How to Bet on American Football & The NFL
How to Bet on the NFL - American Football Betting Guide, Tips & Strategies
Stake is the best place to enjoy American football betting. You can bet on your favourite teams throughout the regular season and into the post-season playoffs.
Here, we introduce the different ways you can bet on American football at Stake Sportsbook, and explain the various bet types, American football betting markets, and opportunities available to casual bettors and online betting fanatics alike.
American Football Rules & Gameplay
American football is a game played between two teams of eleven players, which take turns playing offence and defence. The team playing offence aims to score points by advancing the ball to the end zone at the opposite end of the 100-yard playing field. Meanwhile, the team playing defence will try to stop them and regain possession of the ball.
Games are divided into four quarters of fifteen minutes apiece, and points are scored via touchdowns in the end zone (6 points), field goals (3 points), safety (2 points) and post-touchdown kicks (1 point).
It’s helpful to regard American football as a game of phases. When a team is attacking, they have four “downs,” which are attempts to make it 10 yards further up the field. These attempts can be made by running the ball or by passing it to teammates. Every time the team makes it past the ten-yard line, the number of downs resets to four.
If the attacking team fails to successfully advance 10 or more yards, they lose possession of the ball to the other team.
The game starts with a kickoff, and each play begins at the line where the ball was last spotted. A play ends whenever the ball carrier is tackled to the ground, goes out of the field of play or an incomplete forward pass is made.
How Does American Football Betting Work?
Betting on football works just like betting on any other sport at Stake. Ahead of each game week in the American football season, you can search for upcoming matches and select any match to see the latest markets and betting odds. These odds are set depending on various factors, including a team’s form and injuries and which team has home-field advantage. American football betting odds at our online sportsbook are subject to change, which you need to be aware of when selecting, but once your bet is placed, those odds are locked in.
Major American Football Tournaments & Leagues
Football is one of the most popular sports in North America, and all the biggest leagues and teams are based in North America. The leading American football league in the world is the National Football League (NFL) in the United States, while NCAAfootball (college football) also has a considerable following. The Canadian Football League (CFL) has also increased in popularity recently.
NFL
There are 32 franchises in the NFL, split evenly into two conferences – the NFC and the AFC. Each conference has four divisions, with four teams in each.
Every team plays seventeen regular-season matches during eighteen weeks. The season culminates with the playoffs, which precede the conference finals.
The two best teams compete for the Super Bowl at the end of the season to be crowned as the NFL Champions – the greatest prize in the sport.
The NFL is the biggest sports league in the US and also has a huge global fanbase. Every year, the league culminates in the Super Bowl, which is one of the biggest spectacles in sport. Before you bet on the big game, make sure you check out our Super Bowl picks.
NCAA Football
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is responsible for organising and regulating college sports, including the massively popular college football. It’s one of the biggest spectator sports in the US, with schools all over the country competing in one of the 3 divisions.
Division I is divided into multiple subdivisions, with the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) featuring the biggest teams and largest stadiums. At the end of the season, the College Football Playoff determines the national championship.
CFL
The Canadian Football League is Canada’s professional football league. Thanks to unique rules, it offers fast-paced games, although the league isn’t that popular outside of Canada. It differs from standard football thanks to the fact that teams feature 12 players, the field is larger, and offensive teams only get 3 downs rather than 4.
The 9-team CFL is divided into East and West divisions. Top teams from both divisions earn their place in the playoffs for a chance to compete for the Grey Cup.
How to Bet on American Football & NFL Games?
Betting on American football is just like betting on any other sport. Before you get started, read our ultimate sports betting guide. You can also follow these steps:
Create an account at Stake.com or log in to your existing account.
Search for the team you want to bet on or select American Football from the sports menu and then choose either NFL, NCAA or CFL to see all available live and upcoming fixtures.
Select any match to see the full range of betting options and select any bet to add it to your bet slip.
Enter your stake, check your potential payout and confirm to place it.
American Football Bet Types
Moneyline
An NFL moneyline bet is a straight-up bet on the winner of a fixture. With money line odds, you just pick which team you think will win the match. For example, betting on the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Dallas Cowboys. You win your bet if your pick wins the match.
Point spread
The point spread is a type of handicap betting and is a way of levelling out the playing field. For instance, you might see the Kansas City Chiefs at (-5.5) against the Cleveland Browns. This makes the Chiefs the six-point favourites to win this fixture, and they would need to win by at least six points for your wager on them to pay out. Meanwhile, if you bet on the Browns at +5.5, they would need to avoid losing by six points for your bet to be successful.
Totals (over/under)
Aside from betting on which American football team will win a match, you can also bet on the total points scored in the game. In a totals bet, you only need to bet on whether over or under a specific number of points will be scored by both teams combined. For example:
Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers (O46 / U46) -110
The line for this fixture between the Cardinals and Packers has been set at 46 points, enabling you to bet on whether the final score will be over or under this number.
Props
Proposition bets (prop bets for short) allow you to bet on occurrences that aren’t tied to the final result of a match, and are usually placed on team performance and key players (known as player props). Some popular NFL props include:
Cincinnati Bengals O/U 220 Passing Yards
Derrick Henry Total Rushing Yards O/U 110
Austin Ekeler (LA Chargers) Anytime Touchdown
Parlays
Rather than placing wagers on single games, parlay bets (or teaser betting) bring multiple selections into the same line. For instance:
Giants, Ravens, and Rams @ +320
Here, you’re betting on the Giants, Ravens, and Rams to win their fixtures. However, for your parlay bet to win, all three teams must win – if one lets you down, you lose your bet.
