The Best Basketball Betting Sites in 2023

High-energy, high-scoring and highly exciting, UK punters love betting on basketball. If you are a fan, Sportsbetting24’s guide to the best basketball betting sites is better than anything you’ll find elsewhere.

We have everything you need to know about where and how to bet on basketball and our expert basketball betting advice will help you to back more winners than ever!

Bet on Basketball with Unibet

So, what makes Unibet an excellent choice for betting on basketball? Well, you will certainly have no shortage of options in terms of markets as Unibet have well over 170 different markets for you to choose from for the biggest basketball matches. You won’t always find the best basketball betting odds at Unibet, but they do come up with the best prices sometimes so always make sure to check before you bet.

You can stream matches from the EuroCup and EuroLeague live at Unibet, though NBA live streams are no longer available. You’ll be able to bet in-play on basketball at Unibet too and finally, don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for basketball betting offers and promotions at Unibet.

Most Popular Basketball Betting Markets

This is where you can find the most popular basketball betting markets explained. The table below displays the bet type, risk and the level of punter each market is best suited to. Below the table we look at each individual market more closely, explaining how best to approach them and also looking at how likely it is that they will produce winning bets.  

(*risk can be managed, not volatility)

🏀 Quarter Betting

There are a number of different quarter betting markets for basketball punters to pick from. You can bet on either team to win each quarter during the match, but there are lots of other options including quarter winning margin, quarter point spread and quarter team totals. These markets are available for each of the 4 quarters during the game. Novice basketball punters should keep it simple and stick to the less complicated quarter markets at first like the first quarter spread or moneyline.

🏀 MVP Betting

The MVP is awarded to the best player during the finals series in the NBA. In the EuroLeague the MVP is chosen over the entire season. This is a pretty risky bet if you place it at the start of the season but you can wait until after the season or finals series has started when you should have an idea of which players are producing the goods. Given the risk involved, this market is best left to beginners and stakes should be kept to a minimum.

🏀 Totals (Over/Under) Betting

Totals or Over/Under markets are slightly more complicated and suitable for experienced basketball bettors. You can bet on a number of different totals, but the most important and commonly encountered market is Total Points. The bookie nominates the number of points they think will be scored by both teams and you bet on whether you think there will be more (over) or less (under). You can also bet on the total points scored by individual teams with all of the top 7 basketball betting sites that make our list.

🏀 Race To 10/20 Points

This is a moderately risky choice that is suitable for those who are familiar with the playing styles of the teams involved. The name is self-explanatory, you are betting on the first team to reach either 10 or 20 points during the match. The key to success in this market is looking back at previous results to see if teams are usually fast starters or whether they take a while to warm up. If you can spot any patterns in their past form, you could make a killing by betting on the Race to 10/20 points market.

🏀 Match Handicap and Total

There are two elements to this wager type and it is one for the experts. First of all, you need to predict the handicap result and secondly, you need to predict whether there will be over or under a certain amount of points. Take the recent Miami Heat vs LA Lakers final match. The Lakers were the favourites and you could back them -6.5 points and over or under 216.5 total match points at 5/2.  The Heat were the same odds +6.5 points and for the same total match points. You need to get both outcomes correct for your bet to win.

How Do I Bet on Basketball?

When you are betting on basketball there are three main categories of wagers. It might be intimidating for novices or beginners when they see terms like ‘Point Spread’ and ‘Moneyline’ so we will explain exactly what they are and how they work below:

What’s Point Spread Betting?

Point spread betting is basically a handicap type wager. When you bet on this market you need to cover the spread (or the handicap) for your bet to win. The easiest way to explain is to look at an example. Say the Lakers are playing the Suns and you back the Lakers -8.5 points in the point spread betting market. If the Lakers win by 9 points or more and cover the 8.5 points spread, you win the bet. If the Lakers win by 8 points or less (or lose the game) your bet will be returned as a loser.

What are “Moneylines” in Basketball Betting?

The Moneyline is simply a traditional match bet and with most top basketball betting sites, this market includes overtime in the event of a tie in normal time. It is a two way market so you either bet on Team A or Team B to win the match. If the team you backed wins the game, you’ll win your bet. If they lose, you’ll be going home empty handed.

Futures and Outrights in Basketball Betting

For all the biggest basketball events, both domestic and International, futures/outright betting is available. A futures or outright bet is a bet placed on the eventual overall winner of a tournament. Before the event starts you can back teams each way, usually at 1/3 odds for 2 places. This means that if you back a team each way and they lose in the final, you’ll still get paid on the place part of your bet at 1/3 the original odds.

How to Find the Best Basketball Odds

We have already outlined where to find the best Basketball betting sites and we also explained how the most popular markets work. In this section we will highlight the massive importance of finding the best basketball odds. There are lots of variables you cannot control when betting on basketball, but locating the best odds is one thing you can control and if you do it, you’ll ensure maximum returns from winning wagers.

Team	Unibet	Betfair	888Sport
Barcelona	3/1 (4.0)	11/4 (3.75)	3/1 (4.0)
Anadolu Efes	4/1 (5.0)	5/1 (6.0)	4/1 (5.0)
Real Madrid	4/1 (5.0)	5/1 (6.0)	4/1 (5.0)
CSKA Moscow	4/1 (5.0)	5/1 (6.0)	4/1 (5.0)
Armani Milano	10/1 (11.0)	14/1 (15.0)	10/1 (11.0)
Fenerbahce	10/1 (11.0)	14/1 (15.0)	10/1 (11.0)
Maccabi Tel Aviv	30/1 (31.0)	14/1 (15.0)	30/1 (31.0)
*Odds For Display Purposes Only

The table above contains the odds for the latest Euro League competition. As you can see, Betfair had the best odds for 5 of the 7 teams listed. However, if you wanted to take a chance on Maccabi Tel Aviv you’d only get 14/1 at Betfair, in comparison to 30/1 at both Unibet and 888Sport. That is over double the windfall for a winning bet and perfectly demonstrates the vital importance of finding the best odds for every basketball bet you place.

