The Best Basketball Betting Offers - Where to Bet on This Sport in 2024?
Basketball has developed into a globally relevant sport, played on every continent, with a huge variety of tournaments and competitions taking place all year round. Whether you are following the action in the NBA, arguably the world’s most prestigious tournament, or you are keen on international basketball, there has never been a better time for basketball fans and basketball punters to watch, bet on and, if you know your stuff, profit, from your favourite sport.
To help you to make a success of your basketball betting, we’ve gathered all of the essential details and information you need, from providing reviews of the best basketball betting sites and their betting sign up offers to complete detail on what types of bet you can make as a basketball punter.
The Best Selection of Basketball Bets
| BOOKIE | DETAILS | BBL | NBA | EuroLeague | BET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bet365 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Visit the site bet365 Review |
| *New Customers only. Registration required. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. **Geo restrictions apply. Funded account or bet placed 24 hours prior to event required to access, #AD | |||||
Betway |
|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
visit the site Betway Review |
Unibet |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Visit the site Unibet Review |
Most Popular Basketball Betting Sites
As one of the world’s leading sports, basketball markets are widespread throughout the online betting world, but some sites offer better basketball coverage and promotions than others.
Once known as Victor Chandler, Bet Victor has earned a reputation for providing good horse racing and football coverage, but it is also one of the best basketball betting sites out there. The site provides an excellent breadth of coverage, taking in the major basketball tournaments from America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Their In-Play basketball markets are plentiful and dynamic, and they also offer some of the best coverage of women’s basketball available in the industry.
Another sportsbook best known for its links with horse racing, William Hill, has developed an impressive reputation for basketball betting. Although it confines the markets offered to North America and Europe, it covers those competitions in impressive depth. It also has one of the best Live Betting platforms for basketball, featuring high-quality statistical updates, and is one of the few basketball betting sportsbooks to offer Live Streaming of games.
OPEN ACCOUNT*New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply.
One of the most famous names in online betting, Paddy Power has created an excellent basketball betting product that caters for all types of basketball betting. The extent of their coverage rivals that of BetVictor, and they have a solid and reliable Live Betting platform for basketball punters, backed up by some Live Streaming of games. And Paddy Power basketball punters are rewarded with regular promotions and offers, including their £10 Free Bet Welcome Bonus.
bet365 have earned an impressive reputation for their Live Betting platform, covering most of the major sports, and they have produced a typically effective Live Betting basketball product that meets the needs of all In-Play punters. These markets are backed up by extensive and detailed basketball stats to help with your analysis and comprehensive Live Streaming of the top basketball games.
OPEN ACCOUNT*New Customers only. Registration required. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply, #AD
A rising star of the betting industry, Betway has become a big player, particularly in Europe, and they provide a wide array of basketball events, markets and betting opportunities. Of particular interest are their points-spread markets, which meets the needs of punters who prefer to bet on basketball this way as an alternative to the more popular Match Winner markets.
OPEN ACCOUNT#AD, 18+, T&Cs apply
They may sometimes be overshadowed by some of the more familiar names in the betting industry, but Marathonbet are a solid sportsbook, and they provide a good service for basketball punters. Their coverage of the top leagues, countries and competitions is solid, and they are also one of the best sportsbooks around when it comes to the maximum basketball payout they permit, which is good news for those who bet with big stakes or those hoping to land a basketball acca.
The betting exchange model has revolutionised online betting and the pioneers of the Exchange, Betfair, continue to lead the way. They provide some of the widest coverage of basketball leagues around, and they offer basketball punters the opportunity to back and to lay in all of the main basketball markets, including Total Points, Match Winner and Tournament Winner.
Coral is one of the oldest and most familiar names in the betting world, and they have developed a sports betting platform that provides sports punters with good coverage, particularly when it comes to basketball. They provide a range of markets on all of the main basketball tournaments and matches, and they offer a basketball stats resource that is one of the most detailed around.
Part of the same betting group that also owns Coral, Ladbrokes have built a successful sports betting model that offers something for everyone. Their basketball section is comprehensive and covers all of the main bet types, and they are also one of the leading sites when it comes to promotions and deals for punters, including their Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets Welcome Bonus promotion.
Another big hitter in the European sports betting market, 888sport, provides extensive coverage across a variety of sports, including basketball. You can find odds on all of the major tournaments, from the NBA to the top European Leagues, and 888sport also offer a good Live Betting market, making the site a regular destination for many basketball punters.
Top Basketball Markets in the UK
Basketball hasn’t always been a big deal in UK sports betting, that is changing, thanks both to the development of the domestic basketball scene and the widespread availability of highlights and coverage of the other big competitions around the world, most notably the NBA.
At one time, there was a limited range of market possibilities for UK basketball punters, who were usually only able to bet on tournament winners, but that situation has changed dramatically as bookmakers have developed numerous ways to bet on the sport. Still, some markets remain more popular than others, and these will account for the majority of UK basketball betting:
- The Match Winner market, focusing on picking the team to win
- Tournament Winners markets, covering big leagues like the NBA
- Handicap markets, giving one team a points-handicap
- Total points markets, based around predicting the number of points in a game
Basketball betting is continuing to grow in popularity, and it is likely that basketball fans will have access to new markets in future as betting companies try to compete for customers.
