a consequence of that. Other countries around the world are also taking steps towards the creation of a well-regulated online environment for basketball wagering. Canada is a prime example of one such country.
Final Thoughts
A top sport and a top market for wagering, basketball is an excellent choice for beginners and pundits alike. There is a considerable variety in the wagering options and, as a result of that, the basketball betting strategies one could employ. Find below more detail about one of the best basketball betting websites:
Top Offer
It’s common knowledge that wagering online is far more advantageous than doing it the old-fashion way. The best online gambling sites, like the one detailed above, have been an invaluable contributor to the wellbeing of the industry and players. They have all the tools you need to propel your game to the next level.
FAQ
In this segment, we give you the answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the best basketball betting sites. Reading it through will do you good whatever your level of understanding may be at the moment. We’ve also included useful links to parts of the page where more information is given.
1. What is the best online basketball betting site?
You can recognize the best sites for betting on basketball by comparing them to the well-known standards for the industry. First and foremost, an operator must hold a valid remote gaming license. Live and mobile betting must be functional and compatible with a big range of the basketball markets.
2. How do you bet on basketball?
First things first – learn the basketball betting rules. Once you feel confident enough to put money on the line, you can proceed with finding a sports betting site that you like. There will be a number of wagers you can back. Choose one, stake it, and confirm the bet.
3. What is a moneyline bet in basketball?
This is one of many basketball betting types. The simplest one to understand, actually. For it to return a profit, you must predict the winner of a basketball match. In succeeding to do so, you will be credited a win which is proportional to the bet amount.
4. Can you bet on live basketball events?
This is one of the most common ways of wagering on basketball.Live basketball betting is widely available at the top sportsbooks because it is a preferred by the punters way of placing wagers. The biggest advantage live betting affords to punters is the ability to wager as the action is taking place.
5. What is the best basketball betting app?
Having access to the top-rated basketball betting app gives you the ability to wager on the go and never skip a beat. What's more important, the apps of this variety are compatible with smart and handheld products such as mobile phones and tablets.
John Isaac is one of the editors at online-gambling.com. He is an expert at card games, such as blackjack and poker. In addition, he writes about the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets.