A record 46.6 million Americans say they plan to bet on the NFL during this season, according to the American Gaming Association’s annual survey of Americans’ NFL betting plans. That’s up 3% from the previous year, and a staggering 40% since 2020.
These figures are partly down to the expansion of the legal U.S. sports betting market, which now covers 32 states, compared to 27 in 2021 and only 19 in 2020. But a big part of this increase is the growth and popularity of the NFL itself, with an extra game, increased international series matches, and more broadcast coverage than ever before.
Understanding NFL betting
Betting on the NFL can seem a little confusing at first if you’ve never tried it before, but there’s a huge variety of bets available to suit all tastes. So, whether you’re an experienced sports nut or a first timer just looking to have a little fun and predict the winner, there’s a bet for you.
There are four main NFL bet types:
- Moneyline
- Total Points
- Handicap or Points Spread
- Futures
Moneyline
A moneyline bet is the simplest bet of all and a common bet with novices. All you have to do is decide who you think will win the game. If your team loses, you lose your money. If they win, you win! It’s that simple.
Total points
Sometimes referred to as Over/Under, a total points bet is a single wager on whether or not the combined points in a single NFL game will be ‘over’ or ‘under’ what the oddsmaker sets it at before the match.
That means all you have to worry about is the combined score of each team at the end of the game, not the result. This is another simple to understand bet, and can provide excitement right until the final play, regardless of who’s winning the game.
Futures or Outrights
Another simple to understand bet which involves picking a team or player who is going to win an event ‘outright’. This could be the outright winner of the Super Bowl, the outright winner of the MVP Award. There’s plenty of options to choose from here too, with NFL futures including Conference winners, who makes the play-offs, Coach of the Year award, Rookie of the Year, and many more.
Futures bets take place over varying lengths of time, such as a season, or a whole month. They can also take place over the regular season or postseason.
Points spread or Handicap
The points spread market in NFL betting is incredibly popular with more experienced bettors, and provides players with a wide variety of exciting options to choose from.
NFL teams can vary in ability, with many contests having clear favourites and therefore providing little betting or entertainment value. In order to make things more interesting, sportsbooks offer a points handicap or spread, as a way of levelling the playing field.
For Example:
Philadelphia Eagles: -7 (the points spread) Odds: -105
Indianapolis Colts: +7 (the points spread) Odds: -115
If you bet on the Eagles to win, they would need to win the game by than 7 points. A bet on Indianapolis would need the Colts to either win the game outright, or lose the game by LESS than 7 points.
Other popular NFL bets
As well as Moneyline, Points Spread, Futures and Total Points bets, there are a number of other exciting markets to explore throughout the season.
Prop bets
NFL prop bets are a unique and fun opportunity to bet on specific areas of a football game, and not the final result. This could be anything, from the number of fumbles, sacks or interceptions, to, will the game go into overtime? There are lots of different prop bets available for each NFL game too, making it a great way to add some extra variety to your game day.
- Popular types of props bets include:
- Total Receiving Yards by a Player
- Total Rushing Yards by a Player
- Total Receptions by a Player
- Total Passing Yards by a Player
- First Touchdown Scorer
- Anytime Touchdown Scorer
- Both teams to score 20 or more points
- Team turnovers in a half
Some prop bets are Team/Game Props, while others are classed as Player Props. Team props refer to the entire team, such as points scored in a quarter and team passing yards allowed. While player props refer to a single player, such as total touchdowns by a player.
Tips for betting on the NFL
It’s always a good idea to do some research before placing your bet. With so much information and NFL stats available, it’s easy to keep up to date with the latest news on injuries, team form and more.
The most important thing to remember is that people bet on the NFL because it’s fun and having some skin in the game adds a little extra excitement to any game. But whatever bet you choose to make, don’t forget to pick a budget you can afford to lose, and stick to it.
