How to Bet on Football Games Online in 2025

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Your parlay betting payout odds will be determined by combining them all from the collective games. And your original stake will be based off of that. Again, you will need to get every bet correct in order to receive a real money payout on a parlay.

Moneyline Bets

Moneyline bets are one of the most simple to understand and are often popular among newer football bettors who are just learning how to bet on football and getting used to things.

For moneyline bets, all you need to do is place a real money wager on who you believe will win the game. Each team will be given payout odds that represent what your reward would be for winning your bet.

For example, let’s say that you are looking to bet on a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals. The payout odds may look something like this:

In this scenario, the Arizona Cardinals are favored with payout odds of -205 (the team with a negative payout is always the favorite to win, meaning you will make less off of that wager than you would off the winning bet for the underdog team).

For example, let’s say that you placed a $100 wager on Arizona winning the game. If they won, you would win an additional $48.78, making your total payout $148.78.

However, let’s say that you made the exact same wager, but for Cincinnati. If they won, your winnings would be $205, or a total payout of $305.

This example featured some tight payout odds, meaning that the game has no clear and obvious winner that can be predicted.

For extremely uneven matchups, it is not uncommon to see the winning team have payout odds greater than -500. The higher the number after the negative symbol, the less that bet will pay out due to its ability to be easily predicted.

Either way, all you need to do when you bet on football is pick which team you predict will be the winner. Then, you can sit back and watch.

Over/Under Bets

You have likely heard of over and under bets before but may not be exactly sure what they mean. Let’s take a closer look at these football bet types.

Online sportsbooks will provide projected total points for every football game. For example, let’s say that you want to bet on the upcoming game of the Cleveland Browns against the Baltimore Ravens, and the sportsbook provides a total of 28.5.

This means that if you were to bet on the under, the total score of the game would need to be 28 or less for you to win. Alternatively, those betting on the over will require a total score of 29 or higher to win. Sportsbooks always provide total scores with a decimal to ensure a tie cannot take place.

Once you place your bet, all you need to do is watch the game and try not to yell at the television.

Spread Bets

Also known as “betting the spread,” spread bets are another extremely popular type of football bets.

The “spread” refers to the number of points that an individual team is expected to win or lose by. For example, let’s say that you want to be on the upcoming game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Miami Dolphins. The spread may look like this:

In this example, the Raiders are favored to win by 6 and a half, meaning that if you place a wager on them winning, or “covering the spread,” they need to win by at least 7 points for you to win your bet.

Even if you bet on the Raiders winning, and they manage to pull off a last-minute field goal to win, you would lose your bet because they failed to cover the spread.

Half-points are added to eliminate the possibility of a tie happening.

Prop Bets

Football prop bets, also known as propositional betting, are unique wagers that add a lot of fun and excitement to football betting. And the best part is that both new and experienced sports bettors can wager on them because many are based on pure luck and do not require any football knowledge in order to be successful.

For example, one of the most popular types of prop bets is betting on which team will win the coin toss at the beginning of the game. Obviously, this is a 50/50 bet, and there is no way to accurately predict how the coin will land.

Other examples of prop bets include:

• Betting on which team will score first
• Betting on which team will penalize first or have more penalties throughout the game
• Betting on the total passing/rushing/receiving yards by either one team or both

Prop bets are typically placed on their own ticket, and you can add as many as you like to spice up your real money football betting.

Futures Bets

Futures bets are ideal for patient sports bettors who have a good sense of how something will go long before it happens.

For example, one extremely popular futures bet is betting on who will play in the Super Bowl before the new season even starts. Obviously, these are some of the toughest outcomes to predict, so the payouts for guessing correctly are typically very attractive.

If you take it a step further and can manage to predict who will win the season before it starts, then you will really be making bank. And this payout only increases with the more details you can accurately predict, such as:

• How much the winning team will win by
• Who will be the winning team
• Who will win Super Bowl MVP

Live Betting

Live betting is one of the most popular forms of betting and is loved by many sports bettors out there. As the name suggests, live betting allows you to make wager on several aspects of the football game while it is live.

The betting lines for these types of bets are always shifting, so timing is everything. If you are an avid football fan and are good at predicting upcoming plays or trends in a game, then live betting will suit you perfectly.

Football Leagues You Should Bet on

• NFL
• NCAA
• CFL

NFL

The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular professional football league for both football watchers and bettors. It features some of the most lucrative and popular bets on the market!

Almost any online sportsbook that you find will offer NFL betting, as its popularity provides them with the opportunity to create an unbelievable amount of different prop bets that they can offer. For example, some of the most popular aspects of the NFL that people bet on includes:

• NFL passing touchdown leader
• NFL game of the year
• NFL defensive player of the year
• NFL comeback players of the year
• NFL best record

The list goes on, and new prop bets are popping up on NFL betting sites each and every season as the dynamic of the league continues to shift.

NCAA

The NCAA is another great football league to bet on and has more teams total than any other football league on this list.

NCAA football betting also features really loose betting lines, meaning you can find some extreme value in simple bet types if you take the time to search around and find them.

College football betting for real money is extremely popular throughout the country, and features some of the most exciting games that fans could ask for throughout the year. If you consider yourself a true football fan, you should try betting on college football.

CFL

Although the CFL (Canadian Football League) is not nearly as big as the NFL or NCAA, it still draws a lot of attention from bettors. And CFL betting sites are always packed with great value betting odds and exciting prop bets.

