On this page I will recommend our top rated betting sites for US residents, touch on sports betting regulation in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana, look at the three most popular NBA bets, and finish up with a simple 3 step guide you can follow to bet on the NBA online.
Best NBA Betting Site for Americans
- Built for American bettors
- Wide variety of competitive betting lines
- Easy to navigate betting platform
Bovada and BetOnline are our two recommended betting sites for Americans interested in betting on NBA games. These are the two most popular and trusted betting sites serving the United States market. Both sites are committed to providing a great betting experience to US bettors and this shows through in their bet offerings, promotions and customer service.
Both Bovada and BetOnline accept players from Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia. For the remainder of this guide I will be using Bovada.lv for the examples.
Sports Betting in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana
At this time it is not legal to operate a sportsbook in either Alabama or Georgia. Louisiana launched retail sports betting in January of 2022 and there are now seven mobile sportsbooks live in the state.
Although betting is not regulated in Alabama or Georgia, analysts agree that bettors from both States are able to place bets at online betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the United States, and accept US players. Both Bovada.lv and BetOnline.ag fall into this category.
In Alabama there have been multiple attempts to legalize sports betting, including comprehensive packages aimed at establishing a state lottery that gained traction, but ultimately failed in 2021 and 2022. Alabama is one of the last states in the US without a lottery, so establishing a state lottery is likely the first step toward regulated sports betting in Alabama.
Georgia is in a similar situation with no progress having been made towards regulated sports betting, despite multiple efforts. The Georgia General Assembly does not reconvene until 2024, which means Georgia will remain without regulated sports betting until 2025 at the earliest. Sports betting bills have failed for the past four years in Georgia.
In Louisiana regulated sports betting launched in January of 2022 and there are now 7 mobile sportsbook apps to choose from. Even though regulated sportsbooks are available in Louisiana, residents also have the option to place bets through offshore sportsbooks like the ones recommended above.
Popular NBA Bets
There are three NBA wagers that take the vast majority of the betting handle on NBA games. These include the spread, money line (to win) and total (over/under).
Spread
The point spread is probably the most popular NBA bet. The oddsmaker will set a “spread” in order to even out the game. The favorite will have to win by more than the point spread for a spread bet on the favorite to be graded a winner, while the underdog must either win the game outright or lose by fewer points than the spread.
In this example the New Orleans Pelicans are 2.5 point favorites, as indicated by the -2.5. A spread bet on the Pelicans will be graded a winner if New Orleans wins the game by 3 or more points. The Jazz are a 2.5 point underdog (+2.5) and spread bets on the Jazz will payout if they win the game or lose by 2 or fewer points.
To Win
Another popular bet is simply wagering on which team will win the game. The money line odds determine the risk vs reward of a bet on either team based on their perceived chances of winning the game.
As we mentioned before, the Pelicans are slight favorites to win the game outlined above. Their money line odds to win the game outright are -140, which means you would have to bet $140 to win $100 betting on Pelicans.
The Jazz are slight underdogs and a $100 bet on the Jazz would win $120 if they pulled off the slight upset.
Total
The oddsmaker will set a “total” and you can bet on whether the number of points scored by both teams combined will be over or under the total.
In this example the total is set at 220.5 points. Over bets would be graded winners if 221 or more points are scored by both teams, while under bets would win if 220 or fewer points are scored in the game.
NBA Betting From Alabama, Georgia or Louisiana – Guide
Follow these three steps to bet on the NBA from Alabama, Georgia or Louisiana.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link and fill out the sign up form on the home page to open a new Bovada account.
Step 2. Deposit
Log into your new account and click on the ‘Deposit’ link under your account drop down menu. Select one of the deposit options (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, bitcoin or MatchPay), enter your deposit amount, and complete the instructions to fund your account.
You can cash out your winnings through Bitcoin, bank wire, or check through the mail.
Step 3. Place Your NBA Bets
It’s time to place your bets:
- Click ‘Sports’ from the top navigation bar.
- Select ‘Basketball’ from the secondary sports menu bar and ‘NBA’ from the ‘Trending Competitions’ list in the left sidebar.
- Select the NBA bet you want to make and enter your wager amount on the Bet Slip.
- Click ‘Place Bets’ to lock in your bet.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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