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How to Make Money Betting on the NFL

Last Updated March 14, 2024 5:04 am PDT
13 Best Ways to Make Money From Betting on Pro Football
  • One way to make money betting on the NFL is to wager on preseason games.
  • NFL bettors can also take advantage of point spreads, totals, and player props.
  • Super Bowl betting is immensely popular and can be extremely profitable.

Wondering how to make money betting on the NFL? There are countless ways, but some are better than others.

Luckily for you, I’ve looked at the best options and laid them out, along with some helpful tips. If you’re looking for ways to profit from NFL betting, start with these 13 routes.

Wager on Game and Player Prop Bets

Betting on NFL props is understandably not just restricted to season-long wagers. The much more appealing form of NFL prop betting comes in individual games, as you’re rewarded the second the contest ends.

There is a lot of obtainable upside in NFL props from individual games, too, as sites offer intriguing prices depending on the wager.

You can choose to bet on NFL player props, or just bet on props dealing with the game itself. The list of options is quite long, but here are a few popular options you’ll come across in any given game.

  • Team points by quarter
  • Team sacks total
  • Will the game go to overtime?
  • Player touchdowns
  • Player yardage

I’m not going to list every single viable NFL prop for players and games, but trust me when I say that there are so many that you’d go broke if you bet on them all.

The trick with this type of betting is to look over them all and gauge which ones are not just worth your time but have a good shot at actually paying off.

Some are worth a roll of the dice based on the odds, but typically with props, you’re looking for a stat you think will be produced that may not necessarily be contingent on the game’s outcome.

If Patrick Mahomes is averaging 300 passing yards per game and a site lists his passing yardage over/under at 275 yards, the over may make sense. If a different quarterback has thrown three total touchdowns in his first three games and his passing touchdown over/under is set at 1.5, you may want to go the other way.

The odds will typically nudge you in the right direction. But the beauty here is that there are so many options that you’re bound to fall in love with at least a handful of solid wagers.

If you’re interested in making money from betting on NFL player props, I suggest setting up an account at BetUS.

BetUS is undeniably one of the best sportsbooks online for numerous reasons, but it specifically offers some of the best prop bets you’ll find online.

On top of that, BetUS has a terrific welcome bonus. If you sign up now, you’ll get a 125% up to $2,500. Not convinced? Check out a detailed review of BetUS below, or head there now to take advantage of their bonus while it lasts.

Bet on the Super Bowl

super bowl

Want to know how to make money betting on the NFL? Wager on the Big Game. Everyone loves talking about the Super Bowl each year, and the chatter really never stops.

We discuss the preseason Super Bowl favorites and bet on NFL futures, and we start talking about next year’s game the second this one’s ends.

While you can build things up going into Super Bowl Sunday, you also can take on extra Super Bowl betting action the day of the game.

From wagering on Super Bowl commercials to betting on Super Bowl halftime show props, the opportunities to profit are seemingly endless.

The game itself is a huge draw, but you can also bet on who will win Super Bowl MVP and so much more. The latter is probably one of the best ways to reel in major value during the big game, provided you predict the correct winner.

Super Bowl betting options are virtually endless. If you think you already know how to make money from football betting during the big game, hit up the top Super Bowl sportsbooks now.

Bet on NFL Player Futures and Props

NFL Futures

There is a fine line between futures and prop bets, so I’m just including them together. Whatever the exact classification may be, player props and futures are concerning individual players and predicting their future to some degree.

Numerous situations pop up where players are released, suspended, and/or there is talk of a potential trade. When that happens, speculation ensues, and most of the top football betting sites tend to generate NFL player futures that bettors can hop on.

There are also more obvious betting markets like player awards, stat leaders, and others.

Whether you’re betting on which team a player plays for next, who wins the NFL MVP award, or how many games someone will miss due to suspension, public information and your own instincts could lead to a winning NFL wager.

So understanding all this is a good thing to know when how to make money betting on the NFL.

