Best Basketball Betting Guide 2026

Basketball Betting for US players

Is Betting on Basketball Legal?

This is the first concern that many potential players have, is it legal? The truth is, there are very few states that allow sports betting at a physical gambling establishment. These include Nevada, Montana, Delaware, and Oregon.

However, there are no laws preventing players from wagering on sports events via online sportsbooks. What the law does do is prevent online sportsbooks from being hosted within the United States. However, if you play at a reputable one located outside our borders, you’ll be fine.

Beginners Guide to Basketball betting

Since basketball was first created by James Nasmith, around 100 years ago, it has had a huge following in the United States. It is one of the top four American sports and is second only to football in terms of popularity.

While the game has changed drastically since its creation, it is still a fan-favorite, and plenty of Americans love watching and betting on the sport. However, as with any form of sports betting, it can be scary when you’re first getting started. If you’re going to be risking your hard-earned money on real-money wagers, you need to be prepared. That’s why Casino US has created this easy-to-understand basketball betting guide for beginners, to prepare you for making some big wins!

Basketball Betting Options

The first step in making any wagers on a basketball game is to understand the different betting options that are available. Most online sportsbooks will offer numerous options, so making sure you pick the one you want is very important. While we’re not going to list every type of bet, we will give our readers a breakdown of the most popular and important betting options that they’ll encounter.

Straight Bet and Moneyline Bet

The straight and moneyline bets are very similar, but they’re not always the same thing. Essentially, when placing one of these wagers, a player is simply betting on which team they think is going to win the game. Players won’t have to worry about how many points the team wins by or anything like that.

If you pick Team A and they win, you win. Be advised though; all sportsbooks will have their favorite for the game, which will have better odds and a worse payout. So, while you have a better chance of winning, you won’t be winning as much. Players need to wager vast sums of money, just to get a small win.

Over-Under Wager

This is one of the easiest bets for new players to understand. The sportsbook will give out a number for a particular basketball game, and this is the number of points they believe will be scored. Let’s say the number given is 200, which tends to be the rough average in a basketball match. This simply means that at the end of the game, the scores of both teams will be added together and the sportsbook believes this will total 200.

Players can then bet whether they think there will be more or fewer points scored. Players aren’t betting on one team to win or lose, but rather the combined score of the game. If players think more than 200 points will be scored, they place an Over Wager, and an Under wager if they think the score will be less. If exactly 200 points are scored, it is considered a push, and you’ll get your money back.

Points Spread

The points spread wager in a basketball match is another way to understand who the favorite is. In this wager, the sportsbook will basically say something along the lines of Team A +10/ Team B -10.

This means that team A is the favorite to win and the sportsbook expects them to win by more than 10 points. These bets are designed to encourage players to bet on both sides of the wager. If Team A were to win by exactly 10 points, it would be a push and players would receive their bets back.

Proposition Bets & Live Betting

Proposition bets are a fun way to make some extra wagers for the game. Also known as prop bets, these allow players to bet on almost any aspect of the game. Players can place wagers on how many points a particular player will score, how many fouls will happen, and so on. Believe us when we say you can wager on almost any aspect of the game.

Live bets are similar, but they take place during the game itself and happen in real time. These are bets you can place on various aspects during the game, and the odds will change as the game progresses.

Basketball Betting Tips & Tricks

Now that you hopefully understand what some of the most common basketball bets you’ll encounter mean, we’ll give you some helpful advice on how to get started on the right foot. Following these tips will ensure you have the best possible betting experience when wagering on basketball and have the best possible chance of landing some wins as soon as possible.

Use a Trusted Sportsbook

One of the most important pieces of advice we can give is to make sure you’re using a trusted and reputable sportsbook. This ensures you’ll receive fair odds and payouts, better bonuses and promotions, a wider range of trusted banking options, guaranteed payout of your winnings, mobile betting, and fantastic customer support.

Pay Attention to Previous Results

If you want to bet on a specific team, be sure to check their previous results. While this is always a good thing to do in all forms of sports betting, it is even more so when it comes to basketball. Because teams play so many games on such a regular basis, a sudden change in performance is unlikely.

Superstar Players make a Difference

Another key indicator in basketball is if the team has any really great players. Again, this can be true for other sports, such as football, but there tend to be lots of other variables. In basketball, it is much easier for one great player to make a huge difference in the game and truly carry their team to victory. If you’re struggling to decide on which team to pick, choose the one with more great players.

Limit Your Bets

When you’re starting off, we highly recommend you never risk more than 10% of your bankroll on a single wager. So, if you’ve budgeted $100 for betting on a basketball match, never place a bet more than $10.

Now, we know this sounds like a sure-fire way to make sure you only make small wins, and that’s true. But, slowly these wins will add up, and 10% of your bankroll will be worth more and more. Before long, you’ll be in a position to land significant wins, even when betting just 10%.

Which Basketball To bet on?

When it comes to betting on basketball in the United States, there are two main types that players will encounter at most sportsbooks. The first of these is the professional basketball league, or NBA as we all know it, which consists of 30 teams in two conferences, east and west.

These teams play a total of 82 games in a season, with the top teams from each conference going on to play for the NBA Finals Championship. The other is college level basketball (NCAA), which has far more teams, which makes it a bit more complicated to follow.

There are hundreds of teams, and they compete in Division-1 basketball, five power conferences, independent matches, group of five, and more. There is also basketball matches for men’s and women’s teams, all of which can be wagered on.

The games are played in a nearly identical way in NBA and college matches. The main difference is that in the NBA, games are played in four 12-minute quarters, making each match 48 minutes long. College-level games play two 20-minutes halves. Besides that, the rules are the same.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the NBA and NCAA is how the playoffs work. In the NBA, the eight top teams from each conference meet in the playoffs and fight for a spot in the final. In the NCAA, they run March Madness every year, where the top 64 teams from across the country are all thrown into one big single elimination tournament. The last team standing wins the tournament.

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Other Forms of Sports Betting

• Baseball Betting
• Football Betting
• Daily Fantasy Sports
• Golf Betting
• Live Betting
• eSports Betting