The NFL is the most popular sports league to bet on in the United States. This statement also rings true in California, which is home to the LA Chargers, LA Rams, and San Francisco 49ers. All three teams are in the mix entering the 2026 season, led by the Rams, who opened as the outright favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at 9-2. The 49ers and Chargers each sit further down the board at 18-1 leading into the season.
On this page I will recommend our top rated online sportsbook for California residents, look at the regulatory climate of sports betting in the state, provide examples of the three most common bets you can make on an NFL game, and finish with a simple 3 step guide you can follow to place your NFL bets online.
Best Betting Site for California Residents
Bovada.lv is our top rated betting site for California bettors looking to wager on the NFL. Bovada has been serving the US betting market since 2012 and have proven themselves as a trusted secure betting site that provides a great betting experience for bettors from the United States, including California.
Sports Betting in California
It is not currently legal to operate a sportsbook in the state of California. It does not look like this will change in the near future after two ballot measures to legalize sports betting failed by significant margins in the November 2022 election. Sports betting will not appear on California’s 2026 ballot, so 2028 is now seen as the earliest realistic window for another statewide vote.
That said, California residents can currently place bets through offshore betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the United States. Bovada.lv falls into this category because they are licensed and regulated offshore, while accepting California players.
Check out our California betting section to learn more about the regulatory climate of sports betting in the state.
Popular NFL Betting Options
There are three NFL bets that take the vast majority of action for each NFL game. These are the spread, money line and total. I will use the 49ers’ Week 1 game against the Rams as an example to explain these three bets below.
Spread
The spread is the most popular type of NFL wager and you will often hear the point spread being cited on NFL talk shows. The spread indicates the number of points being spotted to the underdog in order to make the game even between the teams from a betting perspective.
The favored team must win by more points than the spread amount to “cover the spread”, while the underdog must either win the game outright or lose by fewer than the spread to “beat the spread”.
In this example the Rams are 3.5 point favorites (-3.5). Los Angeles must win by 4 or more for a spread bet on the Rams to win. The 49ers are 3.5 point underdogs (+3.5). San Francisco must win the game or lose by 3 or fewer points to beat the spread. Because the spread is set at a half point, there is no chance of a push on this game.
Money Line (To Win)
You can also simply wager on which team will win the game outright. The risk vs reward of a bet on either team is determined by the money line odds. A bet on a favorite will win less than the same bet on an underdog.
In this example the Rams are -200 favorites, which means you would have to risk $200 to win $100 betting on Los Angeles. The 49ers are +170 underdogs, so a $100 bet would win $170 betting on San Francisco.
Total (Over/Under)
A bet on the total is a wager on the amount of points to be scored in the game by both teams. The oddsmaker will set a total and you can bet on whether the number of points scored will be over or under that number.
In this example the total is set at 48 points. Over bets will win if 49 or more points are scored, while under bets will win if 47 or fewer points are scored. If exactly 48 points are scored the totals bets would push and be returned.
There are typically 300+ betting markets available for NFL games at Bovada.lv.
How To Bet On The NFL From California – 3 Step Guide
Follow this three step tutorial to bet on NFL games online from California.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link, select ‘Join Now’ on the landing page and fill out the sign up form to open your account.
Bovada is our top rated sportsbook for California residents.
Step 2. Deposit Funds
Log into your new account and click on the ‘Deposit’ link under your account silhouette drop down menu. Choose your preferred deposit method (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin), and follow the instructions to complete your deposit.
You can withdraw your winnings via bitcoin, bank wire or a check through the mail.
Step 3. Bet On The NFL
Click ‘Sports’ from the top menu bar, select ‘Football’ from the secondary sports menu, and select ‘NFL’ from the ‘Football A-Z’ menu.
Select the NFL bet that you want to make, enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip, and click ‘Place Bets’ to confirm your wagers.
Here’s a screenshot using the 2026 season opening game as an example to show the clicks to place your bet after you’re on the ‘Sports’ page:
Are you ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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