The NFL is the pinnacle of American football. One of the greatest sporting leagues on Earth, NFL games are watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world, with many of those people getting involved by placing bets on their favorite team.
Louisiana Online Sportsbooks for NFL Betting
Here in Louisiana, the locals are no strangers to NFL betting, thanks to a number of high-quality Louisiana online sportsbooks that allow you to bet on the Super Bowl, playoffs, Pro Ball, post-season, and more.
Whether you’re looking to place a wager on the New Orleans Saints or any of the other superstar NFL teams and players out there, here’s what you need to know.
Most Popular Betting Types for NFL Wagers
The NFL is the most popular American sport to bet on. The season takes place from September to February and claims most of the country’s attention on Sunday afternoons during this time frame. To learn more about betting on the sport, we cover the 3 most popular ways to bet on the NFL.
Point Spread – The point spread is the most popular NFL bet and is used commonly when one team is a heavy favorite over another. For example, if the Buffalo Bills were playing the Houston Texans, you may see the Bills at -14 and the Texans at +14. You would either take the Bills with the hopes that they would win by more than 14 or the Texans with the hopes that they would win or lose by less than 14. A Bills win by 14 points would result in a push, which would mean bettors would get a refund.
Moneyline – Another popular form of NFL betting is the moneyline bet, where you bet on the outcome of a game straight up. The margin of victory becomes irrelevant in this case, and is solely about who wins the game. For this bet, you may find the Saints as -125 favorites, while the Falcons as +110 underdogs. This would mean that a bet of $125 on the Saints would pay out $100, while a bet of $100 on the Falcons would pay out $110. Additionally, in the rare case of a tie there would be a push.
Totals – This bet focuses on how many total points are scored during a game. If you take the over for a Packers-Bears game where the spread is listed at 52.5, you’ll need the two team’s total points at the end of the game to combine to be above that number, regardless of which team does the majority of the scoring.
NFL Betting Options and Odds
The most popular markets for NFL betting are undoubtedly the prestige games such as the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl, which see huge amounts of wagering activity every year. However, you can use a Louisiana sportsbook to wager on any NFL game throughout the league, including pre or post-season. Meanwhile, college football fans can even opt to wager on NCAA games.
NFL odds are unique in the sports betting world. First, there is the points spread, which acts as a sort of handicap, where the favorite to win must win by a minimum number of points in order for the bet to pay off. Odds are typically listed according to the points spread, for example:
San Francisco 49ers +155 / Seattle Seahawks -175
Here, the 49ers are the underdog, which means an outright win in this game would pay $155 on a $100 bet. Meanwhile, since the Seahawks are favorites, a $175 bet would only pay $100 in the event of a win.
There are plenty of special bets you can make on the NFL. There are prop bets, which include specific outcomes such as the first team to hit a touchdown or the total number of yards thrown by the QB. There are futures bets, which are wagers on outcomes for the entire season, such as Super Bowl winner or MVP. The list goes on.