Basketball online match betting has many markets available that are similar to American Football, soccer and ice-hockey gambling. Because basketball has 4 quarters there are many markets available both for the final result of the match and for individual period and half-time results.
Like the other sports, match bets may be made on the results and on the statistics of the matches. Different basketball leagues are more or less popular than others so how much betting activity there is on a specific Basketball competition or match will depend on how popular it is. The NBA and European leagues attract the larger gamblers and therefore will have more markets available to gamble on.
Please find below the various markets available for basketball match betting:
Final Result Bets
The three most common final result bets in basketball gambling are:
Money Line - This is a Win / Lose match bet - if you think Team A will win you select that team.
Spread - This is also a Win / Lose Handicap bet - the bookmakers will give one team some points before the start of the match and other team will have to win by more than the points given at the start to win the bet. (a basic handicap bet in soccer betting):
Italian Lega Basketball Spread Bet:
Brindisi (-6.5) 10/11 vs Pallacanestro Cantu 10/11
If you gamble on Brindisi to win then they must win by more than 6.5 points for your bet to win.
Winning Margin - In this bet you choose which team will win or lose and by how many points.
Double Result - This bet is exactly the same as the Soccer Double Result bet where you choose which team will lose, draw (tie) or win the first half and then the match.
Period Betting
Period betting is the same as Full match betting except, of course, your bets are only for the period or half.
Result After Period - A simple Win / Tie / Lose bet on Team A
Spread after period - This is a Win / Lose bet however the bookmakers will give one team some points before the start.
Period handicap - This is similar to the spread bet however there is more than one "spread" offered - so punters can choose between many spreads (points advantages).
Alternative Handicap - This is a type of handicap win/lose bet however the margins are generally higher and offered to the favorite or stronger team (in a standard handicap bet the margin is offered to the weaker team)
1st Half winning margin - This is the same as the Winning Margin bet in the match betting section but is only for the 1st half of the match.
Statistics Basketball Betting
As with Soccer and American Football and Ice Hockey, statistics are often recorded during each match and so it is possible to find many statistic markets also in Basketball, the following betting markets can be found in both, the full match and period betting markets:
Total points - In this bet you can choose whether the total number of points scored by both teams at the end of the match will be higher or lower than the points the bookmakers choose. The odds will be 10/11 Lower and 10/11 Higher.
Total Points Odd / Even - This is a bet on the total points of the match finishing "Even" (any number ending in 0,2,4,6 or 8) or "Odd" (any number ending in 1,3,5,7,9) 10 / 11 Odd and 10 / 11 Even
Alternative Total Points - You bet on the total points at the end of the match to be higher or lower. It is the same as the Total Points bet but with a different points total and different odds. Here the odds offered will be 2/7 Lower and 5/2 Higher
X - Alternative Total points - You bet on the Home team's total points at the end of the match to be higher or lower than the points shown by the bookmaker.
Home Total points - This is a bet on the points total for the Home team - you can bet higher or lower. (Basically the same as the X – Alternative Points but with a different margin and odds)
Away Total points - This is a bet on the points total for the Away team - you can bet higher or lower.
Period Total points - This is the same as the Total points bet for the match but this bet is only for the period given.
Will there be overtime? - For "overtime" to happen the game must finish in a "tie" (both teams have the same points) so this is a bet on whether the game will be a “tie” or will not be a "tie".
Other Bet Types
Parlay Betting (Doubles, etc) - These bets mean you can gamble on more than one result and then combine them into one single bet - depending on the number of bets you put together into one bet will depend on the name of the "parlay". For example if you select two results and want to make it into one bet then you would select a "double" bet, three selections makes a "treble" and 4,5,6, upwards are called 4, 5, 6-fold accumulators.
Prop Betting - These are bets made on specific individuals to do something surprising or unusual in a game. For example: "Any Player to score 20 x 3-point baskets" 20/1
Teaser Betting - These are large accumulator bets usually from a minimum 8 selections chosen to a maximum 12 selections, they are attractive as they offer huge returns with very small stakes.
