Brush up on your knowledge of the game and make sure you’re making the best bet. Read on for our full guide to the best online basketball betting sites.
With its massive global following, action-packed games, and quick-fire scoring, basketball is hugely popular at online sportsbooks. Our team has worked to provide you with the best online basketball betting experiences, giving you an excellent all-round betting experience online. Start betting below or jump to:
Online basketball betting is very similar to placing a bet with a real-life bookmaker. You simply choose your market, consider the odds available and select the amount you want to bet. Basketball betting has become increasingly popular in recent years, in part due to the straightforward scoring and the fact that there are plenty of breaks in play that allow you time to make a wager.
How to bet on basketball games online
Placing a wager online at your chosen sportsbook is very simple. When you want to bet on basketball, follow these steps:
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Choose the site you want to use, then register by filling in your details.
2
You will need a username and password, and possibly a security question and answer for extra protection.
3
Use your promotional code (most sportsbooks offer one to new bettors) to generate a bonus.
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Accept the site’s terms and conditions.
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Take some time to learn how to navigate around the site or app so that you know how to find the betting opportunities you want.
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Choose basketball from the list of sports, select your league, bet and markets and start betting.
The Biggest Basketball leagues
NBA (National Basketball Association)
The NBA is the pinnacle of basketball, the big North American league with the big players and the big bucks. Millions of fans across the world follow the fortunes of NBA teams, with games broadcast in over 40 different regions. Star players such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant have enjoyed a level of fame that transcends the sport. You can visit our dedicated online NBA betting page here.
Did you know: More than $500million is staked every month on NBA games in the state of Nevada alone.
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30 Number of teams
2
82 Games played per season
3
Los Angeles Lakers 2020 champion
4
Boston Celtics Most titles won (17)
Tournaments associated with the NBA:
NBA finals
Played in best-of-seven format between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Play-offs
The top eight teams in each of the two conferences goes forward to the post-season play-offs.
Eastern/Western Conferences
Each conference has three divisions apiece and teams play a regular season between October and April.
All-Star Weekend
A three-day event in February featuring a game where the best players in the Western Conference face those from the Eastern.
NCAA (college basketball)
College basketball features the best young talent across the United States and is played to an extremely high and competitive standard. As one of the largest basketball leagues in the world, with hundreds of teams, NCAA presents a rich supply of betting opportunities for basketball enthusiasts.
Did you know: An estimated $8.5billion was staked in the United States on the 2019 edition of March Madness.
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Division I - 32 conferences
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Division II - 24 conferences
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Division III - 44 conferences
4
Baylor 2021 champion
5
UCLA Most titles won (11)
Tournaments associated with NCAA basketball:
March Madness
The month-long tournament featuring the best 68 schools that determines the national champion.
Division I Conferences
There are 32 across the United States, with the winner qualifying automatically for March Madness.
First Four
The eight lowest seeded teams of the 68 face off to bring the number of schools down to 64.
EuroLeague
Basketball’s equivalent of the Champions League in soccer. The finest teams from across the European leagues face each other in midweek, in between their domestic duties. It is enormously popular with European fans, and its average attendances are second only to the NBA’s.
Did you know: Although Israel is located in the Middle East, its teams play in the EuroLeague because its national federation is a member of FIBA Europe.
1
18 Number of teams
2
34 Games played per season
3
Anadolu Efes (2020-21) Most recent champion
4
Real Madrid Most titles won (10)
EuroLeague tournament structure:
Regular season
All teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
Play-offs
The top eight advance to post-season play and have a best-of-five series against one other opponent.
Final Four
Two semi-finals, a third-place game and the championship game, all held over a single weekend.
NBL (National Basketball League)
The NBL was founded in the late 1970s and is now the premier men’s basketball competition in Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to a deal with Facebook, more than a million people in the United States now also watch live streams of NBL matches.
Did you know: One of the fiercest rivalries in the NBL is between Perth Wildcats and the Auckland-based New Zealand Breakers – even though the teams’ homes are more than 3,300 miles apart.
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9 – eight in Australia, one in New Zealand Number of teams
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28 Games played per season
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Perth Wildcats 2020 champion
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Perth Wildcats Most titles (10)
NBL season structure:
Regular season
Each team plays 28 games, 14 at home and 14 away.
Play-offs
The top six teams are paired in best-of-three series and are joined in the final four by the highest placed losing team from the first round.
NBL Finals
The semi-finalists play a best-of-three series and the winners advance to a best-of-five Grand Final.