Live Basketball Betting

There are a number of factors that make live basketball betting an exciting and enjoyable pursuit. The high scoring nature of the sport ensures you have lots of opportunities to place in-play bets. All of the top bookies we list on this page have live betting suites where you can punt in-play on basketball. However, you’ll only be able to bet live on the biggest basketball tournaments which are televised or streamed live.

You can bet on a big variety of live basketball betting markets, including a multitude of quarter and team prop bets. Our deep-dive into the world of in-play betting gives you the lowdown on the best bookies for live betting on sports, including basketball, and it is well worth paying a visit to.

What type of basketball fans are suited to live basketball betting?

To be honest, live basketball betting is suited to all types of fans. If you are a newcomer to the sport we wouldn’t recommend diving straight in and betting in play. There are lots of other pre-match basketball betting markets that you should get to know first and another piece of advice we always give is to watch as many matches as you possibly can before you start live betting.

One scenario that may not be conducive to successful live basketball betting is if your favourite team is playing. This could lead to biased decision making led by your heart and not by your head. You need to be calm and collected when live betting on basketball so make sure to stay cool and don’t make any rash decisions.

Live Streaming

If you want to stream basketball live you have a few different bookies to pick from. As far as sports streaming, in general, is concerned, bet365 are one of the industry leaders and they live up to their reputation with basketball. They have live NBA streaming and live Euroleague streaming and you only need a positive account balance to qualify to watch.

Unibet is another bookie that has live basketball streaming available of the Euroleague. They had live NBA streams in the past but at the present moment, NBA games are unavailable. Other bookies where you can stream basketball include William Hill (EuroLeague only) and Betfair (NBA and EuroLeague).

Best Basketball Tournaments to Bet On

We have explained where to bet, how to bet and now we are going to talk about the best basketball tournaments to bet on. The NBA Playoffs are an obvious starting point, but we will also take a quick look at some of the other big events, like the EuroLeague, Olympic Games and the Basketball World Cup.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA regular season is exciting enough, but the NBA Playoffs are a whole different level. This is when the serious business begins for the remaining teams and there can be some classic encounters during the play-offs. Motivation is never in doubt during the NBA play-offs, and we recommend paying a visit to our complete guide to online NBA wagering to maximise your chances of success.

EuroLeague

For European basketball fans the EuroLeague is the premier competition. Okay, the players aren’t quite at the level that you’ll see in the NBA but even so, there are lots of quality teams and talented performers. It is hugely popular with fans and it attracts big crowds, the highest outside the USA for indoor sports in fact. There are 18 teams in total, ranging all the way from Madrid to Moscow. The EuroLeague website is worth a look if you want to look up stats, results and form if you are having a bet.

Olympics

For athletes all around the World, winning an Olympic Gold medal is their dream. It is the most iconic sporting event on the planet, and it is held every 4 years. Given the popularity and investment in basketball in the USA, it is no surprise that the USA are the team to beat every Olympic year. The US men’s ‘Dream Team’ have won 15 of the 18 available Olympic Basketball Gold Medals while the US women have won 8 of the 11 tournaments in history.

World Cup

The Basketball World Cup is second only in importance to the Olympics for international basketball teams. Organised by the official governing body FIBA, the women’s and men’s tournaments are played every 4 years. Up until 1994 NBA players could not play in the Basketball World Cup but they are permitted to now. To get the latest news on the upcoming World Cup you should head to the official FIBA World Cup website.

Expert Basketball Betting Advice

• 🏀 Get Informed
  If you want to beat the bookies when betting on basketball, you need to get informed. The more knowledge you have the better chance you’ll be able to spot when prices are incorrect and this is when you find real value bets. When you find a value bet you should always increase your stake as value is the key to making a profit long-term.  
• 🏀 Stats Matter
  When you are betting on total points markets you should always carry out plenty of research first. Looking back at teams previous results should give you an idea of their style and whether they are involved in high or low scoring matches. If two teams that don’t usually score a lot of points are playing you should bet on the under and the opposite applies if two high scoring outfits are involved.
• 🏀 Don’t Blindly Follow Tips
  At Sportsbetting24 we are very suspicious of online basketball betting tips. You never know who a tipster is affiliated to and finding one that you can trust is difficult. In our view it is much better to try to form your own opinion rather than relying on someone else. So, don’t blindly follow online tips and make your own decisions when you have a bet.  
• 🏀 Keep Your Options Open
  Variety is the spice of life and when betting on basketball it can pay to change things up occasionally. Don’t just limit yourself to the same popular basketball markets for every single bet. You never know where you might find a value angle and it is more likely to happen in one of the less popular markets than in the moneyline or point spread markets.
• 🏀 Take Advantage Of Promotions
  You should always take full advantage of any relevant basketball betting promotions or specials if they are available. For example, look for Acca-Boost or Acca-Insurance offers if you are placing an accumulator. Most of the bookies we mention on this page run regular basketball offers so don’t forget to have a look before you put your hard earned money down.

Basketball Betting FAQs