The NFL is the premier American Football league, and in North America, and sportsbooks take more betting handle from the NFL than any other league in the world. The Super Bowl alone this year took in $6 billion in debts, an unprecedented amount of money! The NFL has gained popularity across the world as well, recently playing games in London and Mexico.

The recent boom in online and mobile sports betting combined with the popularity of fantasy football and daily fantasy sports has catapulted the NFL into the spotlight of the gambling industry. As more states in America legalize sports betting, the bigger the sports betting world will get. If you want to join millions of Americans and millions more around the world, in betting on American Football, this is the guide for you!

Once you have signed up for an online sportsbook and are ready to start betting on American Football, take a second to educate yourself before diving head first into a new sport. There is no worse feeling for a sports bettor than to gamble away their bankroll before even getting through week one of the NFL season. As with anything that involves your hard-earned money, take the time to make sure you get to keep betting with that money for a long time. Here are a few tips that we find helpful for any new bettor trying to get into American Football.

Tip#1: Set your Limits: This should really apply for all sports, not just American Football. One of the biggest mistakes made by new sports bettors is to not limit their bets when they first start playing. Use proportional betting to help your bankroll last and avoid bets with low odds but high payouts like parlay bets. Stick to single game bets and a percentage of your bankroll each time. There is also a tendency for bettors to overbet on NFL Sundays because most games only happen once a week. There are also prime time games on Monday and Thursday nights, but a majority of the teams play on Sundays so bettors tend to treat Sundays as a special event. Stick to your process and do not over bet even if there are 15 games on at the same time on Sunday.

Tip#2: Learn the language of sports betting: Take a little time to do some research and learn the lingo and language of the sports betting industry. There are also different ways to read odds like decimal odds, fractional odds, or American odds. Learn the different types of bets: money lines, point spreads, point totals, all of these take a different type of skill but educate yourself on the ins and outs of betting types to give yourself a chance of being profitable in the long run. Learning just the basics before you start betting can help save the money you may have otherwise thrown away.

Tip#3: Learn the game: American Football is an amazing game to watch but the rules are convoluted and confusing at the best of times. The scoring system is also unorthodox with scores counting as three or seven points, with various other ways to score points as well. So learn the game. Learn the rules, the scoring system, the strategies, and even game situations. Knowing each teams’ strengths and weaknesses can give you a phenomenal edge when betting American Football.

Tip#4: Bet what you are good at: This makes too much sense doesn’t it? But you would be surprised at how many sports bettors try and make bets on things they do not even understand. If you are good at point spreads, keep betting on point spreads. If you are bad with totals, then don’t bet on totals! Watching NFL or NCAA Football games can give you a huge advantage in understanding how odds and lines are made by sportsbooks. Try and learn how teams perform, especially if on the road or on a back to back. These edges can go a long way in helping you stay profitable.

If you sign up with a reputable online sportsbook to bet on American Football, there should be no issue in using any of the major payment methods. The three main payment methods that are accepted almost universally are as follows:

Credit Cards: Straight forward and probably the most common way that players can deposit right into their accounts. All of the major companies are usually accepted including Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Keep in mind that some credit cards do not allow the cardholder to make purchases on gambling sites, so be aware of any such issues before reaching for that credit card.

Debit Cards/Bank Transfer: Same idea here, except that debit cards, can be used instead of a credit card. A bank transfer is a direct debit from your personal bank account and is just as fast as paying by credit card and generally has a higher success rate for transactions than credit cards.

PayPal: PayPal is another popular money transfer company, but you do need to sign up for an account and link it to a bank account before you try and use it at any online sportsbook. It is safe and easy to use though and has become increasingly used at online websites as a method of payment.

Cryptocurrencies: A new way of depositing funds into your online sportsbook account, keep in mind that not every online sportsbook will accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as a method of currency. For the ones that do, cryptocurrencies can be a fun new way of betting on American Football or any other sport. There are a couple of things to be aware of: you will need to usually create a Bitcoin wallet or cryptocurrency wallet to transfer funds back and forth. The second thing is that cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile. The value of Bitcoin can fluctuate 24 hours a day and you may end up waking up with a smaller bankroll than when you went to sleep if the value of Bitcoin crashes overnight.

So you are new to sports betting and especially new to your online sportsbook. What happens if you have some questions or concerns?

Not to fear! Nearly every online sportsbook provides their players with 24-hour around the clock customer service. Because online sportsbooks and online casinos are open 24 hours a day and seven days per week, there is always some form of customer service available via email, telephone, or an instant chat function.

These customer service representatives can assist you with anything from deposit or withdrawal issues to questions about certain types of games or bet styles.