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Top 10 basketball betting tips
If you want to place winning bets, it’s important to have a solid understanding of the game and knowledge of the teams and players. There are many different factors that can also influence the outcome of a basketball game or tournament. To get you started, here are our four top tips for placing a basketball bet.
1. Follow the “four factors”
Basketball experts believe that careful study of four factors – shooting, turnovers, rebounds and free throws – can enable you to construct a reliable betting model. This involves some time and application, but it will also help you to predict the point spread of games and bet accordingly.
2. Check the schedule
Look out for teams who are slated to play back-to-back games. If the team is in good form, their momentum could make them a good bet to win their next game. If they are on a losing streak, the quick turnaround could mean they are going to struggle again.
3. Don’t dismiss slower games
When it comes to total points bets, most basketball fans want to see exciting, high-scoring matches and are likely to wager accordingly. That means the notional points total set by the sportsbook could be too high. If you foresee a closely-fought, low-scoring game, there will be some value in going under.
4. Know your distances
If a team have to travel a long way for a match – especially with NBA matches if they have played very recently on the other side of the United States - fatigue may be a factor. Even if teams fly first-class, the physical strain of travelling such a long way may count against them when they take to the court.
5. Look out for injuries
Injuries are key to keep track of. If a team doesn’t have their star players, then that could alter your predicted outcome. It’s also good to keep an eye on resting players. Some players will be ruled out well in advance, but other will be left as a ‘game-time decision’.
6. Watch for big line moves
Public participation can often sway betting lines. If one team has a lot of hype and press around them, then the public might bet more in the team’s favor. A betting site’s odds will quickly adjust to reflect this, potentially creating value for the underdog. Perfect timing to jump on moving lines has been known to help maximize profits!
7. Know referee tendencies
The official enforces the rules of a basketball game. Though they shouldn’t influence the outcome of your wager, sometimes it can help to understand their style. Certain officials call lots of fouls while others are more inclined to let the team play. Knowing the referee’s tendencies can help shape your decision.
8. Shop around for the best odds
Shopping for lines is the process of checking multiple sportsbooks for the best odds. The better the odds, the bigger the overall profit will be. It’s a simple tip but one that can really maximize your payout. The easiest way to do this is to simply hold an account with multiple sports betting sites.
9. Don’t bet with your heart
Everybody has their favorite team. When it comes to basketball betting, be sure to bet with your head and not your heart. Look past emotions and try to make an informed betting decision based solely on research.
10. Know your numbers
It goes without saying, the most important rule of basketball betting is managing your bankroll. The NBA is a long season, so it’s not wise to try and bet on every single game. Budget how much you want to spend and highlight the key games you’re interested in.
Betting markets in basketball
Basketball offers a wide range of betting options. Before placing a bet online, it’s a good idea to get a proper understanding of how they work. Take a look through some of the most popular bet types and markets below. If you’d like to know more about different odds formats, take a look at our sports betting odds page first.
Moneyline
This is an eternally popular choice of bet because it is the simplest. All you do is select the side you think is going to win.
In the US, moneyline odds are displayed as follows:
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The favourite has a number preceded by a minus. So, if the Chicago Bulls are -160, you have to stake $160 to win $100.
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The underdog’s number is preceded by a plus; if the Toronto Raptors are +140, you stake $100 to win a profit of $140.
In countries where decimal or fractional odds are preferred, instead of -160, you might see the odds displayed as 1.63 or 63/100, and instead of +140, you might see 2.40 or 7/5. This type of bet may also be referred to as a straight bet.
Total points
The sportsbook sets a number of points that the teams will score between them in a game. You have to decide whether the score will go over or under that number. Most over-under bets are settled at -110 (1.91 or 91/100).
If the sportsbook sets the total points between Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Warriors at 155.5, the total is 160 and you chose over, your return would be $190.91 for a $100 stake.
Handicap
This is also known as the point spread. The sportsbook sets a margin between the teams and, if you think the favourite team will win by more than that, you put your money on it.
But if you predict the underdog will win – or that the favourite will win by less than that spread – you put your money on the other way.
Outright winner
Who’s going to win the NBA Finals? If you believe you know, early in a tournament, which team is on course for glory, you can play on the outright winner market.
If the New York Knicks are +1400 (15.0 or 14/1) to win the Finals and you stake $10, you stand to collect $150 if the Knicks break a title-less streak that dates back to 1973.
Quarter-based betting
If you decide you can’t wait until the end of the match and have a strong sense one team will start faster, or have a particularly good quarter, this is a good bet to choose.
Odds will be quoted on the total points in each quarter, and on which team will score more points in it.
Half-based betting
This operates on the same principle as quarter-based betting. You decide which team is going to score more points in each half and bet accordingly.
