Get your single bets paid out if the team you back goes 20 points ahead - for multiple bets the selection will be marked as a winner with bet365..Applies to pre-game single and multiple bets on the Money Line market for any NBA game up to and including 22nd July 2021. Bet restrictions and T&Cs apply. New and eligible customers only.
Predominantly a sport with a huge following in the USA, basketball has recently reached our bookmakers’ markets with the NBA in particular. With the sport now popular in parts of central Europe and Scandinavia, the UK market has now picked up on its rapid rise to open up some excellent NBA betting offers.
Overall, the USA market can be confusing when you look at sports such as: basketball, baseball and American Football (check out our NFL betting offers); but our guide below is here to help with all the basics and how to get involved with the punting of one of America’s favourite sports.
Basketball is a game of many rules and this can deter some UK punters. Unlike the systematic rules of football and rugby, basketball is a no-contact sport but amazes live crowds with its fast pace and extraordinary antics. Especially in the UK, when we think of basketball, we think of the all-time greats such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and these are no doubt the catalyst for the increase in popularity of basketball across the world.
The most well-known competition of course is the National Basketball Association (NBA) where the likes of these players have made their mark and as a result you will find many bookies offering NBA free bets when it comes to basketball. This league is made up of 32 teams in America and Canada with Toronto Raptors being the only Canadian team in the league. The NBA has been heavily dominated by two individual teams since its inception in 1946 and they are known as Boston Celtics as well as the famous Los Angeles Lakers.
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In recent years, we often now hear about the names of Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard who are currently at the top of their game with the Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers respectively. Curry’s rise to fame over the last few years has seen The Warriors rise into one of the best teams over the last couple of seasons as they won the last five Western Division titles!
Other competitions such as the Olympic Games have also proven popular on TV when aired. The United States have smashed their oppositions in the last 6/7 Olympics with their only loss coming in Athens 2004 with a bronze medal as Argentina claimed gold.
This is also now replicated across Europe with the Euro League which is the highest ranked league in basketball outside of America. This competition has been dominated by Real Madrid in recent years, with the country of Spain being praised for special individuals within their national squad.
CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv have also been very successful in this competition with the Russian side being the current holders of the title
The global attention no doubt raises eyebrows every four years when the Olympics comes around and we will expect another explosion of youngsters looking to get involved next year, especially in the UK. This interest will also capture the attention of hundreds of online bookmakers with plenty of basketball betting offers bound to be available, which will be discussed next!
Bookmakers offer a variety of different basketball bets that you can choose from. One being the obvious outright winner but as the typical basketball game is split into four quarters, you can also partake in quarter betting which is a popular way of gambling in the US.
Paddy Power tends to offer a solid market when it comes to basketball and also offer a solid streaming service on the matches. Their NBA odds as for any sport are respectable and basketball is no different for the Irish-based bookies. As with American sports, outright winners are known as ‘moneyline’ so don’t be put off when you hear about this type of market.
Bet365 look to be leading the market in terms of having basketball betting offers with their ‘NBA Early Payout Offer’. We see this as a huge break in the basketball markets as this essentially means that if your chosen team is winning by 20+ points during the match, you simply win the bet, regardless of the final result.
This early payout offer allows punters to come away with profit before the end of the match! Essentially, if your Toronto Raptors team are winning 32-10 in the first quarter, you will receive your winnings! Remember to read the T&Cs before you Opt In!
Companies such as 888sport, also offer an extensive basketball betting market and often extend this to the European competitions when they come around. Their stats can also make or break a person’s decision in choosing who they want to bet on which is great to see as many bookmakers don’t tend to look into the stats side of the game too often!
Basketball betting tips are usually available 12 months a year and with the sheer number of competitions going on, here are a few tips from ourselves to get you underway!
Currently with SportPesa, you can get odds on the LA Lakers to win the NBA Championship. The Lakers are flying this season and are currently on-top of the NBA Western Conference. Their odds with SportPesa are currently at 4/1 and look to be a current industry best with this price only being offered by BetVictor elsewhere.
Betway are also offering last season’s Euro League winners to retain their title at 7/2! With the popular Real Madrid currently leading the market with odds of 3/1, it could be set to be an absolute classic towards the end of the season with both teams wanting to extend their very successful history.
As discussed before, Betway also offers individual competition markets for basketball which take place on a near daily basis. With matches featuring from the likes of Ukraine, Spain and Turkey there is something to watch at any time of the day!
In addition to this, their specific basketball offer will prove an excellent deal for those who wish to get involved in NBA betting!