American Football is played on a rectangular, 120 yards long, 53.3 yards wide field. At any point in the match, the field will have 11 players from each team in offensive or defensive phases. Each team consists of three different group units: the offense, the defense, and special teams units. The offense tries to score points on the opposing team’s defense and vice versa. The goal of the offense is to try and get the football into the other team’s endzone. Special units are deployed in special scenarios, such as ball kicking manoeuvers and similar plays.

Offensive plays are split into downs, of which the offense has four downs to move the ball ten yards, either by rushing or receiving. There are so many more rules and strengths/weaknesses that you should learn before betting on American Football. For a quick How to Play guide, click the banner below and watch the official NFL American Football basics in under 1 minute.

When you are finally ready to start betting online on American Football, it is time to learn about which types of bets you can make and how they may be beneficial to your levels of risk and knowledge. Use the following as a guide to learn the different bet types and how they may work with American Football:

MONEYLINE

The moneyline is the simplest and most straightforward way of looking at and betting a game. The moneyline is quite simply, placing a bet on who you think the winner of the game will be. This can apply to basically any sport and is one of the more popular ways of betting. You will notice that the more lopsided a game is perceived to be, the lower the moneyline odds will be for the favorite team.

MONEYLINE PARLAYS

These are also very popular amongst sports bettors and they are just as they sound. A parlay is a single bet that combines two or more moneyline odds on the same bet to win a larger amount. For the Combo bet to win, all the matches wagered need to win or push (tie). Otherwise, the entire bet is lost. In the event of a push, rescheduled or canceled match, the wager omits that match’s odds and reverts down to the next lowest number.

POINT SPREAD

This may be the most popular way of betting on American Football because it provides higher odds than moneyline bets. The basic premise of a point spread is betting on the difference in points of the final score. Let’s use the Steelers and Chiefs example from above:

           Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-7) 

The (-7) indicates that you are betting on the Chiefs to win by 7 points or more. Alternatively, if you want to be on the Steelers they would be read as (+7) which means they need to finish the game within 7 points of the Chiefs, or they can win outright. Point spread odds pay almost even money for your bet, and are more popular in American Football and basketball.

OVER/UNDER or TOTAL POINTS

This is exactly as it sounds. Your online sportsbook will provide a point total number and you place a bet on whether the total points scored in the game will be higher or lower than that total. You can also bet on individual team totals, or point totals by quarter or by half as well.

PLAYER PROPS

These are an interesting and relatively new way of betting on American Football that focuses on individual player performance, rather than the whole team. For example, you can bet on how many yards Tom Brady will throw for or how many rushing yards Saquon Barkley will have. These can get as specific as will a certain player catches a pass or will the quarterback throw an interception.

FUTURE BETS

Again another segment of the sports betting industry that is gaining popularity. Bettors can place bets on future outcomes such as outright Super Bowl Champion, division winner, conference winner, or team win totals. The best part about betting futures is that players are provided higher odds, the earlier they place their bets.

Which Odds Do You Use?: There are several different types of odds that players can use to determine their bets, but the differences have no effect on the bets or the outcome of the bets.

1. 1. Decimal odds: These are easy to understand mathematically as they are directly proportionate to the amount you bet. If you bet $100 at 1.50 odds you will win $150.
   2. American odds: These are a little bit more difficult to read, but have a similar outcome to Decimal odds. You will notice American odds use (-) or (+) symbols before their numbers.
   3. Fractional odds: Again, similar to decimal odds mathematically but using fractions instead of decimals.

These can all be used depending on the bettor’s preference. Keep in mind that they are not interchangeable as 2.00 in Decimal odds does not equal +200 in American odds and vice versa.

1. The NFL: The biggest and most prominent sports league in North America, the NFL is the preeminent organization for American Football. All 32 teams are based in America, though games are often played overseas like the annual games that are played in London, England. The NFL brings in the most betting handle out of all of the major professional sports leagues, especially for events like the Super Bowl.
2. The NCAA: College football is very popular in America, with over 130 schools in the FBS, which is the most competitive arm of NCAA Football. While some states ban betting on College sports, the NCAA is also very commonly bet on and depending on where you are in the country, it could be more popular than the NFL too.
3. The XFL: This league has been resurrected a couple of times now in its lifecycle and was originally founded by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. It was recently bought by Duane “The Rock” Johnson, but its future is uncertain as the entire season has been cancelled due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Pick the Sport you want to bet on, learn the dynamics of the games, and tap into the best betting strategies developed over the years. Can you build that elusive hot streak? There’s only one way to find out. Always remember, Bet Responsibly, Bet Greatly:

Wondering how the different U.S. States approach sports betting? the KGB team has provided in-depth guides on how various State or County laws stack up on sports betting. Check out the guides below, where we’ll investigate each state and help you in your quest to start Sports Betting: