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NBA Betting Guide How to bet on the NBA online

Are you new to the world of sports betting?
Wondering how you can bet on the NBA?
You can bet on the NBA in four easy steps:

Step 1 Check if NBA betting is legal in your state

Online NBA betting is legal in most states where online sports betting is legal and regulated.

Every state has its own regulations so we recommend you to double-check yours to see if NBA betting is legal in your state.

Licensed NBA betting partners like Unibet comply with the online sports betting regulations in most states.

You can bet on the NBA on our sports betting site if you live in:

  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Indiana
  • Virginia
  • Arizona
  • Iowa

Step 2 Visit an NBA betting site or download an NBA betting app

Now that you are 100% sure that NBA betting is legal in your state it's time to move on to step two.

Check out a legal NBA betting site like Unibet and get a feel for the latest NBA odds and betting offers.

You'll also find our NBA betting app on our website.

Betting apps make it easier for you to bet on live NBA games while you're watching the game!

Step 3 Sign Up

You can check out the latest NBA odds and betting lines for free on online sportsbooks.

But If you want to place a bet online, you need to sign up and make a quick deposit.

Your deposits are usually processed instantly on Unibet.

You can sign up with Unibet in less than 90 seconds.

When you sign up with our betting site, you also get a free $500 RISK FREE BET!

Step 4 Place your first bet!

That's it!
Now you're all set to make your first NBA bet online.
We told you it was going to be easy!

Welcome offer

Grab Your $500 Risk Free Bet!*

*New players only. Bonuses may differ by region.Terms & conditions apply. 21+

How does NBA betting work?

Let’s get real.
When you think of basketball betting you’re probably thinking of the NBA!
When it comes to NBA betting you just need to keep two things on your mind:

  1. What are NBA Odds and how they work.
  2. The different types of NBA bets.

We’ll answer these questions quickly so that you can start betting on NBA games in no time!

What are NBA odds and how they work

NBA Odds tell us two things:

  1. The probability of an event during an NBA game or during the NBA season
  2. The amount of money you can win if you win your bet.

This is what NBA odds look like in most sportsbooks in the US:

NBA Moneyline odds for the Suns vs Magic Game

These are also called NBA moneylines, NBA betting lines or NBA vegas odds.

The team with the minus (-) sign are the favorites.
In our example, the Suns are the favorites with odds of -295.
If you need to bet $295 to win $100.

The team with plus (+) sign are the underdogs.
In our example, this would be the Magic.
If you drop a $100 on the Magic and they win, you’ll win $240 and get back your hundo for a total payout of $340.

As you can see betting on the underdogs in the NBA gets you a better payout.

NBA Public Betting : The Influence of the General Public

Are you wondering what does public betting mean in the NBA?
The favorite in an NBA is called the public betting option.

If you choose to bet on the favorite in the NBA game, you’ll be betting with the public.
If you choose to bet on the underdog in the NBA game, you’ll be fading the public or betting against the public.

Many bettors choose to bet against the public for NBA games because you get better odds if you bet on the underdog.

We’ll give you some intel on NBA public betting on our NBA betting guide, so stay tuned for that!

The different types of NBA bets

#1 NBA Moneyline Bets

Now that you know how NBA odds work, you’re ready for your first NBA bet.

NBA moneylines are the easiest bets.
All you need to is to pick the winner after you check the NBA betting lines.

#1 NBA Spreads

Want an option to increase those moneyline odds?
Then you’re going to love betting on NBA point spreads!

What’s an NBA point spread?
We’ll answer by showing you a spread for a Celtics vs Hornets game:

NBA Spreads for Celtics and the Hornets

In our example, you can see the odds on the far right for both outcomes (-110).
The 7.5 here is the spread.
The team with - sign are the favorites.
The team with + sign for the spread the underdogs.

A spread of -7.5 for the Celtics means that they are favorites to win by at least 8 points.
So, we decided to give the hornets an advantage of 7.5 points.

If you bet on the Celtics and they win by eight or more points, they’ll have covered the spread and you’ll win the bet.

You can choose to bet against this NBA spread if you drop a bet on the underdogs.

If you bet on the Hornets, and they either win the game or lose by fewer by 8 points, you win this NBA spread bet.

#3 NBA over under bets

NBA Overs and Under bets are bets placed on whether or not the total points during the game will be over a certain number.

This number is called the points line.
Check out this NBA over/under:

NBA over/under or total points bet

The points line is set at 236.5.
If you bet on over 236.5, you’ll win your bet if the total points will be at least 237.

If you bet on under 236.5, you’ll win your bet if the total points will be less than 237.
The odds for both outcomes are -110.

NBA teaser bets

Are you happy with those NBA odds?
If aren't, you can do something about it.

That green circle at the bottom of the screenshot is a slider.

Move it from left to right and you will see other options.
Here - we’ve done it for you.

NBA Total points bet

We’ve moved the over/under line to 239 and hallelujah!
We have better NBA odds now!

These are called NBA teasers.
Use can use teasers for many different bets on Unibet.

One final point about NBA over/under bets before we move on.

In over/unders where the line is set on a whole number like 239 you can get a third outcome.

That third outcome is a push.
This happens if the game ends exactly on the line (239 in our example).
When you get a push you get your money back.

#4 NBA Prop Bets

Wondering what's a prop bet?

A prop is short for proposition bet,
Think of an NBA prop bet as a ‘what will happen’ bet.

When you’re betting on NBA games you’ll find two types of prop bets:

NBA Game Props

These are NBA props where you bet on things that might happen during the game.

