Basketball betting is surging in popularity as the game continues to grow worldwide and the best NBA betting sites are catering to basketball bettors more than ever before, with free bets, competitive NBA odds and innovative basketball betting features.
View our selection of safe, licensed betting sites below and claim a free bet when you sign up.
Basketball is one of the biggest sports in North America and has become more popular among Kiwi sports fans in recent times. The NBA Championship - decided each year by the NBA Finals - is the pinnacle of the game, and basketball betting really comes into its own when you're wagering on the National Basketball Association.
There are dozens of NBA betting sites available to bettors but you can't be expected to trawl through each of them to separate the best from the rest.
That's where our Gambling.com basketball betting experts come in, reviewing and comparing bookies to highlight secure, licensed sites with the best-value NBA odds and free bets. No site is 100% perfect, but we've left no stone unturned to list the best right here on this page.
NBA bettors have different priorities when selecting a basketball betting site to sign up with, so to make choosing the right bookmaker a bit easier, we've compared and contrasted their features below.
888sport is one of the leading bookmakers for betting on US sports and is a great all-round NBA online betting option. Aside from a generous welcome bonus, this site offers basketball bettors regular 888sport free bets, NBA odds boosts and a slick mobile betting app.
Special attention is given to WNBA betting, which is a big positive for those who like to bet on the women's game.
Customer support at 888sport isn't always available 24/7 and that's an area that could be improved. However, you're unlikely to run into any issues as this is a safe, licensed site with a long-established reputation and global presence.
No matter what type of basketball bettor you are, if you're like us, you love placing a cheeky accumulator on a number of NBA games.
One of the main reasons mr.Play Sport makes our list of NBA betting sites is the site's 'Play Boost' feature, which gives bettors a bonus on accas of four legs or more. The bonus size increases with the number of legs in the acca - a successful six-fold will give you a 10% bonus, a 10-fold will give you a 30% bonus etc.
If we're honest, not every betting site takes basketball seriously, so it's great to see a huge range of leagues covered here aside from the NBA, including the Australian NBL and the EuroLeague, but also ranging to more obscure competitions like the BSN in Puerto Rico and LKN in Lithuania.
The only negative we found at mr.Play was the lack of a bet builder option - meaning you can't combine individual markets from one game into an acca.
On the other hand, the mr.Play Sport sign up offer is achievable and straightforward - and overall, you've got a solid basketball betting product here.
bet365 is one of the world's most popular sports betting sites and it's easy to see why.
The basketball offering at this site is feature-packed, with live streaming of all NBA games on the site and app, cash out offered on in-play bets, and a basketball bet builder of up to 12 selections available as well.
There are early payouts on NBA games when the team you've backed goes 20 points up and there is also an accumulator bonus of up to 70% when you combine basketball bets into a successful acca.
Unlike some of its competitors, bet365 doesn't offer acca insurance when one leg of your accumulator lets you down, which is a feature we'd like to see added in time.
However, due to all the perks and promotions outlined above, and the abundance of bet365 free bets on offer, this is a great site for basketball bettors to sign up to.
It may seem obvious to those of us who are seasoned NBA bettors, but if you're new to the basketball gambling game, here are some of the best reasons to check it out.
Top basketball betting sites must be built for mobile with HTML5 technology, so that they can adapt to different smartphone and tablet sizes. NBA sports betting apps, or indeed mobile browser versions of sites, should be highly-optimised and easy-to-use.
Not every basketball betting site has an app or mobile version that's up-to-scratch. But if it doesn't allow us to easily place bets and manage our funds on a mobile device, it won't make the cut.
The best NBA betting app is fast and responsive with a clear layout, making it easy to place in-play bets and to cash out at the touch of a button.
The best basketball betting sites have a wide range of banking options. Debit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards and bank transfers should all be available for deposits and withdrawals.
Payment limits should also be flexible, with a low deposit limit and high withdrawal limit, to suit bettors with different budget sizes. Limits will usually vary depending on the payment method you are using, but top NBA betting sites will usually set either NZ$5 or NZ$10 as minimum deposit amounts.
Some bookmakers will charge withdrawal fees, but none of them are ranked among the best NBA betting sites.
A quality NBA online betting site should always offer customers free bets. Free bet offers are hugely popular, giving punters the chance to place wagers without taking on financial risk.
Free bets are usually available as part of sports betting welcome offers. After signing up to a betting site, a customer is usually required to either deposit or place a qualifying bet which unlocks a fixed amount of free bet funds, sometimes referred to as 'bet credits'.