However, if you are planning on betting on the CFL for real money, you should be aware that the game is played a bit differently than it is in the NFL. For example, any football fan can tell you that in the NFL, the offense has 4 plays to gain 10 yards in order to secure a first down. In the CFL, there are only 3 downs, which will obviously have a huge effect on the way you bet on their games.

Other key differences between the CFL and NFL include:

• Field Size – The NFL plays on a 100-yard field, where the CFL plays on a field of 110 yards.
• Players on the Field – In the NFL, only 11 players from each team are on the field at one time. In the CFL, this number goes up to 12, likely due to the increased field size.
• End Zone Size – The end zone in the CFL is 30 yards long, which is much bigger than the 10 yards allowed in the NFL. This means that receivers in the CFL have more room to evade defenders and find openings in the field.

Things to Consider When Betting on Football

Making a bet on a football game requires much more consideration other than just who you think will come out on top. In fact, there is a long growing list of factors that will affect the outcome of the game.

Injured Players

Injuries can make a huge difference in a football game at any level. This is especially true when one of the star players from a team has to sit the game out.

Certain positions will affect the game more than others. For example, losing a tight end to injury would not impact a team as much as losing their starting quarterback would. An injured running back could mean that a team is going to throw more, creating opportunities for higher scoring, more interceptions, and even other injuries. When you’re learning how to bet on football, staying updated on players’ injuries can net you more accurate predictions in the long run.

Weather Forecasts

A little bit of rain or snow can make a massive difference in not only the total points scored in a game, but the outcome of it as well.

Bad weather forces football teams to alter their game strategy. For example, a football game being played in the pouring rain will likely cause the following shifts in gameplay:

• Quarterbacks will throw for less yards
• Wide receivers will not have as many catches
• Running backs will have an increased workload
• Kickers will not have great footing
• Referees can miss calls due to low visibility

It is unfortunate when bad weather influences a football game, but that is part of the sport after all. And you need to take that into consideration when betting on football for real money.

Home Team Advantage

Take this one with a grain of salt because every home stadium has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, but it still always makes a little bit of a difference in every game. This can be especially true during even matchups, where not one team is considered a clear favorite.

Football Betting Guide for Beginners: Quick Tips

If you are completely new to football betting, then you may be a little nervous starting out. After all, real money betting can be intimidating for those that have never tried it, as the idea of losing money is always a cause for concern in everyone.

However with some basic betting tips, you can get yourself on the fast track to becoming an experienced bettor. Here are some tips on how to bet on football online for those of you that are new to betting:

• Create More Than One Account
• Establish a Betting Budget
• Keep It Simple
• Do Your Research
• Be Patient, Mistakes Happen

Create More Than One Account

When it comes to gaining experience and finding the best possible payouts for your wagers, there is no better course of action than creating more than one account with different football betting sites. Creating more than one real money betting account has several perks, such as:

• The ability to line shop and find the best payouts
• Access to a wider variety of bet types overall
• More chances to experiment with wagers

If you decide to create more than one betting account with different sportsbooks, the biggest thing you will need to keep track of is your real money budget.

Establish a Betting Budget

One of the worst mistakes you can make when getting started with football betting for real money is not having an established betting budget for all of your wagers. You would be surprised how quickly your funds can disappear when you are not tracking all your wins and losses.

This is why you should only deposit what you are willing to lose into your real money betting account, and come up with a strategy each week for how much of your budget will go to each bet. While some bettors prefer to spread their budget over several bets, others swear by putting all your eggs in one basket and placing a large wager.

Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you are keeping track of your wins and losses, and never wagering more than what you can afford to lose.

Keep It Simple

Do not try and over complicate your football betting strategy. Instead, keep it simple and learn about the different bet types individually.

It goes without saying that you should never place a wager that you do not fully understand. And although this may seem obvious, you would be surprised how many new bettors get confused when filling out a prop bet or accumulator bet and end up betting on something that they have never heard of. This may be harmless if you only wager a small amount, but you could be making a huge mistake if wagering large amounts of money.

Do Your Research

Research is one of the best ways to find good value bets as a new football bettor, and there are many great resources out there that can help you. Even just a quick Google search can help guide you in the right direction.

Some of the best things to research as a new football bettor include:

• Different bet types
• Betting lines
• Payouts
• Accepted payment options

The internet will provide you with all of the football betting strategy that you could ever need, so take advantage of it and improve your bets immediately.

Be Patient, Mistakes Happen

Do not get discouraged if you lose a few bets. Instead, be patient, and use your losses as a learning experience for your future betting. Even the best bettors in the world still lose bets but have learned enough to make up for it with their winnings.

Football Betting Do’s and Don’ts

Aside from your basic beginner football betting tips, there are some general do’s and don’ts that you should know about.

Do’s

Don’ts

Football Betting Glossary

Betting Term	Definition
Against the Spread (ATS)	A betting result that involves the given point spread for a game.
Bad Beat	Bad luck; someone on a losing streak.
Chalk Team	The team that is the favorite to win a matchup.
Cover	Also known as covering the spread. Refers to a winning bet, meaning you “covered.”
Dime	A $1,000 wager.
Dog	The underdog in a matchup.
Hedge	Betting on the favored side of the wager to try and guarantee a small payback.
Juice	Commission collected from bets by the football betting site’s sportsbook.
No action	A bet that is cancelled for any reason. Bettors are returned their original wager.
Parlay	A bet type; also known as an accumulator.
Side	Short for a side bet, where you simply choose a team to win a matchup.
Total	The total projected number of points scored in a game. You can bet over or under on this figure.

Football Betting FAQ