How to bet on Football in 2025 – Football Betting Guide

By far, football is the most popular game in the U.S. While baseball is called the national pastime, football is the national passion.

The great irony is that American football is not as popular throughout the rest of the world. Still, more gamblers are betting on football worldwide, as football is a weekly game with constant media hype and buildup.

The games are primarily on weekends; thus, betting on football is perfect for gambling and television. No other sport can match the anticipation of the workweek that leads to a weekend of games like football.

Understanding Football Betting

Football offers everything a sports fan and gambler wants: violence, strategy, a perfect configuration for a television screen, breaks between almost every play (perfect for live betting), and being the ultimate team game.

Different teams have different strategic priorities, such as what types of offenses and defenses they employ. Coaching matters more in football than in any other sport.

Periods of boredom are interrupted by game-breaking plays that pull fans and gamblers out of their seats.

Gamblers love everything about the sport, which is perfect for wagering because of its heavy load of weekend action.

How Football Betting Evolved

Beginners learning how to bet on football should start with an appreciation of the sport's gambling evolution. Like any successful enterprise, football betting evolved to meet customer demands.

Initially, the best way to bet on football was by picking the winner of the game and betting on either the point spread or moneyline odds.

Through the years, props betting grew because gamblers thought it was fun. Parlays, totals, futures, and teasers were natural for football because they increased business at the sportsbooks. Oddsmakers soon learned that with each new football betting innovation, gamblers responded. Finally, live in-game betting took off and became a phenomenon.

Types of Football Bets

The best way to bet on football is to consider and take advantage of all the wagering options. Football betting guides offer advice on wagers, including the moneyline, point spread, over/under totals, props, parlays, futures, live betting, teasers, and half-and-quarter bets.

Learning how to bet on football is easy, with options that suit every taste and budget; learning how to bet on football and win requires discipline and a detached nature.

Moneyline Betting

For many gamblers, the best way to bet on football is with the moneyline. The moneyline is the simplest betting method to understand because a bettor simply picks the straight-up winner by laying odds on the favorite or taking odds with the underdog.

An example of a moneyline is the Kansas City Chiefs -125 vs. the Buffalo Bills +104. Gamblers who believe the Chiefs will win the game bet $125 to win $100. Those who pick Buffalo bet $100 to win $104.

Moneyline prices can get high for large betting favorites. For example, a 7-point favorite would be listed as a -319 favorite, with the underdog at +249.

Point Spread Betting

An example of point spread betting comes from the 2024 playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs -10 vs. and Houston Texans +10. In this scenario, Kansas City needed to win the game by 11 or more points to cover the bet.

On the other hand, Houston needed to either win the game straight up or lose by less than 10 points to cover the point spread. Kansas City won this game 23-14 but failed to cover the 10-point spread. Thus, gamblers who bet on Houston won the bet despite Houston losing the game straight up.

Over/Under (Totals) Betting

In our Kansas City vs. Houston example, that game had an over/under total of 41.5. Gamblers would bet on whether the combined score of the game would go over or under that 41.5 total. With a final score of 23-14, the combined total of points was 37. Thus, the game went under the total.

Some gamblers prefer betting totals because they don’t want to pick winners and losers.

Also, football betting guides always recommend considering factors, such as bad weather, key injuries, or team playing styles, when making totals wagers. When betting on football games, remember not to overemphasize any one factor in a wager.

Prop Bets & Player Props

One of the key contributors to the evolution of football betting and its growth is props betting. Originally, props were like a side dish for Super Bowl wagering. Now, you can get props for every game, including live betting.

An example of a props bet would be to bet on whether Patrick Mahomes will throw three touchdown passes in a game.

When learning how to bet on football and win, football betting guides can help you pick team props, such as how many sacks or turnovers a team or its opponent will have, total penalties committed, etc.

Parlays & Teasers

Parlays are one of the best ways to bet on football because you can combine multiple best bets into a single wager with a higher payoff rate. The catch is that if you have five bets on your parlay, the parlay will lose if any of those five bets is a loser.

Teaser parlays are intriguing because you can add or subtract points from the point spread. For example, if a team is a 9.5-point favorite, you can tease it down six points to a 3.5-point favorite. The tradeoff is that you get lower odds on your teaser.

Futures Betting

Another popular way to learn how to bet on football and win is with futures betting. An example of a futures bet is the Philadelphia Eagles +650 to win the 2026 Super Bowl. Gamblers who believe the Eagles will win the Super Bowl would wager $100 to win $650.

You can bet on football games for futures any time of year, including in season. Thus, if the Eagles are struggling and another team emerges, you can later bet on that upstart team during the season to win the Super Bowl instead.

You can also bet futures for conference or division championships, team win totals, and more.

Live Betting on Football

Also known as in-game betting, live betting is a method of betting on football games that has taken sportsbooks by storm.

Because of football’s breaks between plays, the sport is a perfect fit for live betting. Gamblers become hooked on in-game betting because the odds change after every play.

Additionally, new bets are offered after each play, too. Football betting guides recommend live betting for gamblers who want to hedge their original pregame bets. In-game betting offers the ability to adjust to momentum and injuries.

While live betting offers plenty of opportunity, it can drain a bankroll quickly for undisciplined gamblers. Thus, being selective is the best practice.

Football Betting Strategies

There are as many football betting strategies as there are gamblers.

The most important technique for learning how to bet on football and win is to master matching price to ability. Paying too much for an overrated team must be avoided at all costs. An effective strategy method is to take power teams as underdogs to attain maximum betting value.

Bankroll Management for Football Betting

No matter how much of a football expert you are, if you fail to manage your money, you will quickly go bust. The most important football betting guide is to treat it as a marathon instead of a sprint.

Flat betting is a strong bankroll management technique where you bet the same small percentage of your bankroll on each wager.

Unit betting allows more flexibility with moderate changes in betting amounts depending on how a gambler prioritizes his bets.

Getting angry and chasing losses usually creates a karma of even more losses. Bad beats are part of the game and no bet is guaranteed to win.

Betting the Best Football Odds

When betting on football games, Prime Sportsbook is your first and best destination for an instant advantage.

Our oddsmakers are the best in football and provide top lines and odds that can’t be beaten. We offer every betting option available at the best price.

NFL & College Football Betting Trends

Football betting trends are important tools for learning how to bet on football for beginners.

Trends for how teams perform as favorites or underdogs, home or away, vs. certain teams, and in various other situations, such as rest and injuries, can offer guidance on a potential bet.

The term home field advantage is often used, but it may not always be an advantage, especially against a quality opponent with a record of performing well on the road.

Some football teams are sloppy in that they may win, but not by enough points to cover the point spread.