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Basketball Betting

If you are an NBA fan, nothing beats basketball betting – especially when you play at top-tier bookmakers. The best basketball betting sites elevate your bets in much the same way Jordan shoot up the Bulls to six NBA rings. They give you all the betting options you need for a high-flying basketball bet, and it’s nothing but net when you place your bets there. Read on to learn more about the best basketball betting sites and how to use them to boost your wagering adventure. Let’s start!


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Best Basketball Betting Sites

  • Bonus

    £30

    Apps

    • Apple
    • Android
    • Mobile

    Licence

    MGA

    £/$/€10 min deposit using promo code “TOP100” - The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least twice with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater. Wagering must be cleared within 60 days. This offer may not be combined with any other offer. Withdrawal, payment methods and country restrictions, and Full T&C’s apply.

  • Bonus

    £100

    Apps

    • Apple
    • Android
    • Mobile

    Licence

    MGA

    New customers only. Min odds 1/5 (1.2). If you place a multiple at least one selection must meet the min odds requirement. Max £20 refund. Payment restrictions apply. Qualifying bet must be placed and settled within 30 days of account opening. T&Cs apply.

  • New 18+ UK customers only. Bets placed and settled within promo period 00:00 30/05/21 – 23:59 11/07/21.Register using the promo code ‘EURO40’, deposit and place first bet of £10 on Football (Evens+) in one bet transaction. £40 in Free Bets credited within 10 hours of bet settlement and expire after 7 days. E-Wallet & Prepaid Card restrictions apply. SMS validation may be required. Full T&Cs Apply.

  • Bonus

    £10

    Apps

    • Apple
    • Android
    • Mobile

    Licence

    MGA

    New UK customers only. £10 Min Deposit. 100% matched free bet on your first deposit of £10. 1 x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bets. Debit Card & Paypal deposits only. This offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. Full Terms apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org. Bet The Responsible Way.

  • Terms and Conditions apply. New UK customers only. Opt in required. 1x per customer. Min. £10 deposit. 1st deposit only. Selected games only. Max. Bonus £100 with 15x wagering and 100 Free Spins at £0.20/spin on Lucky Mr Green with 15x Wagering. Free Spins and Bonus credited once deposit amount has been wagered on slots. Bonus and Free Spins expire 7 days after issue. Game weighting, game, country, currency, player restrictions and terms apply.

  • Welcome Bonus Bet - Bet £10 Get £20 terms. This offer is for new sports customers only and is available once per household. Max. Bonus Bet amount £20. Minimum wagering on the sport to activate the Bonus Bet is £10 (which can be achieved from a Min deposit of £10). Offer valid only to customers wagering on sport £10 or more and make a qualifying bet in accordance with the Bonus Bet Specific Terms and Conditions below.. 1st Place Prize: £1000. Prizes granted up to 48h after the tournament ends. Bonus Bet does not contribute towards the leaderboard. Click to see full T&Cs

  • 18+ | UK new customers only | KYC verified |Max £20 free bet | Free bets paid as 2 x £10 | Min £20 bet | Min odds 7/10 (1.70) | Bonus Code: EURO20 | Free bet stake not returned | Certain Markets/ sports/payment methods restrictions apply | Qualifying bet must be made within 3 days | Free bet valid for 7 days | T&C's apply | General Promotions Terms apply

  • Bonus

    £40

    Apps

    • Apple
    • Android
    • Mobile

    Licence

    Gamblingcommission

    New customers only. 18+, BeGambleAware.org. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus. Wagering requirements: Sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), Casino 25x. Only one bonus can be used at a time, Sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the Casino, unless the bonus has been forfeited. Bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in.

  • New customers who register, deposit & bet via Mobile only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets credited as 2 X £15 (30 day expiry), free bet/player/payment method/country restrictions apply.

