NFL Betting Odds

The NFL dominates the fall and winter landscape in US sports, and the Super Bowl consistently garners the title of most watched sporting event in the country. So, it comes as no surprise that the best sports betting sites all feature a broad selection of NFL betting odds. 

Here at BettingOdds.com, we cover all the action across the season. You can find the best prices with our handy odds comparison table, check out our NFL betting picks, or take a look at our NFL betting offers before you sign up with one of our recommended sportsbooks. Each site we feature has been handpicked by our experts, offering a fantastic betting experience with competitive odds and exciting features.

How to Read NFL Betting Odds

Before you get started betting on the NFL, understanding how to read odds is essential. Let’s break it down with a quick example. Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to play New Orleans Saints on October 1. The moneyline is currently set at:

• Buccaneers +190
• Saints -230

With moneyline odds, a positive number is the amount you’ll win from a $100 stake while a negative number is the amount you’ll need to bet to win $100. Straight away, it’s easy to see the Saints are favored to win.

From these odds, we can calculate the implied probability of each outcome — the chance of each team winning — using the following formulas:

• Positive odds: 100 / (odds + 100) x 100%
• Negative odds: Odds / (odds + 100) x 100%

Running the numbers for Bucs vs Saints, the chance of Bucs winning is an estimated 34.5% while a Saints win is 69.7%. You might be wondering why these numbers don’t add up to 100% — that’s because of the vig or ‘juice’ added by the sportsbook, which is how it makes money. 

Deciding whether to bet on longer or shorter odds is a matter of personal preference. Ultimately, it comes down to your appetite for risk — would you rather a slimmer chance of a bigger payout, or a smaller but more likely win? Be sure to factor in the size of your budget and how many bets you’d like to make as well. 

Common NFL Bet Types

There’s a wealth of betting options when it comes to the NFL odds. Here’s a quick primer on the wagers you can make at our recommended sportsbooks:

• Moneyline – A moneyline bet is a simple pick of which team you think will win the game. The favorite usually gets a negative number while the underdog gets a positive number.
• Point Spread – If picking a winner won’t yield enough value, you might find better odds in the point spread market. Here, your chosen team needs to win by a given margin for the bet to succeed, say Houston Texans to beat Baltimore Ravens by at least 9.5 points.
• Totals – Totals are also known as over/under bets. Here, you’re betting on whether a match statistic will be above or below a certain threshold, like total number of points scored or total rushing yards.
• Props – Proposition bets or ‘props’ are wagers on a more specific aspect of a game, regardless of the final outcome. You could bet on the first player to score a touchdown, or the type of first scoring play, for example.
• Futures – More popular in the off-season, futures are bets placed further in advance, usually on a certain team to win the league. Perhaps you want to bet on the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl LVIII, the Buffalo Bills to top the AFC, or even who’ll be crowned MVP.
• Parlays – Parlays are a more complex wager that combines a number of bets or ‘legs’ into one. The odds of each leg are multiplied together, so you can potentially net a larger return from a fairly small bet, but each leg must succeed for your parlay to win. Same-game parlays are quite popular in the NFL, such as both picking a winner and a totals market.

Live Betting

Many of the best NFL betting sites support live betting, where wagers can be placed once a game is already underway. You might find unique markets only available in play, like next player to score. But you can also hold off on picking a winner until you’ve got a better sense of how each team is performing. 

Live betting often includes features like bet editing or early cash out, where you can settle your bet early and receive an adjusted return — usually to lock in a smaller win or minimize a loss. And with the average NFL game taking over three hours to complete, live betting is an excellent way to stay involved and bet on the fly as the match proceeds. 

Special Event Odds and Promotions

Plenty of NFL betting sites offer unique promotions or enhanced odds during different phases of the season. For example, it’s common to find different offers pop up during the preseason, regular season, and playoffs. 

You might see promotions that run for the duration of the NFL season too. FanDuel, for example, offers the Super Win Bonus. To qualify, you’ll have to place a straight preseason wager on a team to win the Super Bowl. For every match they win during the regular season, you’ll receive some bonus bet credit. 

Pinnacle events like the Pro Bowl Games and Super Bowl are another fantastic time to pick up a promotion — who could forget Gronk’s infamous Kick of Destiny in collaboration with FanDuel — so keep your eyes peeled and be sure to subscribe to your sportsbook’s marketing emails.

Types of NFL Promotions

Before betting on an NFL match, it’s worth checking out if there are any promotions to take advantage of. These come in a variety of formats, and we’ve explained a few below.

• Event Specific Welcome Offers – You’ll see plenty of new player offers geared towards the NFL throughout its run, like free bets or enhanced odds to use on particular games. 
• Matched Deposits – If you’re looking to get some extra mileage out of your betting budget, a matched deposit will quite literally match your qualifying deposit by a certain percentage up to a certain limit. 100% is a common amount you’ll see, which effectively doubles your bankroll.
• Risk-Free Bets – Also known as money back bets or bet insurance, these offers see you receive your stake back as a free bet if your qualifying bet is unsuccessful. While you won’t be able to withdraw the free bet stake, it might mitigate some of the sting of your losing wager. 
• Free Bets – As simple as they come, free bets are a type of bet token which can be used to place a wager without staking your own money. They’re often awarded to new customers when they make a qualifying bet, but are routinely handed out in the lead-up to major events like the Super Bowl as well. While you can’t cash out the free credit itself, you’ll get to keep any profit resulting from a winning free bet. 
• Enhanced Odds – Enhanced odds offer improved payouts on winning bets. Often, the sportsbook will select certain markets to receive longer odds, or you may get a token which can be applied to a bet of your choosing. 

Frequently Asked Questions