Football runs in the blood of most Americans, and it’s by far the most popular sports for fans and bettors to put their money on. Because teams only play once a weekend, bettors have the opportunity to spend days researching each game, the current trends, and tracking their favorite team’s line movements.

The array of betting options and football betting odds makes it a diverse and exciting sport to put your money on and this is evident in the number of college and pro football bets placed in the US.

If you’re looking to put money on your team (or the opposing team) you should first check out the football betting odds before deciding what kind of bet you are going to place. The most popular betting options for football include:

Betting against the spread: Choose whether the favored team will win by more than the bookies’ set number of points or whether the underdogs will lose by less (or win the game)
Moneyline betting: Betting on who will win
Game totals: Total points in the game
Half/quarter: Place all the above bets within in a specific quarter/half
Prop betting: Bet on other factors like how the first points will be scored, how long the longest field goal will be, etc.
Live betting: Some bookies will allow you to make a bet on specific plays during the game

At BetMGM, we are proud to have a wide array of football betting options. Have a look at our pro football betting odds and place your bet now. You can also bet on all the exciting College Football action here.

Football Betting FAQs

1. How to bet on football?

In football betting, you can either bet on the home team or the away team to win. You can also try your chances at handicap betting in football or spread the bet. This will balance the football betting odds and level the chances between the two teams. For example, in a matchup between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, the Bills are -264 to win and Jets +215. To even out the odds, bookies place a -10.5 point handicap on the Bills. This means that they have to win by 11 points or more in order for a bet on the Bills to be a winning bet.

2. How football betting odds work?

Sportsbooks use odds to even out the bets. This will ensure that sports bettors wager on both teams by leveling the playing field. This is done because one team could be overwhelmingly better than the other. Therefore, sportsbooks will make sure that odds are placed on the underdog too. For example, in the case of Indianapolis and Cincinnati, bettors will know that the former is superior to the latter. Although to cover the sportsbooks, bets will need to be placed on Cincinnati too. When you wish to place bets on a game, you will see the point spread, moneyline, and total. There is a relationship between the spread and the money line, with the exact relationship varying depending on the book.

3. How to bet the spread in football?

Betting the spread in online sports betting is one of the most popular ways to bet. You’ll notice that point spreads are usually set at -110 odds. This is known as the sportsbook’s house edge. For example, with the football betting odds set at -110, you’ll have to wager $110 to win $100. The favorite team in the matchup must win by a certain number of points for you to win the bet if you placed odds on them. The underdog will also accumulate points, and bettors who backed the underdog will also see some profit if the underdog loses by less than the spread.

4. What is the over/under bet in football?

Also known as the totals bet, it is the combined score of both football teams in a matchup. Sportsbooks will predict a number for a statistic in a game, including overtime if necessary. Bettors will need to predict whether the final points scored will be over or under a certain threshold. You are tasked to predict whether the total score will be higher or lower than the number set by the oddsmaker. For example, a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys has a total set at 48.5. You will need to predict whether the game’s final score is going to be over 49 or under 48 points.

5. How does handicap betting work in football?

In matches where there is a perceived difference in strength between the two teams, handicap betting can be used to counter the unequal matchup. This is done so that bettors can level the playing field and get better value odds. Sportsbook casinos will do this so that both teams will be available to bet on at the same or similar prices. You will need to add the score of the game to the handicap to see if you have a winning bet. In handicap betting, the favorite team must win by more than the handicap set for you to win.

For example, the New England Patriots are favorites against the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots have -4 points, while the Cowboys start the game with +4 points. In order for the Patriots to cover the spread, they would have to win by 5 points or more.

6. How to make a football betting pool?

Depending on the pool, you might not require many skills. You will need to find people who would like to participate. To make things easy, start with the grid-pool. It is the simplest betting pool to do. You’ll need a 10x10 blank grid which equals 100 squares. One team is assigned to the columns while another team is assigned to the rows. You can then decide how much to sell each square for. The prizes are awarded based on the final number of the score at the end of the game. You can also create your own rules for winning the prizes, based on half-time and final scores.

7. Can you bet on preseason?

Yes, you can bet on the pro football preseason. Bettors can bet on a total of 64 games before the regular season starts. Betting on the pro football preseason is considered tough, however. It’s challenging to call because of the way the teams approach these games. As there is not much at stake for the teams, predicting strategies is not as simple. Preseason differs due to the team’s motivation, starting lineups, substitutions, and playing style. A tip for betting on preseason games includes assessing the team’s motivation. Try and see what the two teams are setting out to achieve from a game. This will help you better predict the outcome of the game.

8. How do you bet the moneyline in football?

You will need to choose a pro football team or player to win. The favorite team or player on the moneyline is the team that’s expected to win. After looking at the moneyline odds, you will know who the favorite team is and who the underdog is in the game. The favorite team will have negative odds and the underdog will have positive odds. You will need to handicap the game and establish which side you’re favoring.

For example, let’s look at a pro football matchup with tight odds:

New York Jets +100
New England Patriots -120

In this matchup, the Patriots are favorites to win, but the gap in odds is important when choosing who to place your bet on.