  • 18+ New customers only. Deposit, opt-in and place your first bet on any football market within 7 days of opening your account. We’ll refund up to £30 in cash if your 1st bet loses. T&Cs Apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.

How to Bet on Basketball

Betting on basketball is the easiest thing in the world, and you don’t have to be a betting expert to be good at it. All you need is the right guidance and a few tips and tricks seasoned pros use. That’s where we come in. Read our step-by-step guide to learn how to bet on basketball like a pro from day one.

Pick a basketball betting site

1 iconPicking a top-quality basketball betting site is paramount when starting your wagering adventure. However, finding a reliable sportsbook is not that easy. You have to check licenses, security, betting markets, customer support, bonuses, etc. Sounds like a lot of work, right?

That’s where our list of basketball bookmakers comes in handy. All basketball gambling sites on it are expert-vetted and come with our stamp of approval. All you need is to choose the one that seems like a good fit and start your betting adventure there.

Register

2 iconAs soon as you have zeroed in on the best betting site, it is time to open an account there. To do this, click on Register/Join and let the bookmaker do the rest. The basketball sportsbook you choose will guide you through every step of registration, and you should have an up-and-running wagering account within minutes.

Deposit

3 iconNow it is time to deposit. All basketball sportsbooks facilitate instant deposits, particularly the ones we list here. That means that you only need to pick your payment method, enter your banking info, and type in the amount you want to transfer. As soon as you do that, the money will be in your basketball betting account.

Find the games you want to bet on

4 iconWhen you wager on basketball, you can choose from a multitude of leagues and games. So, select the basketball events you want to bet on next. To do this, pick basketball from the list of sports and choose your competitions by clicking on them.

Select your betting markets

5 iconYou will now see a list of basketball games in front of you. To bet on those games, you need to click on each event. That will expand the basketball betting markets available for that match. Click on the markets or odds to include those betting propositions in your bet slip.

Place your bet

6 iconWhen you have picked all of your basketball selections, it is time to submit your wager. Before you do this, though, make sure to enter your bet stake. As soon as you do that, you can click on Submit and place your first basketball bet. Your online basketball betting adventure has now officially started. Cross your fingers and hope that a winning bet will be on the way.

Pros and Cons of Basketball Betting

People have been betting on basketball for decades for a reason. It comes with a wide range of betting options, and games provide non-stop end-to-end action for punters and basketball fans. However, as with all sports out there, there are a couple of disadvantages when betting on it. Let’s look at all the pros and cons of basketball betting.

Basketball Betting Advantages

It probably won’t come as a surprise for you to learn that the basketball betting advantages far outnumber the drawbacks. After all, basketball is a betting-friendly sport, and basketball sportsbooks can mould their offering to make it as diverse as possible. That results in betting options aplenty and a virtually endless collection of basketball bets. These are the perks you can expect to get when you join top basketball betting websites.

Wide Range of Betting Markets

One of the biggest perks of basketball betting is the myriad of wagering options it offers. When you bet on the NBA or other popular basketball competitions, you can choose from many bet types. These include:

  • Point spread markets,
  • Futures bets,
  • Player prop wagers,
  • Over/Under points,
  • 1st quarter winner,
  • Etc.

As you can see, basketball betting sites let you turn any prediction you can think of into a basketball bet and get quite a lot of value from it.

That means you can get better odds for favourites courtesy of point spread markets evening the playing field. It also means that you can bet on individual player performances or the number of points scored in a game to make it more interesting to follow.

And if you fancy backing the winners of competitions before they have started, you can opt for futures bets. That way, you would have a team to root for and would spice up the entire season. With basketball betting options, the sky is the limit.

basketball betting laptop mr play

Basketball betting by Mr Play on a laptop.

Top-Quality Competitions

Not many sports fans can say the competitions they follow are as popular as those in basketball. Unlike other sports, basketball is blessed with competitive and high-quality leagues and events. These include high-profile competitions like the EuroLeague, EuroCup, the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the BBL, the Basketball Bundesliga, and Spain’s Liga ACB.

