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There are many factors to take into account when looking at the best way to bet on NFL games online. These include the expected win rate for that wager, payout levels and ease of placing these bets. Your betting strategy can be adjusted accordingly, so you can go with a low-risk/high-percentage approach, a high-risk/low-percentage tact or meet those in the middle as events warrant.
To help you figure which betting mindset is best for you, we've put together a list of nine of the most common wager types. This can help you determine your NFL picks and how to bet money on NFL games in a way that fits both your personality and betting budget.
This is the most basic of bets, as a moneyline wager is a bet on which team will win the contest. Because this wager type relies solely on a win or loss, it tends to have the widest variance in terms of NFL odds. Favorites are listed with minus odds, such as -250. That reflects how much you must wager to win $100. Underdogs are shown with a plus sign, such as +250. That shows you how much you will win on a $100 wager.
This is the archetype for football betting, as it designates the perceived point difference between each club and balances odds - typically at -110 for each. This can range from small point totals when team are considered of equal talent (e.g., when the Eagles were listed at -1 over the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57), or double-digit point totals when one club is thought to be much better than its opponent (e.g., when the Chiefs were listed at -14.5 points versus Houston in Week 15 last year).
The idea here is to balance the odds so that bettors can feel comfortable making a wager on either side of the spread, as the point spread is applied to the final score and the winner determined based on the outcome of that adjusted total.
An over/under bet is a wager on how many total points will be scored in a contest. For example, an over/under of 45 means that if you wager on the over, the teams must combine for 46 or more points in order for your wager to win. This is a good wager type to make if you have an inkling that a game will be higher or lower scoring than generally expected and is often part of a same-game parlay wager.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates on the podium with tight end Travis Kelce after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Feb. 12, 2023. (Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK)
An NFL futures bet is one where you are betting on a particular achievement to occur in the future. It can be something like who will win the NFL MVP award, which team will win the AFC North or if Josh Allen will throw for 4,000 yards.
Perhaps the most popular futures bets are on Super Bowl odds, which become available even before the previous Super Bowl is even played. It gives fans a rooting interest throughout the season and rewards savvy bettors who take a can spot value on an unlikely contender.
A parlay is when you combine two or more wagers together in a single bet. The upside for this type of wager is that it has high payouts. The downside is that you need every wager in a parlay bet (which are known as legs) must win in order for your parlay to be successful.
This can be a good change of pace wager type, but it isn't the type of wager to rely on if you are looking to generate a solid win rate. You can parlay bets from different NFL games, different sports or combine bets from a single game in what is known as a same-game or one-game parlay.
Prop bets are wagers within a game but not on the outcome of the game itself. They can be either player props or team props. A good example here is a player prop bet is a wager that Patrick Mahomes will throw for 300+ yards in a game. A team prop might be that the Eagles defense will register more than three sacks in a contest. Odds can vary on these props from -110 to lucrative payout.
Prop bets are listed on the player, team and game level and can be a great bet mixer if you have some insight as to how a player or team will perform in an upcoming matchup. Among the most popular prop bets are first TD scorer and anytime TD scorer.
Every contest has standard game lines for point spread and total points, but if you want to know how to bet on NFL game action in a different way, alternate lines may be for you.
Let's use Super Bowl 57 as an example. The standard point spread was Eagles -1, but NFL betting apps also had alternate lines where the Eagles gave more points and some in which the Chiefs were listed as the favorite. These alternate lines have different odds levels than the standard lines, so pay attention to the payout levels when placing these bets.
Not only do online sportsbooks have odds listed before the game, they also have "in-game betting," known as live betting, with continually updated odds during the contest.
For example, if a favored team falls behind 10-0 after the first quarter, they could be listed as +7 points. So, if you pick that club to win against the spread at that moment, you are now getting points as opposed to giving them - which you would have had to do pre-game. This is a way to for bettors to hedge bets that are going south, pile on to a successful bet or just stay involved in the action with continually updated props and more, which is why live in-game betting is so popular.
