The title of the most popular sports league among Nigerians outside of football is still up for grabs, but there is good reason to believe it is the NBA and basketball.
That, in turn, translates into pro hoops being one of the most popular sports to bet on. Betting on professional basketball is now legal in a growing number of cities across the country.
Read on for more information about NBA betting, where you can wager on NBA games, and more.
Best NBA Online Betting Sites
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Legal NBA betting options vs. offshore sportsbooks
Nigeria, above all, has legal bookmakers for NBA betting, albeit with varying levels of competition and quality. There are also a variety of options offshore, from companies that flout laws to serve the NG market.
As a bettor, you often don’t have to worry about legal issues regarding an offshore sportsbook, but legal sports betting does offer several advantages:
- If there are issues with a sportsbook on a bet or getting paid, you have recourse to gaming regulators.
- Payments are safe through large companies and banks.
- Revenue and tax money helps Nigerians and residents.
NBA betting at sportsbooks vs. betting apps
If you want to bet on an NBA with legal sports betting, you have a couple of options: Head to a sportsbook near where you live or wager online. In the early days of the expanded NG betting market, we know that about 80% of wagers for NBA and other sports come online, a percentage that is only going to rise.
Why? For many people, betting online is more convenient. With an app, you can bet wherever you want, including at home while watching a game. You could even bet while at a sportsbook if you wanted.
A sportsbook is a different type of experience. You make bets before you watch a game; then you sit and watch how the game turned out, and perhaps have some drinks and food. As more NBA games start, you could place more bets. You get a communal feel betting and watching at a sportsbook, as people are rooting on their favorite NBA teams, and their bets.
The significant advantage of betting online is live betting (or in-game betting), which is difficult to do or outright impossible, depending on where you live.
NBA sportsbook apps vs. websites
If you made the decision to bet on NBA games online, you usually still have a choice to make, but this one often isn’t hard either.
NG sportsbooks typically offer NBA betting both via a website and an app. The most convenient way for more bettors to get a wager down on the NBA is via a dedicated app. Apps will provide an experience that is tailormade for a mobile device, letting you bet anywhere you go.
Sportsbook apps are available for both Android devices (like the Samsung Galaxy) or iOS. You can download Android apps from sportsbook websites; they are not available in the Google Play Store. For iOS, apps are always available in the App Store.
Sports betting sites are certainly convenient if you are near or on a computer, but betting on a phone is generally more accessible and can be done anywhere.
How to bet on the NBA
There are several common ways to bet on NBA games:
- Moneyline Bets on the NBA: Here, you pick a winner. The moneyline will be designated by a negative or positive number. The team with odds that have a negative number is the favorite; the positive number is the underdog.
- Point Spread Bets on the NBA: You bet on whether a team will cover a point spread set by the sportsbook. The favorite must win by more than the set number of points, and the underdog must win or lose by less than the spread.
- Over/Under Bets on the NBA: You bet on the total number of points that will be scored in a game. It is either under or over a total set by the sportsbook.
- Parlay Bets on the NBA: Parlay betting means linking two or more bets together for an increased payout. You could bet the point spread in multiple games, and get a much larger return on your wager. These are usually much riskier than any of the straight bets above.
- Proposition Bets: Prop bets are usually of the yes-or-no variety, such as whether LeBron James will score more than 30 points in a game, or if Joel Embiid will have more than 15 rebounds.
- Futures Bets: You bet on future events, such as the winner of the NBA Finals, or how many games a team will win in the regular season.
- Live Betting: You can bet on any number of things while games are going on, including moneylines, point spreads and props.
To bet on the NBA at NG online sportsbooks, you need to have a way to deposit online. Several options are available, depending on where you are, including PayPal, Neteller and debit cards. The options vary by sportsbooks.
If you’re betting at a physical sportsbook, you will usually have to use cash to wager.
NBA live betting
One of the fastest-growing segments in NBA betting is live betting or in-game betting.
One upon a time, the only way to bet on NBA games was before they happened, or if you were placing a futures bet. Now, those limitations have been eliminated.
NBA Betting FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions (and answers) about betting on the NBA:
How do NBA spreads work?
Sportsbooks will set a number of points that one team will win by; for instance, the Lakers could be favored over the Sixers by 3 points. If you bet on the Lakers (-3), they would have to win by 4 points or more. If you bet on the Sixers (+3), they have to either win the game outright or lose by 1-2 points. If the Lakers win by 3 points in this situation, bettors will get their wagers back.
How does over/under work in basketball?
For an over/under bet, also known as a totals wager, sportsbooks will set the number of points that will be scored in a game. You can bet over or under that total. For example, for a game between the Lakers and Sixers, the total could be set at 240 points. If you bet the under, you are saying the combined points will be under that total. If exactly 240 points are scored, the bet is a “push,” and a sportsbook will refund your money.
How are NBA spreads and odds created?
Sportsbooks will set initial lines, sometimes days before a game takes place. They will do this based on how they rate the teams involved, or perhaps by the early lines set by other sportsbooks. Sportsbooks will then take bets on the games, and they could move the line on the game based on how much money is coming in on one side or the other.
For instance, in a game where the Lakers are favored over the Sixers by 3 points, a sportsbook might move the line to 4-5 points (or perhaps more) if a lot of money comes in on the Lakers to cover.