Target Preseason NFL Futures for Teams

Before the new season even begins, there are so many ways to make money betting on football. This can start with team futures, predicting who will win the Super Bowl, betting on NFL division winners, and so much more.

The point here is you can use your NFL knowledge, some research, and pricing from the top NFL sportsbooks to carve out some big wins.

Here’s a nice list of the types of NFL future bets you can attack ahead of any given season.

  • Super Bowl Winner
  • AFC/NFC Conference Winners
  • NFL Division Winners
  • NFL Division Order of Finish
  • NFL Team Win Totals
  • Will Teams Make the Playoffs?
  • NFL Team Record Wagers

The list is pretty exhaustive, so forgive me if I’m leaving anything out. The idea is that there are 32 NFL franchises, and you basically can target all of them in a litany of ways.

If you think the Cincinnati Bengals will be awful, there are loads of ways you can benefit from their ineptitude.

Yes, you don’t actually have to bet on a bad team to profit off of them. And instead of taking chances against them each week on a game-by-game basis, you can just target them in NFL futures before the season even starts.

This obviously works both ways, so you can take how you view the coming NFL season, and bet on it accordingly. The best NFL sportsbooks may dictate how you view things (and bet) in some regard, but if you think there’s an edge to be had, there’s really no limit in attacking it.

Want to get the ball rolling and make money betting on football futures? Check out our NFL futures strategy guide below.

Bet on NFL Preseason Games

One of the ways on how to make money betting on the NFL is preseason games.

There are a lot of ways to set yourself up for winning NFL wagers prior to the season, but you do need to wait half a year to see how those bets pan out.

You don’t have to do that with NFL Preseason betting, which is self-explanatory in that it’s just the act of betting on NFL Preseason games.

There is not a real art to this, as you’re obviously dealing with a lot of meaningless games where star players play very little (if at all), and coaches aren’t always interested in doing everything it takes to win the game.

Where a sport is volatile, of course, there is opportunity to eat up some solid betting value. Most NFL sportsbooks won’t give you a chance at a crazy payoff during the preseason, but you can still profit by betting on these contests.

Just don’t go too hard when betting on the NFL Preseason. The volatility and general feeling of the unknown makes these games fun (and potentially profitable), but not really an area where anyone should comfortably risk a ton of cash in one sitting.

Bet on NFL Point Spreads

NFL Point Spreads

If you’re interested in making money betting on NFL Preseason games, I’d advise you to take most of that knowledge and excitement and focus on regular season contests.

You can obviously establish an edge and win money betting on the NFL Preseason, but regular season games are simply less volatile by nature.

Even NFL playoff games are often difficult to peg, so it makes a lot of sense to target meaningful games during the regular season. You get 10+ of them in any given week, and while there are always going to be landmines just waiting to ruin your day, there are a lot of options that can lead to profit.

Want to know how how to win money betting on the NFL? Target point spreads.

Due to favorites often garnering huge money lines that return very little money, it can make more sense to just bet on teams to cover or beat spreads. This is a bit of an art that you need to practice over time, and calling it an exact science at any stage is probably a lie.

That said, we can lean on all kinds of ATS (against the spread) data to formulate our bets. More than anything, though, you’re working off of the point spread the betting sites set, and you need to gauge which side of that bet is the most advantageous.

Just be sure you know where the public stands when it comes to ATS betting. Using public opinion when betting on the NFL is an often-overlooked tool, but when it comes to point spreads, we must keep it in mind.

Pick Straight-Up NFL Winners

While betting on point spreads can allow you to bet on teams you otherwise wouldn’t or get action on a favorite that is grossly overpriced on the moneyline, sometimes it can be really tricky.

There are certainly spots where the point spread is way too dicey, while there is often way more value to be had by simply betting on a straight-up winner.

Value is in the eye of the beholder, so when I say that, I don’t mean that betting on the Eagles to win at -135 is a better price than betting on the Eagles to win by five at -110.

