As legal sports betting rolls out across the US, the biggest slice of the market is betting on the NFL.

Pro football is the most-watched sport in America, and that translates to it being the most bet-on sport as well.

There are several ways to bet on NFL games. When betting on the National Football League, you can wager on bet types likes the point spread, totals (also known as OVER/UNDERs), and the moneyline.

• How To Legally Bet On Fan Controlled Football. The FCF odds work just like other football betting options with game lines that include point spreads, money line winner odds, and the over/under.
• If the number is positive, then you bet $100 to win that amount. If the number is negative, you have to wager that amount to win $100.Sometimes it will be necessary to use a conversion chart to translate.

NFL betting sites

Read on for more information about betting on the NFL in 2021 and the market for it in the US.

Where you can legally bet on the NFL in the US

There are more than a dozen states where you can legally bet on NFL football games currently. Here is the list of states where sports betting is legal, or where it has been legalized pending launch (click through to learn more about betting options in any of these states:

Online betting is currently live in these states, which should be the largest markets for sports wagering in short order:

NFL betting in New Jersey

The second biggest market for betting on the NFL is New Jersey, and it will likely surpass Nevada in the near future — possibly in 2020 or 2021.

That’s for several reasons:

• It’s a more open market for online betting — you can register online from anywhere in the state
• New Jersey is also interesting in that it has access to the New York City market; NY only has a few physical sportsbooks upstate. But New Yorkers can cross the river into New Jersey and bet easily.
• Betting on the Giants, Jets and Eagles is popular among New Jersey residents.

There are no shortage of NJ sports betting apps:

• BetAmerica
• Hard Rock
• Bet365

NFL betting in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is the biggest state that has legal sports betting apps. Population centers and football-crazy cities Philadelphia and Pittsburgh create a good starting based for legal sports gambling.

There are only a handful of apps in the state as of September 2019, but more are on the way.

• Parx Sportsbook

NFL betting in Illinois

Illinois is the sixth most populous state in the US, while Chicago is the single largest metropolitan area with legal online sports betting. Sportsbooks are also keen to acquire customers now, while in-person registration is suspended.

There are already a handful of live apps in the state, including:

NFL betting in Colorado

Despite only launching in May, the Colorado market already has a wide range of sportsbooks for betting NFL.

The CO apps live today include:

• BetMonarch
• Circa Sports
• ELITE Sportsbook
• Smarkets
• Sky Ute

NFL betting in West Virginia

West Virginia has two of the major players in online sports betting: DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook.

There are also a trio of physical sportsbooks. While betting on West Virginia University is huge, expect a lot of betting on the NFL teams in surrounding states as well.

NFL betting in Nevada

Sports betting has been around for decades in Nevada, and it’s the biggest market for NFL betting right now. Hundreds of millions are wagered on NFL games in Las Vegas and beyond.

While there are more than 100 physical sportsbooks, nearly all of them also have a sports betting app. While the tech in Nevada lags behind other markets, and you have to sign up in person for an app, they are still a good option.

Mobile betting accounts for more than half of all betting — NFL and otherwise — in Nevada.

NFL betting in Iowa

Iowa went live with sports betting in the summer of 2019, rolling out physical sportsbooks and online sports betting apps almost in parallel.

There are already more than a dozen sportsbooks in the state, along with apps that you have to register for at a casino and racetrack.

Legal NFL betting apps vs. illegal offshore apps

If you’re not in one of the states mentioned above, you are not betting at a site that operates legally in the US or in your state.

While many people believe that sports betting became widely legal in 2018, all that happened was the repeal of a federal ban allowing states to legalize sports betting.

So if you want to bet on the NFL, keep in mind where you’re betting. While individual bettors are unlikely to get in trouble for betting at a site that operates outside of the constraints of US law, the sites themselves do run afoul of federal and state law. Despite the fact that these sportsbooks will tell you they are operating legally, that is far from the truth.

If you’re in Nevada, New Jersey and other states that have betting laws, you have a number of regulated choices to choose from. Unfortunately for much of the country, there is no legal option. That includes large states like California and Florida. In New York, you can bet at some upstate sportsbooks but only in-person.