Alternatively, if you think both sides will score between a higher total of points than the sportsbook predicts, you can have an “over” bet on that outcome.
Overtime – yes/no
An extremely straightforward bet. If you think a match between the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics is simply too close to call and the teams will be tied at the end of regulation play, you will be able to bet “yes” on that outcome.
Both teams to score a specified number of points
The sportsbook will set a number that both teams have to pass for this bet to pay off. If you believe a high-scoring encounter is in the offing, and that both teams will score more points than that number, this is a bet for you.
Player to score a specified number of points
Many sportsbooks will accept wagers on individual players to score a certain number of points in a game. You may have spotted that one player in particular is on a hot streak of form. If you think he’s certain to hit nothing but net in his next game, this type of bet could be a great choice.
Basketball betting apps and mobile bettingThe good news is that pretty much every sportsbook – and certainly the ones listed on this page – will offer mobile betting via its website or a dedicated app. With mobile betting, you can wager on basketball wherever you are and whatever device or mobile phone you use.
How we rate betting sites
Basketball betting is available at every major sportsbook. If you want to begin online basketball betting at a new site, it can be confusing when you are trying to select which sportsbook to use. Our expert team apply several factors to help you decide which are the best options in online sports betting.
Promotions
Betting is an extremely competitive market. One way in which sportsbooks attract new customers is with tempting promotions. This is often in the form of a free bet or bonus for signing up. We analyse betting sites to see which offer the best incentives for you to join them.
Security and customer support
It’s essential that you feel completely certain that, when you hand over your money to a betting site, your financial details are safe. We check the level of security on offer and we also check for legitimate licensing and certification on sites offering SSL encryption. We also like to see speedy and helpful customer support available to users.
Payment options
We believe betting sites should offer a variety of payment options and give extra credit to those that offer a good level of flexibility and pay out winnings quickly. We also look at the payout percentages and mark up those who are more generous in the amounts they return to bettors.
Range of bets
People like to bet in all sorts of ways on basketball. The nature of the sport lends itself to a wide variety of wagers. Accordingly, we look for sportsbooks that are able to handle the tastes of different bettors by offering as broad a range of betting opportunities and different markets as possible.
Mobile betting
Mobile betting is now preferred by many sports betting fans, especially while on the go. It is, therefore, absolutely critical that sportsbooks have a mobile offering, or their own dedicated app, to make placing a wager as straightforward a process as possible.
Sportsbook recommended
If we feel a sportsbook performs well in all of the above categories, we’re happy to recommend it to our readers. We regularly reassess the sportsbooks we list on our site to ensure that they stay up to scratch, so you can be sure you’re in for an excellent betting experience.
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Basketball Betting FAQs
Can you bet on women’s basketball?
Yes. Women’s basketball has been growing as a sport for many years and is popular and well respected. Competitions like the women’s college basketball attract good audiences, particularly in the US, and provide plenty of betting action at online sportsbooks.
How do odds work in basketball?
Odds in basketball work exactly the same as in any other sport. The odds in question are a mathematical expression of the likelihood of a particular outcome occurring. Your winnings are calculated by multiplying your stake by those odds.
How do you make money betting on basketball?
Before placing any bet, you want to be sure that you have as much up-to-date information about the game, team, tournament as possible. We recommend that you see the money you stake as an extra dimension to your enjoyment of a leisure experience. It’s great to win money – and with a lot of study and patience, it’s possible. But we suggest you simply enjoy the ride.
Where can you bet on basketball?
It’s safe to expect that virtually every sportsbook in the world now offers markets on basketball. The sport has grown hugely in global popularity in recent decades, driven by the commercial success of the NBA. You’ll find our selection of the best basketball betting sites right here on this page.
What is a double result in basketball?
This is a bet that asks you to predict the result of both halves of a game. So, if you think the Chicago Bulls will be winning after the first half but the Golden State Warriors will be winning at full-time, that’s your bet.
What is a moneyline bet in basketball?
Moneyline bets are wagers on who will win the game. For basketball, you can choose to either back the favorites or the underdogs. The favorites will be represented by a negative number (e.g -125), and the underdogs will be represented by a positive number (e.g. +125).
How do you bet on the spread in basketball?
To bet on the spread for basketball, start by heading to an online sportsbook. There you’ll find a point spread for each basketball game showing. The spread will show the favorites and the underdogs as well as the margin by which they need to win or lose by.
How to bet on the NBA?
To bet on NBA, head to a sportsbook and locate the basketball section. Don’t forget to check out our shortlist of the best NBA betting sites.
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