Chief amongst these competitions is the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA basketball games feature the best players and get the biggest coverage. They are super-exciting to watch and even better to wager on. So, if you are looking for a sport that boasts top-quality leagues and competitions, you can’t make a mistake with basketball.

Betting Sites Offer Lots of Basketball Bonuses

When you bet at the best online basketball betting sites, you get access to some very lucrative bonuses. These include basketball free bet promos, welcome bonuses, best odds offers, risk-free bets, etc.

Top basketball betting sites like to reward their customers, and as you can see from the bonuses above, they have something for both new players and existing customers.

And that’s great if you are an online gambling enthusiast that wants to play with free bet credits and place wagers at enhanced odds, which you probably are.

Comprehensive Live Betting Sections

The best basketball betting websites have excellent pregame offers and even better live betting sections. When betting live, you can choose from almost the same pool of bet options as in pregame betting.

For instance, if an NBA game started before you could place that moneyline bet, fret not. You can still submit that wager, but this time, in the live betting basketball section.

basketball live betting center

Live Betting Center Basketball.

Another perk you get when betting in-play is the ability to watch a game and be better-positioned to predict what will happen next. When betting pregame, you can only imagine which way a game will go. However, when you bet live, you have the luxury of watching the game as it transpires. That means you can make a more accurate bet. And a more accurate wager is often a winning one.

Basketball Betting Disadvantages

As we already mentioned, basketball comes with a lot of perks and only a few disadvantages. However, we wouldn’t be the impartial betting advisor you are looking for if we didn’t tell you about the few shortcomings inherent to basketball. They might be negligible, but they are still there. Here’s what you should be wary of when betting on one of the most popular sports in the world.

Might Be Tempted to Bet on the Team You Support

If you are a basketball fan, you probably have a favourite team you support. Rooting for your team on game-day is one of the most exciting things you can do, and many basketball fans are often tempted to place a bet on their team to make those games even more thrilling.

And while there’s nothing bad in betting on your team, if you do it week-in, week-out, you might find yourself in some trouble. Backing your team to win can be a smart decision when it is the favourite to win or has recently played well. In those situations, feel free to bet on the team that’s close to your heart.

However, if the team you support is the underdog and bookmakers expect it to lose, you might want to look elsewhere. Backing your team when it will likely suffer defeat will decimate your betting budget. It will also give you unwanted headaches and will make coming to terms with your team’s losses a lot harder.

Betting on College Games is Not Available Everywhere

NBA betting fans have all the tools they need for a profitable wagering adventure. They can bet on tons of NBA games, can choose from a variety of online sportsbook markets, and can get some competitive odds.

However, if you are an NCAA betting fan, you might discover that you have none of those NBA betting options, especially when betting from some US states. That’s because betting on college basketball games is not available everywhere.

For instance, in the USA, basketball punters from New Jersey cannot bet on NCAA basketball teams from their state. They also cannot bet on any college basketball matches taking place in the Garden State. Several other US states like Illinois, Virginia, New York, and Washington have similar laws restricting college basketball betting.

There’s a Big Gap in Quality Between Some Teams

When you bet on basketball, especially on NBA games, you will notice that some teams are stronger than others. That’s great if you want to have a winning bet. However, the odds you will get for that victory will not be so great.

Favourites in basketball, especially the biggest ones, get minuscule odds. That means backing them will bring you a minimal profit and will not be worth your time and money. These odds get much lower as the gap in quality between widens, so the only thing you can do is increase your bet stakes.

However, that opens you up to the risk of losing lots of money if only one underdog gets a surprise victory over the favourite you backed. In other words, you can have a dozen winning bets while backing favourites, but all it takes is one losing wager to bring your budget back to square one.

Point Spread Markets Can Be Tricky to Get Right

The big gap in quality and the low odds for favourites mentioned above are a problem for NBA betting enthusiasts. However, online basketball betting sites have a solution for both of those issues. It is called point spread.