However, it certainly is a superior price if you, the bettor, believe the Eagles will win but aren’t confident in betting by how much.

In these cases, betting NFL moneylines makes a lot of sense. You can also go the other way and obtain the most value by simply betting on NFL underdogs.

Predict Big NFL Upsets

Nailing NFL upset picks isn’t easy. If it were, everyone would do it for every game, every single week. You can pick your spots, however, putting all types of data, injury news, and matchups to work.

Betting on NFL moneylines can be worthless in both regards, but it can also lead to easy wins and even some extremely profitable victories.

This is another betting art form, as anyone can just bet on all of the underdogs, but actually seeing those value plays coming is easier said than done.

It’s worth attempting, however, as the NFL is extremely volatile, and the sport of football is more of a matchup game than any other sport. Depending on the situation, you can obtain amazing value by backing an underdog.

Here are some things to consider when hunting for a good NFL underdog pick.

  • Home/Away Splits
  • Injuries
  • Matchups
  • Star Talent
  • Team Record History
  • Team Success as Underdog

There are a lot of things that can lead to an upset. If teams are evenly matched, improperly priced, or betting sites don’t adjust pricing in time for injuries, there is a lot of value to be had.

Some teams relish the role of underdog and spoiler, too, while others are especially good at home, on the road, or against specific opponents.

These are all things to consider when betting on NFL upsets. Which teams you go with will differ for a lot of reasons each week, but the quickest way to big money is nailing some elite underdog bets.

Exploit NFL Game Totals

While two of the most popular NFL bets are on the moneyline and the point spread, a third most bettors love to target is the game total.

This refers to the combined points two teams will total by game’s end, and the top sportsbooks set this based on each team’s offensive and defensive ability.

The best way to exploit game totals is to find low totals involving bad defenses or underrated offense.

That, or you can hop on a total that should be a bit higher than it is when you look at two explosive offenses that are facing off.

The old adage of “always bet the over” is something to consider, and there’s certainly a lot to think about when betting football totals. Ultimately, you’re trying to go over or under the game total, and this tends to be a reasonably easy bet to get the hang of.

Unfortunately, game totals don’t yield much upside, as most max out at +100, and usually, they’re set anywhere from -105 to -120.

String Together an NFL Parlay

NFL Parlay

Anything I’ve already gone over can be pieced together in a successful parlay bet. You can put together parlays for any betting genre, but they’re especially fun in football if you can string numerous bets that can work in unison.

One good example is if you see a game with a high total featuring two explosive offenses, perhaps you can target the over on a variety of player props.

There are even expanded props that allow you to bet more specifically on how players will perform, and stringing these wagers together can be extremely rewarding.

You don’t have to get crazy with it, though. Simply stacking some point spread, moneyline, or total bets together can end up seeing you cash in with a huge payday.

Just make sure all of those bets are going to win. Otherwise, it’s a wasted wager.

There are a lot of great sites for betting on NFL parlays. However, my personal favorite is easily Bovada.

Bovada doubles as an awesome online casino, but it’s originally known for being an outstanding sportsbook. This is one of the most popular sports betting sites out there, as it has some of the best odds and the most creative wagers you’ll see anywhere.

On top of that, it offers a really nice parlay. It’s easy to build your NFL parlay at Bovada, and if you don’t have an account yet, you can also take advantage of their 50% up to $250 welcome bonus.

I suggest also checking out some sites like Bovada, but they’d be my first stop for anyone interested in piecing together a winning NFL parlay.

Read our review on them or head there to build a parlay now.

Master NFL Live Betting

Some of this can be applied to NFL live betting, which allows you to bet on an NFL game after it starts.

It makes the whole betting experience much more engaging, too, as you can follow along and track your new bets as the game goes on.

