Online Casino UK

As one of the most popular sports across North America, it's no surprise to see that online gambling fans enjoy basketball betting as much as they do other sports, such as American football and baseball. However, basketball also has a massive following in the United Kingdom and Europe. With dozens of leagues competing each season, punters can now bet on their favourite games at a number of the top online bookies. With the surge in online bookmaker traffic in recent years, basketball has become one of the biggest and most popular sports betting selections. However, for those unfamiliar with online gambling, or with basketball betting in general, it is always best to find out what sort of bets are available at your sport of choice.

Punters who are regular sports bettors should have no trouble picking up the various bets associated with basketball, and many are similar or even identical to other popular sports betting types. With that said, here are a couple of the most popular basketball bets that you will come across at online bookmakers:

Money Line

The money line is easily the most popular sports bet available across a majority of top sports, and while it isn't necessarily the most wagered on option in basketball fixtures, it is still an integral part of the basketball betting process.

Anyone who has wagered on a sports match before will already understand what the money line is. It is the easiest bet for punters to make and allows the bettor the option to back the team that is going to win the upcoming fixture. In some sports betting scenarios, such as football betting, the option to bet on a draw is available - however, at most online bookmakers you will find that basketball bets are only offered on the two opposing teams.

As you can see, the odds listed above are in all three formats (American, Decimal, Fractional), of which you will be able to change at any time depending on your region or preference.

In this case, if you were to back the favoured Sacramento Kings you would have to risk $175 in order to win a possible $100 payout. If the Kings did end up winning then you would receive $275, inclusive of your original bet. However, if instead you decided to take a punt on the underdogs, a $100 wager would have the potential to earn you $155 in winnings. A Clippers win would then net you a cool $255 in total.

Point Spread

While the money line is one of the most recognisable wagering types in sports betting, the point spread is regarded as the most popular selections for basketball punters. Also known as the "line" or simply the "spread", it is the odds that a bookmaker sets by estimating how many points the game will be decided by.

As you can see from the odds above, the addition of a point spread drastically changes the line odds. In this case, the Chicago Bulls are favoured to win the match by at least 6.5 points; if you backed the Bulls they would have to win by at least seven points for you to earn a payout.

If you decided to bet the spread on Orlando Magic, then the underdogs would need to finish the match within at least six points of the Bulls. This means that you can still win a hefty payout - even if the Magic end up losing the game.

You can read more about the NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Olympic Basketball by clicking on the appropriate links.