Point spread or betting line markets allow you to back the favourites to win and still get decent odds. However, there’s a catch. When wagering on betting lines, the favourite must cover the spread to win.

For instance, let’s say you are betting on the basketball game between the LA Lakers (-8.5) and the Miami Heat (+8.5). As you can see, the online betting site considers the Lakers to be the favourites to win. To even the playing field and give both teams the same odds, the sportsbook has given a +8.5 advantage to the Miami Heat. That means that the Lakers will have to win by a margin of at least nine points to cover the spread.

That aspect of betting lines is quite tricky for punters, as they have to rely on the favourite to both win and cover the spread. And that doesn’t always happen. After all, the Lakers might triumph with an 8-point winning margin and get their win. Nothing incentivizes them to go for a 9-point victory over the Heat, as in both cases, they would get the same result – a win that counts the same. So, while betting lines can be a great way to get better odds for backing the favourites, they are not perfect.

Basketball Leagues to Bet on

One of the perks of betting on basketball is getting a wide variety of leagues to bet on. If you want to bet on some world-class basketball action, you can go for an NBA betting site and wager on the best teams and players in the world. On the other hand, if you are looking for a slower and more tactics-oriented basketball, you can turn your attention to European basketball leagues. And if you are eager to bet on more exotic leagues and competitions, you can always try the Australian NBL or the Chinese CBA. In other words, you can get the basketball betting adventure you are looking for regardless of the leagues you fancy. These are the best basketball leagues to bet on.

NBA

NBA is the most exciting basketball league in the world. Players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and nba logoShaquille O’Neal have graced NBA basketball courts with their talent and ability. They are just some of the many NBA athletes that have pushed the boundaries of professional sport and have taken basketball to the next level. NBA games are super-exciting and abound in thrilling moves, spectacular dunks, last-minute buzzer beaters, and 3-pointers that get the adrenaline going.

So, is there a way to make the NBA even more exciting than it already is? Of course, there is. You can double the excitement of each NBA game by wagering on it. There are tons of NBA betting markets and propositions you can use to elevate your NBA experience.

For instance, you can make the LA Clippers vs New York Knicks game much more interesting to watch by betting Over on the total number of points the two teams will score. By wagering on the Over market, you will root for both teams to score as many points as possible so that you can have a winning bet. That means you will be on your feet and jumping for joy whenever each team scores. Thus you will have a memorable night in addition to a winning bet.


BBL

bbl logoThe British Basketball League (BBL) is another top-quality basketball competition that you can bet on. It was established in 1987 and included the best basketball teams in England and Scotland. Like the NBA, the BBL also has lots of online sports betting markets and enticing basketball odds.

Teams like the Manchester Giants, the Glasgow Rocks, and the Leicester Riders have a very loyal following and have been doing their best to impress both at home and in European competitions.

Their European forays may not have been the most successful. Still, the fact that fans were delighted when the Leicester Tigers competed in the European Basketball Champions League and the FIBA Europe Cup speaks volumes about how popular basketball is in Britain.


EuroLeague

euro league logoThe EuroLeague is the top-tier basketball competition in Europe. European basketball heavyweights like Barcelona, CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid, Anadolu Efes, and Fenerbahce fight it out each year for the coveted EuroLeague title.

Many of the players that join NBA teams first ply their trade in these European high-fliers. So, if the NBA is the best basketball competition globally, the EuroLeague is a close second.

Basketball wagering enthusiasts know this and use it to maximize their wagering experience. A basketball punter would start his perfect day analyzing and preparing for EuroLeague games. He would then focus on the late-night NBA games and get more of that end-to-end action basketball punters love. That way, a betting aficionado would get a lot of top-quality betting action and watch the best basketball teams simultaneously. And he would do that for most of the day. Pretty neat, right?