Live Online Basketball Betting
Live betting has become a defining feature of the modern betting world, made possible by developments in technology that have enabled effective Live Streaming and regularly updated betting markets, giving punters the chance to bet as the game is underway.
In many ways, basketball betting is ideal for In-Play Betting as it offers regular scoring opportunities, lots of action and frequent breaks in the form of quarter-intervals, time-outs and free throws. This provides for dynamic Live Betting markets and regular opportunities for punters to reassess their strategy. It is possible to bet on a wide variety of In-Play markets, but these are the most popular:
- Match Winner
- Top Points Scoring Player
- Winning Margin
When you’re betting on basketball In-Play, it is important to be able to have access to the latest information. Many UK sportsbooks provide Live Streaming of basketball matches, and those that don’t often compensate by providing statistics and text commentary so you can stay up to date.
Types of Online Bets
If you are a regular basketball punter, you want to be able to choose from a variety of bet types to enable you to make the most of your basketball knowledge. But when it comes to UK basketball betting, some markets are more popular than others.
For most basketball punters, the Match Winner single bet is the starting point. Even if they go on to look at alternative options, the single bet on one team to beat another remains the mainstay for the majority. This type of bet is where bookmakers take fewest risks, but it is also the most widely available, which means that punters who want to bet on obscure basketball leagues can always rely on this type of bet to be available.
The odds in the Match Winner markets can often be relatively short, which can be unattractive to punters who bet with small stakes. One alternative is to combine a number of such bets into a basketball ACCA. The disadvantage of this type of bet is that if one selection fails, the whole bet fails, although some bookmakers will offer ACCA Insurance to protect against one failed bet ruining your ACCA. The advantage of the ACCA is that it offers a potentially big win for a small stake.
Basketball, like Rugby and American Football, is a high-scoring game, which makes handicap betting a natural fit. This type of bet, which involves the favourite in a basketball game being given a points head-start, is particularly useful in those matches where the favourite is available in the Match Winner market at very short odds, providing an alternative angle to landing a win.
How to Bet on Basketball with Online Sportsbooks?
Modern online bookmakers focus on demystifying the betting process, making it as easy as possible for punters to get their bets on. Although the precise method will vary from site to site, the basics of online betting involve using an online betting slip. Clicking on the basketball selection you want to bet on will make it appear in the betting slip, which you can then use to tailor your choice by adjusting the stake or making it part of a multiple before confirming your bet.
Best Basketball Betting Events
Basketball is a global sport with leagues in most countries, including the UK, which has a thriving competition called the British Basketball League (BBL). But the pinnacle for most basketball bettors remains the NBA in the USA. This is where the world’s best players aspire to play their basketball, and the coverage of the season, which features an intense schedule from October to June, dominates basketball viewing and betting all over the world.
There are alternatives to following the NBA, however. Many of the European leagues are growing in stature, while the European club basketball tournament, EuroLeague, is increasingly popular with basketball punters. And international basketball, which includes the Olympics, the World Cup and five Continental Championships, also has its devoted fans.
Tips for Betting on Basketball
As with any financial activity, betting on a sport is something you should only consider doing after thorough research. But there are some methods and hints that can help you to increase your chances of making a success of your basketball betting.
Specialise, Specialise, Specialise
Even if you approach your basketball as a fan, it is impossible to watch all of the games in the world, and the same principle applies to betting on the sport. It is vital to focus your energies on one aspect of the sport.
Perhaps you are an NBA fan, or perhaps you prefer the international game. Finding one part of the sport and concentrating on it can pay dividends in the long run as it enables you to maximise your knowledge.
Record Your Bets for Success
There are many benefits to recording your basketball bets. Too many punters have no idea whether they are making a profit or a loss overall, which can lead to a chaotic style of betting.
But beyond the basic benefit of telling you how successful your betting is, a proper record of your punting activity can help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Are you struggling to make a profit from the NBA, or do you lose more on international basketball? Is there one team that you are regularly getting wrong? Keeping records gives you a valuable resource that you can use to analyse your betting and make adjustments to boost your chances of profit.
Watch The Games
There’s no way you will be able to watch every game in your chosen league or tournament, but too many punters become detached from the sport they are betting on, treating it as a paper or a statistical exercise.
Statistics are hugely important, of course, but watching basketball regularly can enable you to spot things that statistics don’t tell you. It can also keep you in touch with the sport and deepen your appreciation for it. At a minimum, try to watch most of the games that you bet on.
Think Schedule in the NBA
For those who focus on the NBA, knowing the details of the fixture schedule can be vital. NBA teams get through 82 games in the regular season and must travel thousands of miles across the US. It isn’t possible for every team to be at their peak for every game, and it is inevitable that teams will prioritise some games over others.
Being able to spot these patterns, particularly towards the second half of the regular season, when some teams are already preparing for the play-offs, can pay dividends.