Basketball Betting Odds

These days, betting on basketball is big business and many online bookmakers offer basketball betting markets from games played around the world.

The top basketball leagues, such as the NBA and EuroLeague are covered live on television and this has only served to increase interest in the sport and betting on basketball.

Basketball is a sport which lends itself to betting thanks to the nature of the game but there many factors you must consider before betting on basketball, including the quality of the odds.

However, thanks to the increased coverage and popularity of betting on basketball, choosing the best bookmaker for basketball betting is not as easy as first thought. Thankfully, we have listed the top ten basketball bookmakers below:

Best betting sites by category

The history of the sport can be traced to America but it was a Canadian, Dr James Naismith who is credited with inventing the early form of the game. He took his class at Springfield College indoors because of poor weather and wrote some simple rules before pinning a peach basket on the wall for the players to aim for with a soccer ball.

The peach basket was complete, meaning every time the ball went into the basket it would not drop out, unlike the baskets used into today’s basketball.

The sport developed through college and high school and by the 1920’s there were hundreds of professional basketball teams throughout the United States but little competition structure.

The NBA was founded in New York on the 6^th June 1946 but came after the International Basketball Federation, which was established in 1932, showing how quickly the sport spread throughout the globe.

Tracing the history of betting on basketball is not so easy as the roots of the game. However, as the sport spread throughout the world, so the gambling would have picked up on the nuances of basketball and used the sport as a means of betting entertainment.

Betting on basketball may not be as popular around the world as other sports such as football and tennis but it is certainly up there with the sports sitting behind them in the online betting ranks. Therefore, there is plenty of competition among online bookmakers to win your bets and that starts with the odds.

With so many basketball games played each week, it can be difficult to keep up with which bookmaker is offering the best odds. However, in terms of individual matches, William Hill consistently delivers good odds but you should always take time to compare with other online bookmakers to make sure you are not missing out on something better.

Take the NBA Championship as an example. William Hill offer 16/1 for San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA title, which is about average compared with many other bookmakers. For a £10 winning bet you would receive £170 back. However, one look at the odds on Betfair show 20/1 and a £10 winning bet would return £210, a difference of £40, so it pays to look around.

There are a huge number of basketball leagues and tournaments being played throughout the world that a day doesn’t go by without a basketball game available on which to bet.

Every good basketball bookmaker should cover games from around the world, not just the NBA and EuroLeague. Covering the top leagues is great because people want to bet on them but when they are not in action, what are basketball betting fans supposed to do?

That’s why league and tournament coverage is a very important part of the basketball bookmaker selection process.

The top online basketball bookmakers should cover the NCAA, Baltic League, Chinese CBA, French Pro A and the German Bundesliga, to name but a few.

In terms of basketball betting markets, every online bookmaker offering basketball betting should provide Moneyline, Points Spread (Handicap), Winning Margin and Totals. Any betting site which does not offer these markets on every basketball match should not be considered a top choice for the sport.

Other betting markets which serious online basketball bookmakers should offer include Quarter Betting, Match Parlay, First to 10 Points, First to 50 Points and First Half Handicap. 888sport is a good example of an online basketball bookmaker offering these markets for NBA games.

You will also find special bets appear for big events such as the NBA and these include Regular Season MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year. Bookmakers including BetVictor and William Hill usually come up trumps as far as these additional basketball betting markets are concerned.

In-play betting is a very important part of basketball betting and with each game split into four quarters, it gives you plenty of opportunity to get involved.

Throughout each match the odds will constantly be updated and you can enjoy betting on the Match Winner, Handicap Betting, Total Points, First Half Total Points, Second Half Total Points and Total Points for each Quarter.

Every serious basketball betting website should offer these markets on most of the matches they cover but especially for NBA, EuroLeague and other big games played throughout the year. The top basketball in-play bookmakers such as William Hill will offer detailed in-play betting markets down to the Russian Women’s Superleague II, so if you are ever in need of a basketball in-play betting fix, William Hill is a good choice.