How much do Americans bet on the NFL?

Despite the fact that the NFL has the fewest games of any pro team sport, it’s by far the most popular to bet on.

With a handful of preseason games, 16 in the regular season and then a win-to-advance playoff system, there’s a premium on every game. That dynamic makes the NFL the most popular sport to watch on TV; the Super Bowl every year is the most-watched program on TV in the US.

All of that interest creates a robust market for betting on the NFL in the US, despite the fact that single-game wagering has only been legal in Nevada before 2018. People still find myriad ways of having a monetary interest on the outcome of games, from fantasy sports, to betting against friends, to using illegal offshore sportsbooks.

Gauging how much is bet on the NFL by Americans is tricky because of all that. The American Gaming Association says that 38 million adults will bet on the NFL in 2019.

If you include fantasy and social betting, the number is certainly in the hundreds of millions. If limited to offshore books, the number has been estimated from the tens of billions to $150 billion.

The advent of legal sports betting outside of Nevada will increase all of these figures even more. The NFL, as the country’s most popular sport, will drive betting handle in most states.

When is NFL betting the biggest?

The interest in betting on the NFL usually follows a rhythm, starting out strong before hitting a crescendo in the postseason:

• The first few weeks of the NFL season are usually the biggest in the regular season, outside of weeks that feature several top teams facing off and/or divisional rivalries. Everyone is excited to bet on the NFL when it returns, and that honeymoon usually lasts several weeks.
• Thanksgiving is now a big time to bet on games. With the unidivided attention of NFL fans — at least before dinner is served — there are three games that take place on the holiday every year.
• The end of the season is often a bit slower for betting on the NFL, from attrition of bettors to lack of interest as some teams fall out of the playoff hunt. But that resets as the playoffs begin, with huge numbers of bettors wanting to have action on wild-card games, divisional games and conference championships.
• The Super Bowl is usually the single biggest day for betting at any sportsbook. Tens of millions of people will watch, and many of them have action on the game some way, whether through a sportsbook, a squares competition or a wager with a friend. But as sports betting rolls out in more and more states, expect there to be a lot of betting on the NFL.

Sports betting apps vs. physical sportsbooks for NFL

NFL fans love to watch games at sportsbooks. Nevada has long cashed in on the intersection of betting and lots of TVs, packing sportsbooks in Las Vegas and elsewhere with fans on NFL Sundays.

It is usually a good experience, except it can be difficult to get your bet down in-person on a busy Sunday. The lines to place bets in states with legal sports betting are usually extremely long; in states where online betting is legal, it’s far more convenient.

Here’s a bit of a breakdown:

Sports betting app advantages

• Multiple ways to deposit and withdraw funds
• Easier to place bets
• Live betting options — betting while games are going on — is far more robust.
• Convenient to bet from nearly anywhere (as long as you are located in a state where it is legal).
• Deposit bonuses and odds boosts

Physical sportsbook advantages

• Personal contact with a ticket writer
• Can watch nearly every game at a sportsbook
• Free drink tickets are sometimes given at sportsbooks

More about NFL betting odds and lines

If you are betting on the NFL, there are a variety of ways to do so. Here is a quick look at some of the ways:

