The 2026 NFL Playoffs begin with Wild Card weekend on Saturday, January 10th. The LA Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers have all qualified for the playoffs.
The Rams finished second in the NFC West with a 12-5 record. The Rams will go on the road to play the Carolina Panthers in the opening Wild Card game of this years NFL Playoffs. The Rams are 10.5 point favorites on the road.
The LA Chargers finished the season with an 11-7 record to earn the 7th seed in the NFC. They will face the 14-3 New England Patriots on the road in the opening round.
The San Francisco 49ers went 12-5 this season in the strong NFC West. The 49ers will go on the road to face the defending champion Eagles in their Wild Card game.
On this page I will recommend a betting site for California residents, look at the different bets you can make on the NFL playoffs, and provide a simple guide you can follow to quickly and easily get your NFL Playoffs bets placed online.
Best Betting Site For California Residents
Bovada.lv is our recommended betting site for California residents interested in betting on the NFL Playoffs. Bovada has served the US betting market since 2012, building a strong reputation as a trusted, fair, and popular betting site for Americans.
NFL Betting in California
It is not currently legal to operate a sportsbook in the state of California. The two ballot measures related to legalizing sports betting (Prop 26 and Prop 27) that were voted on during the November 2022 midterms both failed to pass. There has not been much movement since those ballot measures with the issue ineligible to reappear on the ballot until the 2026 midterms.
That said, California residents can still place NFL Playoff bets through offshore betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the US, while accepting American bettors. Bovada.lv falls into this category.
2026 Super Bowl Winner Betting
Here are the odds for the Super Bowl winner from Bovada.lv leading into the 2025 NFL Playoffs (odds from January 8th):
The odds for the Super Bowl winner will change as the NFL Playoffs progresses. Check out the up to date odds on the Bovada website by selecting ‘NFL Futures’ and ‘Superbowl LIX’ from the ‘Football A-Z’ menu.
Check out our Super Bowl betting in California page for more detailed information about betting on the big game.
NFL Playoff Game Betting
The most popular bets on NFL Playoff games are still the spread, to win (money line), and total. There are also a wide variety of prop betting options available for every NFL Playoff game.
Here’s a screenshot of the Rams vs Panthers first round game from Bovada.lv (odds taken January 8th):
Check out our NFL betting in California page for an in depth explanation of these three NFL betting lines.
How To Bet On The NFL Playoffs In California – 3 Step Guide
Follow these three steps to bet on the NFL playoffs online from California.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link, select ‘Join Now’ on the Bovada home page, and complete the sign up form to open your account.
Step 2. Deposit
After logging into your account click on the ‘Deposit’ link under your accounts drop down menu. Choose one of the deposit options (Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoin), and complete the instructions to make your deposit.
You can cash out any winnings through bitcoin or check.
Step 3. Place Your NFL Playoffs Bets
Click ‘Sports’ from the top navigation bar and select ‘Football’ from the secondary sports menu.
Select ‘NFL’ or ‘NFL Futures’ from the ‘Football A-Z’ menu, select the odds of the bet you want to make, and enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip. Click ‘Place Bets’ to lock in your wager.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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