Here are some examples of NBA game props on Unibet:

• Team to win Each Quarter
• Highest Scoring Quarter
• Total Points - Odd or Even?

NBA Player Props

NBA player props are props based around individual players.

You bet on which player might score the highest

  • Total Number of Points
  • Total Number of Assists
  • Total Number of Rebounds

You can also bet on whether a player will score over or under a certain number of points.

Check out this NBA player prop bet we had on Jaylen Brown:

NBA player prop bets explained

#5 NBA parlays

A parlay is bet where you combine multiple NBA bets into a big bet.

You can make make your picks for an NBA parlay across multiple games or make your picks in a single NBA game.

Here’s what a single game NBA parlay looks like:

NBA 2 Leg Parlay

For this NBA parlay our first pick is Jaylen Brown to score over 23.5 points.

The second pick in our parlay is a moneyline on the Celtics.

Each pick in this parlay is called a leg.
This would be a 2 leg NBA parlay because we have two picks for this one.

For us to win this parlay both our picks need to be a winner.

Now, we’re going to show you what a multi game NBA parlay looks like:

3 leg NBA parlay

For this parlay, we built a 3-leg parlay across three NBA games.

All three of our picks for this NBA parlay are moneyline bets.

One of our picks includes a bet on the Hawks who are underdogs.

If we win this parlay we’ll walk out with $56.69 from a bet of 10 bucks.

That’s why bettors love parlays in the NBA , with that high risk they get a sweet payout!

NBA parlay promos and offers!

Looking for some offers on NBA parlay picks?

Check out our parlay offers on Unibet and use it for your next NBA parlay!

Boost your cash with our parlay boosts!*

*Bonuses may differ by region.Terms & conditions apply. 21+

#5 NBA Future Bets 

Dust off that crystal ball because it’s time to take a look into the future.

A Futures bet looks beyond upcoming NBA games.

Here are some examples of NBA future bets you’ll see on Unibet:

  • NBA Overall Champion
  • Divisional Winners
  • Conference Winners
  • MVP

🔥Hot Tip: Get on Early

The earlier you get in with your futures bet, the higher NBA odds you’ll find.

That’s because when the NBA regular is close to ending, it’s easier for oddsmakers to know which teams are more likely to make it to the playoffs or win the NBA championship because they have all that sweet data on each team!

If you’re as crazy about history as we are you might know about the biggest upsets in the NBA.

Let’s go back to 1975 when the Warriors won their first NBA championship by humiliating the Washington Bullets in a four-game sweep.

You might not remember that far back but look it up - it’s a good one!

Nearer to home, Canada’s finest the Toronto Raptors were given little chance of their first NBA Championship in 2019.

One day before the 2019 playoffs kicked off, The Raptors were given odds close to +1200 to win the Championship.

If you dropped a 100 bucks on the Raptors you’d walk away with $1300.

Imagine the NBA odds you might have seen for the Raptors earlier in the season!

NBA Betting Tips And Strategies

You’ve got your different types of NBA bets and you’ve found some crazy NBA odds on Unibet.

Now let’s look at how you can tilt those odds in your favor!

You should always do your own research but it would help if we gave you some NBA betting tips - right?

#Tip 1: Essential Research

Are you wondering what you should be looking into when you are about to place start betting on the NBA online?

Here are a few things we recommend you look up when you’re about to make your NBA betting picks, especially for parlays:

  • Form: Look up the recent form of the NBA teams you want to bet on.
    How are the teams performing in recent weeks?

     

  • Head to Head Results: Have those teams already played each other this season?

     

    If so, what was the head to head result, and what’s the likelihood of a repeat?

     

  • Results at Home Versus Results on the Road : Most teams tend to do better at home but teams can often buck this tend or do better against a team away from home.

     

  • Injuries: Even before they get to the Playoffs, teams are set to play 82 games in the regular season.

     

    Matches are packed into a tight schedule and injuries and other absences can play a part.

#Tip 2: Look at the public betting option

Check the public view: We know that they will not be right 100% of the time but they will point to the team who seems most likely to win.

It can be a shortcut to finding a likely winner even if the result isn’t guaranteed.

See what the public thinks and then make up your own mind.

This one’s an easy one if you want to drop a moneyline bet on the NBA.

Sometimes, your research might tell you that the underdog has a better shot for a game.

Don’t be afraid to bet on the underdog and bet against the public if you find a game like that because as we said earlier, betting on the underdog can get you some crazy odds!

#Tip 3: Pick Your NBA Parlays Carefully!

When it comes to NBA betting, parlay bets can give you the bigger payouts but that payout comes with a big risk.

Make sure you do your research when you make your picks for your NBA parlays!

Remember that even if one if your picks fail in your NBA parlay, you’ll lose your bet.

#Tip 4: Make the Most of your NBA betting Promos on Unibet!

If you’re looking for some NBA betting offers and promotions, you’re in the right place!

For starters, you get a welcome bonus on our sportsbook!

Our welcome bonus is a free bet.
You can use this free bet on any event you want including the NBA!

You can also find a lot of limited time betting promos and offers for the NBA on our website.

We also send you personalized NBA betting on your email if you sign up to receive our promotions on your email.

If you liked our NBA betting tips make sure you check our NBA playoffs betting and NBA finals betting pages for more quality intel!

Welcome offer

Grab Your $500 Risk Free Bet!*

*New players only. Bonuses may differ by region.Terms & conditions apply. 21+