Basketball Betting Explained

Founded in 1898 and originating from Springfield, Massachusetts, basketball was a sport designed to dissuade athletes from outdoor activity during the winter months while decreasing the probability of injuries caused from American football. At first, this sport was played internationally at YMCA locations before attempting to rise to a professional level with the formation of the NBL, which was later abandoned to form the professional basketball league we know to be the NBA. Surprisingly, the popular sport that enthralls spectators and sports betters took about 24 years from the formation of its first professional league to begin gaining the popularity that it has today. Currently, fans primarily engage in wagering on college basketball betting and professional basketball betting. Unlike American football, basketball has a more international fanbase, which creates more universal popularity. Basketball betting is also notably more complicated regarding handicap betting and point spread betting, which we will discuss later in this article. 

Best Basketball Leagues you can bet on

Since the sport of basketball is internationally followed, there are more diverse league choices to place sports bets on. Professional basketball betting fans can choose teams from the NBA or the Euroleague on most online sports betting sites. College basketball sports betters are limited to US schools in the NCAA league. In terms of popularity, the following teams hold the top 5 place in their leagues: 

Basketball Events you can bet on

Including international games and championships, the top American basketball events that attract sports betters are; the World Cup, Basketball at the Olympic Games, and the NBA Finals.

Ready to bet on Basketball ?  

We would like to start this section with a word of advice. Before engaging in online or in-person sports betting, check the rules and restrictions for your state. In Pennsylvania, for instance, online college and professional basketball sports betting has been legal since 2019. Once legality is established, you can simply type ‘legal online basketball betting’ and include your state in the search bar. Generally, creating an account in any legal sportsbook site is free, and most sites give their betters a form of startup incentive. In basketball betting, the most important factor is which team’s players will shoot better. Professional basketball betting and college basketball betting is perceived as complex because this is impossible to consistently predict. However, one could argue that the complexity of basketball betting is what makes it interesting.