Basketball Review

Introduction to Basketball Betting

Basketball is one of the four main betting sports in North America, in addition to American football, ice hockey and baseball. It is also played in Europe where there are strong domestic leagues in several countries. Betting is not prevalent in the UK where football (soccer) dominates sports betting and coverage in the media. The NBA brings together 30 teams which are mainly major-city franchises. The sport is also played to a high level in college leagues. The best players in the NBA are paid huge salaries. The draft process allocates players to each franchise at the start of the season.

Betting Events

The NBA dominates basketball betting. Matches are shown live on television, and there is huge interest in the media and amongst the sporting and betting public. The play-off series culminates in a seven-match final that identifies the NBA champions. Customers can bet on matches in the six Divisions and two Conferences. College matches also generate a great deal of betting interest. Fixtures and outright betting is popular for the main domestic leagues in Europe. The Euroleague brings together the best teams from each country. It is the equivalent of the Champions League in football. Basketball is an Olympic sport, and there are men’s and women’s competitions.

Betting Types

The NBA main betting markets appear a few days before each match. The opening odds are compiled by handicappers in Las Vegas. Bookmakers take the odds feeds and change the betting when there is significant injury news. If a renowned tipster recommends a bet, the odds will shift in the relevant market. The scoring system is made for in-play betting because there are scores every few seconds and fluctuations in the momentum of the play. Bookmakers offer odds on the outright winner of the NBA and Divisions and Conferences.

Basketball Markets

Bookmakers publish the match odds for each fixture with a link to the related markets which total over 60. The main categories are Team, Quarter and Half props which are the equivalent of specials with European bookmakers. The most popular markets are the Money Line, Spread and Total. These options are the equivalent of the match winner, totals and handicaps with UK-facing bookmakers. Customers can bet on more exotic markets that offer the potential for a decent return for a small. For example, the number of points scored by a specific player attracts betting interest. The winner of the NBA is one of the most popular ante-post bets.