Same-game multibets are also available at Stake, letting you combine multiple bets within the same game. For example, you can bet on the Dallas Cowboys, Over 53.5 and Over 6.5 Match Total Touchdowns. Once again, all your selections will need to occur for your bet to be successful.
Draft betting
On top of betting on football games, Stake also allows you to bet on the draft. The NFL draft takes place every year before the start of the regular season, letting teams pick undrafted players. There are lots of draft betting markets, including Exact Pick bets, which let you bet on which player will be taken at a specific pick number.
Futures
Futures bets, also known as outrights, allow you to bet on the final outcome of the season. Some examples of these futures betting markets include:
The Philadelphia Eagles to win the Super Bowl
The Buffalo Bills to win the AFC
The Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC
Patrick Mahomes to be named MVP
The Georgia Bulldogs to win the NCAA Championship
Livestream & Place Live Bets on the NFL
Another option available for football fans is to place various live bets on American football matches as and when they take place. Stake.com offers a variety of American football live betting markets, giving you lots of betting options when it comes to backing your favourite teams. Some examples include:
Number of TDs in the first quarter
Number of flags in the second half
Next team/player to score a TD
The beauty of live betting is that you can wait to see how the action develops before placing your bets. Learn more about the differences between pre-match and live betting at Stake.com.
To see the latest live bets, you just need to select a game while the live icon is shown. Live scores are available, as well as free live streaming in specific regions. To watch NFL games free, just log in, select a live game and choose the live stream option.
How to Read NFL Betting Odds?
Before you start betting on the NFL or American football games, we recommend reading our guide on understanding odds. The football odds directly affect your payout, with higher odds meaning more profit from a winning bet. However, it also implies that the probability of that outcome is lower. For example, the Cleveland Browns have massive odds to win the Super Bowl.
You will often find American football odds given in the American format. For instance:
Cincinnati Bengals (+140) vs. Denver Broncos (-160)
In the above fixture, the Broncos are the favourites to defeat the Bengals, as we can see by the negative odds given. It means you would need to bet $160 on the Broncos to return a profit of $100. Conversely, if you fancy the Bengals for the upset, a $100 bet would return a profit of $140 if they won.
If you would prefer to see the odds in a different format, you can adjust the settings in your Stake.com account and see American football odds as fractions (4/1) or decimals (4.0).
American Football Betting Strategies & Tips to Win
Whether you're a recreational bettor or an American football fan, you’re all set to place a range of American football bets at Stake! But before you get stuck in, explore our helpful tips and predictions, as well as the strategies to boost your winning chances below:
Pay attention to the data behind every team: A huge volume of stats and data is available on every NFL game. When evaluating the chances of a team, look at advanced metrics such as expected points added (EPA) and the success rate of plays. You can also check the defence-adjusted value over average stat to get an idea of the strength of a side.
Follow team news and injury updates: Injuries can easily derail an NFL team’s season, especially when they affect key players. Before betting, pay attention to the current injury list of each team, looking especially at the quarterbacks.
Consider head-to-head records: In American Football, games are often decided by how well the strengths and weaknesses of the two teams match up. Look at recent head-to-head records and consider the defensive and offensive line performances of each team.
Consider other factors that may affect the result: Aside from players and tactics, there are a lot of factors that can influence the game, including the home-field advantage, rest and travel, weather and motivation. Make sure you consider these before placing your bets.
Make the most of all markets: There’s a huge variety of football betting markets at Stake, including a wide range of pre-match and live betting options. Make the most of these to find the best value.
Look at line movement: When choosing your bets, it can be worth it to pay attention to how the betting lines move before the game. Generally, the public sentiment will move the line closer to the game, and it’s often a good idea to fade the public to get the best value.
At Stake.com, you can get the latest picks and predictions so you can be well-educated when making your American Football bets. Keep up to date with the latest sports news at Stake.com to inform your American football selections.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods for Sports Betting on Stake
Deposit
Log in to your Stake.com account using a passkey and select your wallet to see your current balance.
Choose the deposit option, then select a payment method and any of the supported local currencies such as Argentine Pesos, Chilean Pesos, Canadian Dollars, Turkish Lira, and Vietnamese Dong.
You’ll also be able to deposit and bet with crypto. Stake supports a range of popular cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, USDT, EOS, DOGE, LTC, TRX, and SOL.
Send your coins from your wallet or exchange, using Mesh for convenience. You can also buy crypto from MoonPay or Swapped.com if you don’t already own any. Once in your Stake wallet, you’ll also be able to swap your coins between any supported cryptocurrency.
Once your funds arrive, store them safely in the Stake vault.
Withdraw
Log in and select your Stake wallet before choosing the withdraw option.
Select a payment method and enter your details.
If you’re withdrawing crypto, check that the right network is selected.
Enter the amount you want to withdraw and confirm your payment.
Stake Sportsbook Promotions, VIP Club & Responsible Gambling
While enjoying football betting at Stake, be sure to make the most of our betting promotions to boost your odds and improve your experience.
Level up your account and earn rewards thanks to our VIP Club. Check out the VIP FAQ page to learn how you can unlock regular rakeback, reload bonuses and even your own VIP host.
It’s important to stay in control while placing bets, sticking to your budget and avoiding getting carried away. Our Stake Smart page provides help if you need it, as well as a guide on how to bet responsibly.