888sport also have several in-play betting markets for basketball around the world.

Basketball is an international sport and as such, there are many games being played and covered live. Following a basketball match live will give you a great idea of the flow of the game and this is important when betting in-play.

The top basketball bookmakers should offer live streaming of a huge number of basketball matches, from leagues all around the world. Whether the match is in Germany, Turkey, Lithuania or South Korea, the best basketball betting sites will offer live streaming of these games.

Again, William Hill excels when it comes to their basketball live streaming and you will find games from around the world available to watch on their website free of charge. Bet365 also have extensive coverage, including the NBA but there may be blackout restrictions in some countries.

Unfortunately, basketball bonuses and promotions are few and far between, even at the best basketball bookmakers.

You can take advantage of any sign-up bonus and ongoing generic promotions and use these to bet on basketball but other than during the NBA Finals, you will struggle to find anything specifically related to basketball.

The only thing coming close is 888sports American Acca, which gives your stake back as a free bet if an NBA accumulator of at least five selections loses by one. It’s not a bonus as such but if you are considering an accumulator bet on the NBA, it’s worth doing.

So, you have used the information above to narrow down your choice of basketball betting sites but there are some additional factors still to consider.

When placing a bet on basketball, the experience and security of the website you are using is very important. What’s the point of finding the best choice of markets and biggest odds for basketball when you are struggling to deposit money or have a question about the bet but cannot contact anyone to discuss it?

These are also key factors when deciding the best online bookmaker for basketball.

When spending money anywhere online, the quality of the website plays a major role in your decision.

If a website is poorly designed and you are struggling to find what you want, chances are you are going to leave after a few minutes and look elsewhere. The same principle applies when betting on basketball and you should not have to spend time browsing an online bookmaker trying to locate the basketball betting markets.

The online bookmakers who take basketball betting seriously will have a link to basketball betting markets clearly shown above the fold. There should be no need to go looking around the homepage and clicking into other menus just to find basketball odds.

888sport, Bet365 and William Hill all have their basketball link displayed as soon as you arrive on their homepage and that’s exactly what you are looking for in a basketball bookmaker. This is even more important if you are trying to join a basketball game in-play and want to place a quick bet.

If you are betting on basketball using a mobile device, using a bookmaker with a dedicated app is much easier than having to use a web browser, so keep that in mind.

This is one of the most important aspects of placing a bet on basketball and any other sport for that matter.

Depositing money to bet on basketball should be efficient and free of charge. The top online bookmakers will provide you with a wealth of options including debit/credit card, eWallets and prepaid cards. If you are struggling to find a method you can use, then perhaps you need to look at another alternative for basketball betting.

Thanks to modern technology, making a deposit should be instant for many of the options in the categories highlighted above.

Withdrawals should be just as straightforward as deposits and within a few clicks of the mouse, your money should be on its way to your chosen destination.

Great customer service is what makes one company stand out above the many others in a crowded market place and the same applies when betting on basketball.

Having access to the customer support team whenever you need them gives peace of mind and allows you to enjoy betting on basketball without the worry of what would happen if something goes wrong or you have an urgent question.

Look for online bookmakers who have a live chat team available 24/7 and a telephone line open during peak times. Also check for email and postal addresses because you can use these should you wish to contact the bookmaker, if you have a suggestion for example but the matter is not urgent.

Something which is perhaps overlooked by many people when looking for basketball betting websites is the security of the site.

Its almost taken for granted these days that online bookmakers can be trusted because they have a website and people are using it for their betting. This alone does not make them an automatic choice for basketball betting but there are things you can check to make sure they are trustworthy and secure.

The first of these is a gambling license and you should find evidence of these in the footer of the website, whatever page you are on. The country from which the license is granted in addition to the official license number should be on display.

The second thing you must check is the payment security of the website. Have they got a green ‘Secure’ logo at the top left of the address bar or other security measures in place?

One additional thing you can do before placing your basketball bet is do a little research into the betting company you are using. How long have they been in operation? Are they financially secure? These are two questions you should be asking.