Tips for Successful Basketball Betting

You will get a kick out of basketball betting both when you win and lose your wagers. Betting on the NBA and other top basketball competitions is a fun way to pass the time, and it makes following basketball games much more exciting. However, for many punters, basketball wagers are more enjoyable when they result in winnings they can cash out. We feel much the same. To that end, we will share with you our top four tips to help you have a successful basketball betting adventure. Read on to raise your basketball wagering game now.

Tip 1: Wager at only the best basketball betting sites

If you want to get the most from each basketball wager you place, you must play at the best basketball betting sites. Top betting sites give you all the tools you need for a successful betting adventure. They let you choose from a wide range of basketball betting markets for popular NBA games and more obscure basketball matches from Asian and South American leagues.

For instance, when you wager at the best NBA betting sites, you can get over a hundred different betting propositions. These range from point spread and moneyline markets to point totals and player prop bets.

However, the same is true if you bet on the Liga Boliviana de Basquet or the Indonesian Basketball League, provided you play at proven online bookmakers. You will get almost the same wagering options for these less popular competitions too, and that’s one of the great things about playing at the best betting sites in the gambling industry.

In addition to tons of basketball markets, the best online sports betting sites offer competitive odds, enticing bonuses, easy-to-use mobile betting apps, and reliable customer service. A top basketball betting site is a prerequisite to a successful wagering experience, so your best bet is to always go with proven sportsbooks like the ones we list on our site.

Tip 2: Look for teams that cover the spread often

If you are into betting lines and point spread options, you probably know about the advantages and pitfalls of these markets. Betting lines are great because they let you back the favourite in a game and still get good odds for that bet. However, problems start when favourites don’t cover the spread. Basketball teams often win their games but fail to triumph by the winning margin you need. And that’s not ideal if you want your bets to be successful.

So what can you do to win point spread bets? One good piece of advice is to look for teams that frequently cover the spread. You can trust some favourites to win by a bigger margin more than others. These are teams that destroy opponents week-in, week-out and rarely hold back their punches during games.

Therefore, if you see that a favourite wins often, but grinds those victories and triumphs by the slimmest of margins, avoid it. You can back that team to win but don’t back it in the betting lines market. Instead, go with favourites that like to win big and have a proven track record when it comes to trashing opponents.

Tip 3: Do your basketball betting homework

Before you start betting on basketball, always do your homework. That means analyzing how teams have performed in recent games and checking various stats categories and player performances.

If the teams and players you want to back are in good form, and their morale is high, feel free to bet on them. They will likely win again and continue their winning streak, thus helping you earn lots of money.

However, if the team you want to back is down on its luck, maybe it is better to look elsewhere. Teams stuck in long losing streaks are low on confidence and often find it hard to get out of those losing runs. Backing them is looking for trouble.

Of course, you can be the punter that backs a team when no one expects it to win and benefit from some enticing odds. If you are a risk-taker, you can go for those long-shot bets and make a healthy profit with just one win.

However, nine times out of ten, a down-on-its-luck team will lose again. So, risking your bet stakes and believing in a poor team when no one does is not a very astute betting move.

Tip 4: Try live basketball betting

When betting online, you have two options for the types of bets you can place. First, you can bet on pregame markets and bet on games before they have started. Your second option is to wager in-play and place your bets on live betting events.

Many experienced punters think that the second one can yield higher profits from these two types of betting. These seasoned betting pros look at live betting and see a myriad of winning opportunities. They know that you can place much better bets if you see how a basketball game plays out and then place your bet.

We tend to agree. When you bet live, you benefit from watching basketball games and seeing which way they might go next. That allows you to come up with better wagers and improve the success of your basketball bets.

So, if you have been betting on pregame markets, but haven’t had much luck, try live betting. The best betting sites have super-comprehensive in-play wagering sections, meaning you will find your bet type in no time.