It's important to note that wagering requirements often apply, meaning you can only withdraw the free bet funds once you have played through them a certain number of times. Free bets usually have odds restrictions as well, so you can't just place them on any market. Read the terms and conditions to be sure you know what you're signing up for.
The top bookmakers also reward existing customers with regular free bets - and it's worth checking out new betting sites regularly, as they often come up with the most innovative free bet offers.
In-play betting sites dominate the basketball betting landscape as many punters like to watch a game and assess what's happening before placing NBA bets
So many factors can affect the odds, and if you watch a lot of basketball, you may sometimes be able to sense an opportunity when you think the odds don't quite match up to the probability.
Of course, it's hard to stay ahead of the oddsmakers. But if you have live NBA betting markets coupled with live streaming, it gives you a fair chance to spot a weakness in the odds.
An online sportsbook should also give you the chance to cash out your bets while the action as live, again giving you an opportunity to read a game situation and potentially make an early profit from your stake.
If you're new to online betting and want to place a basketball bet, here are the simple steps you'll need to take. It will be a pretty straightforward process when you visit any of the basketball betting sites recommended on this page.
Full Guide: How to fill in a betting slip
There is no sure-fire way to win all of your NBA bets. Whether you're wagering on the point spread, moneyline, futures, player props or over/under markets, all of them come with their own challenges.
But these are some general basketball betting strategy tips that you should take note of before placing your bets.
If you notice an unusual betting line for a game when you check the odds, there's probably something up. It's rare that NBA betting sites get point spread markets wildly wrong, so it might be time to check the latest roster updates before pressing that bet button.
The NBA is often referred to as a 'stars' league', with rosters being much smaller than in other sports like football (soccer), rugby, American football or baseball.
If a star player like Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James is an injury doubt for a game, it will affect the line drastically. Follow some of the top NBA accounts on social media for lineup updates, so that you are armed with all of the latest team news when placing your bets.
Home advantage is a big factor in the NBA, with 60% of home teams winning their games during the regular season. The same is true for other top basketball leagues like the EuroLeague (where some of the home crowds can be incredibly hostile).
So, it makes sense to sometimes bet against the favourites when they're on the road, especially if they've been on the road for a while and haven't had much chance to rest between games.
Even the worst teams in the NBA can sometimes upset the odds if they're coming into a home game fresh against a big favourite with tired players.
Odds will usually be broadly similar across different NBA betting sites, but there are always subtle differences, which is especially the case with some of the more niche betting markets.
We recommend having accounts with more than one bookmaker, so that you can avail of the best prices at all times. You can also get more free bets and bonuses when you have more than one account for basketball betting.
You should be well-versed in all things NBA and basketball betting, so all that's left to do is to put our tips to the test. The licensed NBA betting sites highlighted here all devote plenty of time and attention to their basketball sections, so you can't go wrong with any of our selections.
Choose what's right for you, bet responsibly, and most importantly have fun with your NBA betting!
With handicap betting (known as point spread betting in North America) a bookmaker sets a betting line for the underdog and favourite. For example, if the line is three, the favourite starts the game -3 and the underdog starts +3, meaning you can back the less-fancied team to win with a three-point head-start or the favourite with a three-point deficit.
Betting on NBA games online is easy when you use safe, licensed NBA betting sites. Sign up with your personal details such as your name and date of birth, deposit funds using your preferred payment method and navigate to the basketball/NBA section of the site to find NBA betting markets.
Point spread betting is another term for handicap betting, where the bookie evens things up by giving the favourite a head-start and the underdog a handicap. For example, the Golden State Warriors might be backable with a handicap of nine (-9.0) against the OKC Thunder, while OKC might be available +9.0. The odds will usually be around 9/10 for either outcome.
NBA Finals markets can be found at all of the best online bookies and betting apps. To sign up, you'll need to enter some simple personal details and confirm your ID. It's then just a case of choosing your payment method and navigating to the NBA section of your chosen site/app.
A moneyline basketball bet is simply a bet on the team you pick to win a given game. One team will be priced up by the bookmaker as a favourite and the other team will be priced as the underdog- it's then up to the bettor to choose who to back.
Basketball bets generally do include overtime. Over/under, point spread bets and moneyline bets all include what happens in overtime, so basketball is unlike soccer, for example, in this way - as extra-time doesn't usually count towards a bet in that sport.