Basketball

Basketball betting activity is centered upon the professional National Basketball Association (NBA). Based in the USA, NBA action runs from November through to the NBA championship finals in mid June.

16 teams enter the NBA playoffs at the end of the regular season. Included in this number are each of the four champions of the Atlantic and Central conferences of the Eastern Division and the Midwest and Pacific conferences of Western Division.

The playoffs consist of four rounds: preliminary, conference semi-finals, division finals and the NBA finals.

Basketball betting employs a handicap system where the favoured team gives up points to the underdog. Over-and-under scores are routinely bet. When wagering on a single team, or on the total points outcome, a bettor normally bets 11 units to win 10. Some bookmakers accept parlay bets on multiple teams.

Parlay payouts for basketball bets are:

2-team = 13/5

3-team = 6/1

4-team = 10/1

5-team = 20/1

6-team = 40/1

You'll often find a typical basketball bet listed as:

New York Knicks -3.5 Los Angeles Lakers 183

In the this example, the Knicks are the favoured team and must win by four or more points to cover the pointspread. The over/under total is 183 points.

During the regular season, future bets are accepted for teams to win both their conference championship as well as the NBA title.

TIP: Pro Basketball is a sport where the home team enjoys a major edge over the visiting team.