Now, you may think that the NFL betting market is only built for die-hard fans in the United States. But the truth is, American football is a growing sport, gaining traction in countries all over the world.
From games played in Germany and the UK every year, to the International Player Pathway scheme the NFL is looking to expand its fan base outside of North America. And the same is true for betting markets.
There are now countless sportsbooks that offer NFL odds to UK citizens. But where exactly can you bet on the NFL money line? And where can you get the best odds?
Well, that's where we come in. At BSO, we show you the best odds at all the sportsbooks for every league we can find, no matter where you are in the world. Today, we'll be breaking down how you can bet on the NFL moneyline in the UK. But first, what is the money line?
Money Line Explained
The moneyline is the most popular wager in sports betting and is perhaps the most basic betting option for NFL fans. Instead of predicting something difficult like the correct final score on who will cover the spread, the moneyline is simply used to wager on which team will win the game.
The moneyline typically comes with odds expressed as positive or negative numbers - otherwise known as American odds.
Suppose there's an NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, the moneyline odds will look something like this.
New England Patriots: +150
Philadelphia Eagles: -180
But what do those odds mean for your wager? This is where understanding the American odds format is crucial.
American Odds Explained
American odds, also known as moneyline odds, are a popular way to express betting odds in the United States. They can be either positive or negative numbers and are used to indicate how much you can win or need to stake on a particular team or outcome in a sporting event.
Here's a basic breakdown of American odds:
Negative Odds (-): These odds are associated with the favourite, and they represent how much you need to wager to make a profit of $100. In other words, they show the amount you must risk to win $100.
Positive Odds (+): These odds are associated with the underdog, and they indicate the potential profit on a $100 bet. In this case, they show how much you would win if you bet $100 on the underdog.
Let's look back to the example of a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots, where the Eagles have odds of -180, and the Patriots have odds of +150:
Philadelphia Eagles (-180):
The negative odds indicate that the Eagles are favourites to win the game. Therefore, betting on Philadelphia is considered safer and comes with a smaller payout for your wager.
Odds of (-180) means you would need to wager $180 to make a profit of $100 if the Eagles win. If you bet £100 (or its equivalent in dollars), and the Eagles win, your total payout would be £155.56. This includes your original £100 stake and a profit of £55.56.
New England Patriots (+150):
The Patriots have positive odds, meaning they are the underdogs in the matchup. This means the bet is considered riskier as they are less likely to win, so you receive a larger payout for your wager.
The (+150) indicates that if you bet £100 on the Patriots and they win, you would make a profit of £150. So, your total payout would be £250. This includes your original £100 stake and a profit of £150.
Check out our full guide on American odds here.
If you prefer to use other odds, as many UK bettors do, most sportsbooks give you the option to switch to Decimal or Fractional odds. So let's take a quick look at them.
Fractional Odds Explained
Fractional odds is the most popular odds format in the UK. As the name suggests, the odds are presented as fractions and indicate how much profit you can make on a bet relative to your stake.
Fractional odds represent the ratio of profit to your stake and are are expressed in the form of "a/b," where:
"a" is the profit you can make.
"b" is the amount you need to stake.
Let's break it down with an example:
Suppose you're given fractional odds of 5/1. To calculate the profit and the stake, you can use the following steps:
Profit (a): The first number in the fraction (5) represents the profit you can make. So, if you were to win this bet, you would make a profit of 5 units (dollars, pounds, etc.).
Stake (b): The second number in the fraction (1) represents the amount you need to stake. In this case, you would need to wager 1 unit to have a chance at winning the 5-unit profit.
So, if you placed a bet with fractional odds of 5/1 and your stake was, for example, £10, you can calculate your potential profit:
Profit (a) = Stake (b) * (First number of the fraction)
Profit (a) = £10 * 5
Profit (a) = £50
If your bet wins, you would make a profit of £50 in addition to getting your initial £10 stake back. Your total return would be £60 (£50 profit + £10 stake).
Decimal Odds Explained
Decimal odds are the simplest way to express betting odds, primarily used in Europe and other parts of the world.
Unlike fractional or American odds, which can be a bit more complex, decimal odds are presented as simple numerical values that represent the potential total payout on a bet, including both the original stake and the profit. The decimal odd is simply used as the multiplier on your wager for your total return.
Here's how decimal odds work:
Bet Amount: To calculate your potential payout, you simply multiply your bet amount by the decimal odds.
Total Payout: The result includes both your original stake and the profit. It represents the total amount you would receive if your bet is successful.
Let's use an example to illustrate decimal odds:
Philadelphia Eagles: 1.80
If you bet £100 on the Eagles at odds of 1.80 and they win, your total payout would be £180. This includes your original £100 stake plus a profit of £80.
New England Patriots: 2.50
If you bet £100 on the Patriots at odds of 2.50 and they win, your total payout would be £250. This includes your original £100 stake plus a profit of £150.
NFL Moneyline Sportsbooks in the UK
Now that we've covered the basics of the moneyline and betting odds, here's a list of our favourite sportsbooks for NFL moneyline betting in the UK:
These NFL betting sites offer some of the best odds in the market.
There you have it! A full guide to NFL money line betting in the UK.
If you want to see the top odds for every single game of the season, you can visit our live NFL moneyline odds comparison tool.
NFL Moneyline Best Odds Comparison.
Here, you'll easily find the best live odds on the market for every team in their matchup for any given week of the NFL season, including the Super Bowl!
If you want to see the best odds for the points spread betting or total number of points, you can do that too! Simply click the drop down menu in the top left of the table and you can select whatever odds you'd like.
