It’s no understatement to suggest that the arrival of point spread betting has transformed sports betting in the US. While the loosening of gambling laws and online sportsbooks has helped grow the popularity of gaming, point spreads have sparked people’s interest in sports in general – especially the NFL.
Previously, a lot of football games involved a mismatch between incomparable teams, with the winner of the contest a foregone conclusion. This led to low-value odds on the favorite that required huge wagers, while no one was backing a certain loser, no matter how good those odds were. Not only that, NFL viewing figures suffered too.
How spread betting works
In NFL spread betting, the oddsmakers set a number of points that one team is favored by in the game – also known as the game’s handicap. If you bet on the favorite, they must win the game by more points than the spread amount in order to win your wager – This is called ‘covering the spread.’
A wager on the underdog to win means they must win the game straight up or lose by fewer points than the spread – This is called ‘beating the spread.’
For Example:
Kansas City Chiefs -10 (-110)
Las Vegas Raiders +10 (-110)
The Chiefs are 10-point favorites over the Raiders. The (-) sign means they are basically having 10 points taken away from their score, while the (+) sign indicates the Raiders will have 10 points added to their score.
So, if the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes win the game by more than 10-points, they win the bet. If the Raiders lose by fewer than 10 points or win the game outright, they would win the bet.
The advantages of Spread betting
Better rewards
Spread bets, more often than not, have better betting line value than the moneyline because with a fixed odds bet, you are either right or wrong. But with sports spread betting, such as NFL point spread, the more you are right, the more money you stand to win.
Multiple markets and sports
No matter the sport or event, there will probably be a spread betting opportunity to be had. It might be the number of birdies a golfer gets, sixes in cricket, home runs scored, aces served, corners in soccer, or fumbles in the NFL. Thanks to its diversity, spread betting opens up a whole world of opportunities to have fun and be creative with your bets.
Bet in play
Spread betting was the trailblazer for in-play betting, allowing you to partially or completely close out positions during a match. You can even change your mind and reverse your original bet should you want to. This creates a far more fluid and exciting experience for gamers and enhances the enjoyment of the match or event they are betting on.
Bet over a whole tournament or season
Spread betting allows you to bet not just on single matches but entire torments such as the FIFA World Cup or NFL season. By taking a longer view and predicting top goal scorers, most home runs, MVPs, total points scored, and more, one bet can offer great excitement value across many weeks rather than just 4 quarters.
More exciting
Games with overwhelming favorites can be over by half-time, and with moneyline, that means you already know if your bet has won or lost. But spread bets keep the excitement going for longer as the game result is not the deciding factor. That means games can be exciting right up until the final seconds.
Sporting Knowledge
The great thing about spread bets is that they allow people to put their sporting knowledge to the test. Everyone thinks they know better when it comes to sports, so what better way to prove it than to predict yardages, fumbles, point margins, and more and put your sporting knowledge to the test?
Spread betting Tips
Stay up to date
Injuries to key players can make a big difference to games, especially if the QB is carrying a knock or the star wide receiver is out. So make sure you are abreast of all the latest team news before making your bet.
Form
The favorite team maybe 7-2, but if the last two matches were defeats, that changes the picture a little bit. Has confidence taken a knock, how big were the defeats, and has a key player lost his form? This applies to any sport, be it tennis, baseball, or soccer.
Home Field
Home advantage is a major factor in the NFL, and oddsmakers will usually add 3 points to allow for this, which you need to take into consideration. However, not all home teams are as good at home as others, so check out their stats and try and find some value where you can.
Research
A great way to tip the margins in your favor is to do your research, go through the stats and check out some expert analysis. The more you do, the better your understanding of what is or isn’t a value bet will be. However, you may choose to use spread bets to enhance your gaming and sports experience, don’t forget to set a budget and stick to it.