• Point spread: This is the most common way to bet on NFL games, and is generally the type of bet that sportsbooks see the most of. Here, the sportsbook sets a line that team X will win a game by Y points; for instance, New England could be a three-point favorite at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. If you bet New England at minus-3, you are betting that New England will win by four or more points. If you bet on the Eagles, you are betting that Philly will either win, tie or lose by two or one points.
• Moneyline: This simplest type of bet, a bettor is just picking who will win the game. The confusing part for bettors not used to looking at moneyline odds. Here, a favorite will usually be assigned a negative number, and the underdog a positive number. New England could be a -148 favorite, meaning you need to bet $148 to win $100. Philly could be a +128 underdog, meaning you bet $100 to win $128. Favorites, therefore, return less money than underdogs.
• Totals: Betting on how many points will be scored in an NFL game is another very common bet. Here, the sportsbook sets a line, and you bet whether the two teams will combine to score more or fewer points than that total.
• Futures: There are a variety of ways to bet on future events for the NFL. The most common is to bet on the winner of the Super Bowl. You can also bet on conference champions, division champions, and regular-season win totals among other things.
• Prop betting: Here, a bettor is betting on whether something will or won’t happen in a game. Will Tom Brady pass for 300 yards or more? Will Antonio Brown score two touchdowns? You’re betting on whether the number set by the book.
• Parlays: A bet where you connect more than one outcome into a single bet. For instance, you could combine three point spreads into a single bet that would result in longer odds and an increased payout if the bettor picks all three correctly. These are generally profitable bets for sportsbooks because of the degree of difficulty for the bettor.
• Live betting: Betting on a game while it is in progress is an increasingly popular way to wager. Most of the methods of wagering above are available while games are going on, including spreads based on the current score and time, what players will do during the game, etc.
• Teasers: This is essentially a two-leg parlay that lets you move the point spread or total six points in your favour. For example you could tease two 8.5 point favourites down to -2.5. You normally pay -110 to -120 on a two-team teaser.

Online Nfl Gambling

Note that all of these types of winning bets will include vigorish or a commission that the sportsbook charges on winning bets. More on sports betting terms can be found here. And that’s not an exhaustive list of bet types either.

Betting on football has never been more popular, and according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), close to $100 billion is wagered on National Football League and college football games each year with an estimated 98% of football wagers being placed through online offshore betting websites. But is any of this legal?

To learn more, read on to find out the sports betting laws involved as well as the best football sportsbook sites on the web in our legal online US football betting guide.

Is it Legal to Bet on Football in the United States?

Depending on where you live, you may have more than one option for betting on football. Due to PASPA's repeal, state lawmakers are now allowed to pass their own legislation and determine whether to legalize sports betting in their respective state. Multiple states have already legalized and launched domestic sportsbook gambling initiatives.

Legal international sports betting has been available to Americans for decades, and does not violate any US federal laws. There are only two states that prohibit offshore online betting: Connecticut and the state of Washington. Offshore sportsbooks covering NFL betting lines offer attractive bonuses and a wide range of wagering options.

Best USA Friendly Sportsbook To Bet On Football Games

In House

If you enjoy betting on football, then Bovada Sportsbook is where you should consider playing. Players who are familiar with the big names in online gambling know Bovada is a name they can trust since they are part of the Bodog group of reputable online betting sites. Bovada accepts all USA players and offers easy funding methods.

As far as football is concerned, Bovada offers everything you can imagine in the way of betting on football games from NFL, College and Arena with all the betting options you've become accustomed to such as straight, halves, quarters, 2nd half lines, prop bets, future bets, teasers, parlays etc... And the fact that you are playing with one of the most reputable names in online betting should give you the peace of mind you need so you can actually just enjoy the games and sweat your bet, not getting paid.

• Extremely Reputable - They've never missed a payout

• Only Players from the US, Mexico and Brazil accepted

Yes, but only if you place a wager through a legitimate destination that is subject to strict regulatory oversight or that is owned and operated by a parent company that holds licensing credentials. Some states offer domestic options of this nature to expand the range of opportunities offered by reputable, US-facing offshore sportsbooks. Our staff has reviewed, put together, and vetted the betting sites on this page and have verified that these sites are operating legally within the industry and always process their payouts for winning bets on football reliably and effectively.

The most popular sports league in the United States in terms of individual game viewership is also the most popular sport to bet on in the country with estimates of around $55 billion to be bet on the NFL for this season alone – meaning 98% of all NFL action comes from online offshore sportsbooks.

NFL odds and betting lines feature much tighter margins and lower numbers when compared to its collegiate counterpart. This is because the professional tier of the sport is the pinnacle for American football, and playing the game perfectly is expected each week.

Games in the NFL can literally be decided on one play where the outcome simply swings one way because one player gave 100% and his opponent only gave 99%, making the phrase “game of inches” hold even more weight due the sheer amount of games being decided on only an inch many times in the past with more to surely come in the future.