NFL live betting is often used as a hedge to bets prior to the game, but there is a lot of skill and anticipation that goes into this type of betting. So much so that some bettors prefer to only bet on live NFL games, as it eliminates bias from odds and analysis before the game.

Live NFL betting is what it sounds like, but the trick is bettors get to dive into the game and see how it’s beginning to play out.

Spreads, moneylines, and totals will naturally adjust due to how the contest has transpired, while some props will also be available on NFL live betting websites.

Whatever the case, you can gain a real edge if a favorite gets off to a slow start or if there is a game with very little happening in the first several minutes.

Embrace Pro Bowl Betting

If you want to know how to win money betting on pro football, then just know the Pro Bowl is akin to NFL Preseason games in that nobody really cares who wins, it’s virtually meaningless, and it’s incredibly volatile.

That said, you can still bet on the Pro Bowl in a lot of different ways. Player prop bets can be fun as you watch the game, while the point spread and moneyline tend to be fairly tight.

The AFC and NFC are both loaded with elite talent, so it really is a toss-up as to who can win in any given year. Should you have a good idea as to which side will win, you’re getting a nice price for what can often amount to a pick’em.

There’s also the game total, which will usually be high given the lack of desire to play defense, as well as some of the most explosive offensive playmakers in the league hitting the field.

Overall, Pro Bowl betting is a bit risky, but it’s plenty of fun, and if you play your cards right, you can win money doing it.

Consider NFL Draft Betting

NFL Draft logo

Thought you were done knowing how to win money betting on the NFL following the Super Bowl? The NFL season truly never ends with hype surrounding the yearly draft.

And once you’re done betting on the NFL Draft, you’re right back to work with NFL free agency, trade rumors, and so much more.

Before you know it, the next football season is right around the corner, and you’re betting on NFL preseason games, NFL futures, and everything else we’ve gone over in this post.

But let’s not gloss over NFL Draft betting here. Before the vicious cycle that is the never-ending NFL calendar year hits the reset button, you can make money betting on the NFL Draft.

There is a litany of ways how to make money betting on pro football, but here are the most popular avenues to wager on.

  • Top pick in the draft
  • Player draft range
  • Which team will draft player
  • # of players draft by school

There are even more props and futures to work with, but betting on the draft can be easy money if we target the right bets.

Some research is required on how to make money betting on pro football, but you can gauge how the draft will unfold based on industry mocks, rankings, and team needs.

Interested in betting on the NFL Draft? Make sure you use one of the top NFL Draft sportsbooks below.

5 Best NFL Draft Betting Sites

The best NFL Draft betting sites offer lots of great props and have other rewarding features. You can win real money by predicting when certain players are drafted, what position Mr. Irrelevant is, and more. I’ll be ranking the five best sites for betting...

Read More

How to Win Money Betting on Football

NFL logo

How do you make money betting on pro football? As you can see, there is a lot to consider, and the ways to make money betting on the NFL know no bounds.

The best way to win money betting on football , of course, is to first make sure you’re using a trusted site. After that, a good amount of focus should be placed on player rewards, customer service, wagers offered, and pricing.

I’ve already pointed you to some of the best sites for NFL betting. You also now have 13 ways to make money betting on football, and all of them are plenty viable.

Even better? They’re spaced out over the course of the entire year. You can bet on futures before the schedule even comes out, you can wager on preseason games, you can target props, and you can bet on the Super Bowl.

Somewhere along the way, there are the actual regular season games themselves, prop bets, and heck, even the Pro Bowl.

Hopefully, this breakdown of how to make money betting on the NFL is helpful. At the very least, it serves as a reminder that you can bet on the NFL in a plethora of ways, and for some people, maybe some new ways were discovered.

Now that you know how to make money from football betting, it’s time to pick a site to deposit some money at. If you’re not sure where to go or what to do next, use this helpful sign-up guide to get started.

Footnote:

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Kevin
Roberts
Content Editor
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Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he's a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects. When it comes to the NFL, Kevin's favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.
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