There are rules and regulations and best practices for NFL betting that you need to keep in mind before placing wagers. The first is to make sure you are betting at legal, licensed sportsbooks. This assures that you have the protections that come with those operators, and it gives you peace of mind that you will be able to access your winnings if your bets are successful.
Two other important rules are that you must be located in a state where that legal, licensed sportsbook operates and be of legal sports betting age in that state.
When determining when and how to bet on the NFL, just know that some types of NFL wagers are available all year long. Early in the offseason these will be NFL futures available in which you can bet on some achievement to occur in the upcoming season.
The volume of these futures wagers typically increases after the NFL Draft and includes win totals, NFL Week 1 matchups, player awards, Super Bowl odds, division winners and more. Once the teams hit the start of training camp, you will then be able to place more wagers and begin to bet on weekly matchups beyond Week 1.
Once the season kicks off, you will normally find that the upcoming week's matchups will be posted shortly after the completion of the current week's games. Sharp bettors often like to jump in early, as those game lines will often get adjusted as injury updates are posted throughout the week. It is a variable that can make betting early or later in the week more beneficial depending on your wagering strategy.
There are many online sportsbooks that you can wager at, and they each have specialty areas that can make placing certain types of bets more beneficial. Here are seven of the top sports betting apps, along with the promo or bonus code you can use to sign up for each.
The BetMGM bonus code USATODAY has a first-bet offer up that offsets an initial wager loss with a bonus bet. Lose between $50-1,000 on your opening wager, and the refund comes as five bonus bets, each equal to 20% of the initial wager. An opening bet loss of less than $50 gets a single bonus bet refund. BetMGM has an Easy Parlay system that makes it one of the best online sportsbooks to place parlay bets.
The Caesars Sportsbook promo code USATODAYFULL has a dual benefit for new customers. It starts by giving you first-bet insurance up to $1,250, which means that if your opening bet loses, you will get a bonus bet refund of that bet amount, up to $1,250. Signing up will also give you 1,000 Tier and 1,000 Rewards Credits in the Caesars Rewards program. Caesars Sportsbook has an unrivaled volume of odds boosts and provides some of the strongest ongoing promotions for existing customers.
Signing up for the DraftKings promo code can give you a potential return of greater than 30-1, as it gives new customers a "Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets" deal. Just make a real money wager of $5 or more after signing up and you will immediately receive six $25 bonus bets. DraftKings has a huge array of sports betting markets and a comprehensive selection of prop wager types.
The FanDuel promo code comes with a No Sweat First Bet offer up to $1,000. Lose your opening wager after signing up and you will get a refund in site credit of that bet amount, up to $1,000. A standout element here is that you can break up the bonus bet into smaller increments. FanDuel also typically has a dozen or more ongoing promotions and may have the largest set of NFL betting markets and bet types.
The WynnBET promo code XUSATODAY delivers new customers $100 in bonus bets with an initial wager of $20 or more. The initial bet must be on an event with odds of -120 or greater (-100 counts, -150 doesn't). Do that and you will get two $50 bonus bets that come with a -150 odds requirement. WynnBET takes a welcome minimalist approach to its website and app, so you can find and place your preferred wager quickly. It is also popular with new bettors because of this stripped-down approach.
Using the BetRivers promo code SPORTS gives new customers a second-chance bet of up to $500 (the amount varies depending on which state you are located in). The bonus bet has a reasonable -200 odds requirement. BetRivers has a selection of NFL betting markets and bet types that can go toe-to-toe with just about any other online sportsbook.
Signing up for the Barstool promo code will give you a new player bonus of up to $1,000. This bonus offsets an opening wager loss with an equal amount of sportsbook bonus cash (up to $1,000). This bonus cash isn't withdrawable, but it can be broken up into smaller increments that each have an odds requirement of -200. Barstool has an easy to navigate interface and an impressive selection of bet types.
It should only take you a few minutes to sign up for any of these deals, as they each have similar guidelines for signing up. Here are the six steps they all have in common.
The best way to bet on NFL games now depends on your wagering strategy and betting budget, but with so many sportsbook promo codes available, you should be able to augment your profit levels on multiple occasions with these powerful promos we've discussed.
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