The professional NFL bettors can predict all of this on a regular basis since they routinely know which side holds more value and more importantly – which side can come up with that extra inch to guarantee a winning bet. Learn more from our page targeting legal NFL betting online.

College football is where American football all started and is by far the most popular college sport in the country today in terms of viewership and betting with roughly $45 billion being bet on this level of football annually.

The NCAA organizes and legislates the game of college football, and Division I is where most of the betting action takes place since it features the best college football athletes of today with many hoping to become the NFL stars of tomorrow.

“Chaos” is the name of the game in college football, since younger minds are more likely to crack when the pressure is on – regardless of talent level. The odds and betting lines may be bigger than the pro game of football, but don’t get fooled into thinking that a team much less talented has no chance of winning or what the top priority should be: covering.

Betting on college football games is like investing in stocks where even the most reliable stock, or team, can plummet after just one bad product release or game played in this analogy. It can be a volatile market, to say the least, but the best college football bettors, much like the best investors, can reliably predict when chaos will strike and reap the rewards, after all is said and done each Saturday night.

The XFL is back and this time the league is poised to last at least a few years giving the massive funding provided by Alpha Entertainment and owner Vince McMahon. The league is different from the NFL in many ways but one of the most notable differences is that the teams are owned by the XFL instead of franchise owners. There will also only be eight teams that compete in a ten-game season that concludes after a two-week playoff system.

The XFL is also geared to be gambling-friendly considering almost every team (except Florida) is located in a state that has passed or has pending sports betting legislation. Our guide to betting on the XFL will offer our advice on the best XFL sportsbooks and have you ready for the inaugural season of the revamped football league that is set to begin on February 8th, 2020.

What is Football Point Spread?

A point spread in football is an estimated number of points by which the favored team is predicted to defeat the underdogs.

Example: New England Patriots over New York Jets (-7.5)

Whenever a negative number is given, the team favored must win by more than the margin for your bet to payout. In the example, to win a bet on the Patriots requires the team to win by 8 points or more for the bet to payout. If a wager was placed on the Jets, the Jets don’t have to win the game, but instead, only need to lose by 7 or less points.

How Do Over/Under Bets Work?

Can I Bet On Nfl Games Online

The over/under in football is where the sportsbook sets a number for a statistic and a wager can be placed on whether the outcome of the statistic will be higher or lower than the established number.

How To Bet On College Football Games Online

Examples: New England Patriots vs. New York Jets (47)
Philadelphia Eagles 2018 Season Total Wins (O/U 10.5)

If 2 teams are shown, typically attached to a (O/U) to indicate an over/under, the number shown is the combined point total of both teams at the end of the game. If a bet is place on the over the total points scored in the game must be over 47, and if a bet is on the under then the total must be lower than 47. If both teams combine for exactly 47 points, then a bet is lost on both sides because bets are placed on the over or under and not the exact amount.

Futures with over/under odds are common too. Typically, this will be on a season win total or a end-of-season player statistic. As shown above, if the Eagles win total at the end of the season falls below 10.5 then the under wins, and if the total is above 10.5 the over wins. And again, if the set number is the outcome, then both the over and under lose.

Why Should I Bet on Futures Odds?

How Can I Bet On Football Games Online Live

A futures bet on football is a wager placed ahead of time, sometimes weeks or months in advance, where the result and payout will not occur until a future date.

Example: Chicago Bears (+1200) to win Super Bowl 54

Bet Nfl Football Online

The most common futures wager in football each year will be on the Super Bowl. Odds for futures are simple: The +1200 indicates the payout in American odds, so to receive $1,200 if the Bears win the Super Bowl, a bet of $100 would need to be placed. Other ways to show futures odds may be with fractions (12/1) or decimals (13.00).

You can learn more about wagering options from our guide to understanding the different types of NFL bets and how they work.

How Can I Bet On Football Games Online

Football fans typically are driven to follow their teams and players, gathering the latest news and information, and go into a season 'in the know'. Its a great way to get ahead of the game with an edge in calculating extra factors that may affect the betting lines and odds. Two great resources include the official websites for the NFL and the NCAAF.