Basketball Betting Bonuses

Top basketball betting sites offer more than just a myriad of basketball wagering options. They also give you enticing sportsbook bonus offers. When you play at a top-quality betting site, you can expect to get your fair share of free bets, risk-free wagers, enhanced odds, NBA betting specials, reload bonuses, and so on. Let’s look at the most lucrative basketball betting bonuses you can get at the best NBA betting sites.

basketball betting bonus betway

Betway basketball betting bonus.

Welcome Bonus Offers

Just like online casinos and gambling sites, online sportsbooks have welcome bonus offers for their new customers. Basically, when a new player joins an online betting site and makes his first deposit, he is eligible for the bookmaker’s welcome bonus offer.

Welcome bonuses are usually quite enticing as sportsbooks give you either free bet credits or match your first deposit. That means you start betting with more funds than you deposited and have more chances to get that winning basketball bet.

Free Bets

Free bets are the most common types of bonuses basketball bookmakers offer. When you wager with free bets, you don’t spend your own money, meaning you can place riskier wagers. However, to play with free bets, you first have to get them. Let’s look at a free bet example to see how you can benefit from these promos:

  • Bet £20 on NBA and Get £40 in Free Bets (Qualifying bets must be placed at min odds 2/1, Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement, Free bets paid as 2x £20, Free bet stakes not included in returns, Full T&Cs apply, Gamble responsibly.)

As you can see, this NBA betting site will give you £40 in free bets after you place a qualifying £20 NBA wager. As soon as you do that, you will be able to spend double what you deposited, and that’s pretty good value for money, we are sure you will agree.

Risk-Free Bet Promos

Similar to free bets, risk-free bet promos help you place riskier wagers. Unlike free bets, though, you have to lose your qualifying bet to get your basketball risk-free bet credits. Let’s look at an example to explain this:

  • Risk-free bet promo: Get Up to £50 if Your First Bet Loses (New customers only, Min odds 1/1, Free bets credited after qualifying bet settlement to value of qualifying deposit, Returns exclude Bet Credits stake, System bets excluded, Payment method exclusions apply, Full T&Cs apply, Gamble responsibly.)

As the example above illustrates, if you are a new customer and place a £50 bet, you will get £50 in free bet credits if your first qualifying bet loses. For instance, if you back the Golden State Warriors to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers with £50, and the Warriors lose, the NBA betting site will reimburse you. It will give you £50 in free bet credits that you can use to place new bets.

Conclusion

conclusion iconThere is nothing better than finding an excellent NBA betting site and winning your first wager there. The best NBA betting apps and online wagering sites give you the most competitive odds and a myriad of comprehensive markets. They also boast the best bonuses in the betting world and boost your basketball wagers via tons of lucrative promos.

Fortunately for you, here we review and link to exactly those types of basketball betting providers. The site we feature will give you all the instruments you need to compile that winning bet slip and will help you with a free bet or two in the process.

So, if you still don’t know where to place your first basketball bet, choose one of our top-tier NBA betting sites and roll with it. You won’t regret it.

FAQ

The best basketball betting app is easy to use and lets you place a wide range of basketball bets. It also gives you access to lots of mobile bonuses and promos.
All basketball betting sites have NBA in their offers. That means whichever online bookmaker you choose, you will be able to place your NBA bets there. However, to get the best NBA betting markets and odds play at only top-quality basketball betting sites.
Yes, you can. The best online sportsbooks have comprehensive basketball betting sections, meaning you will often get more basketball wagering options online than at retail sportsbooks.
First, pick a reliable basketball wagering site. Then find NBA in the list of basketball competitions. Next, click on the events you want to bet on and choose your betting markets. Lastly, enter your stake and submit your bet.
First, check whether the site has a license and is secure enough. This is particularly important for new basketball betting sites. Then you make sure that the sportsbook has all the markets and betting options you need. Lastly, look at the bonus offers the bookmaker boasts and see if they are good enough.


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