American Football Betting sites

Best sites for American Football betting by category

The history of American Football

The roots of American Football go as far back as 1869, when a game was played between two college teams. However, this was closer to a regular football match. In 1880 the “Father of American Football” Walter Camp invented a number of current-day rules. Popular first as a college sport the NCAA was formed in 1906. The NFL was formed in 1920, consisting of 14 teams. With the arrival of television, the professional game grew in popularity. Over the last 50 years, the NFL has expanded to 32 teams. The Super Bowl is one of the most popular events in America.

How we Evaluate and Rank American Football Betting Sites

When determining the quality of online American Football betting sites, there are various aspects that are taken into consideration. We consider the different leagues that are covered and the range of markets available to bet on. Obviously how competitive the odds are is important and whether the sportsbook has bonuses which can be used on American Football. In-play betting options along with general things like payment options are also taken into account. The following is a list of the Key points we look for when evaluating an American Football betting site.

• Range of Leagues
• Variety of markets
• How competitive are the odds
• Bonuses and promotions
• Welcome offer
• Payment methods
• In-play betting
• Live streaming
• Mobile/app options
• Customer service

Our top American Football betting sites

#1 22Bet

Winners of Sigma’s Best Sportsbook of the Year in 2024, 22Bet are certainly well worth a look. As well as covering the NFL and the NCAA like most sportsbooks 22Bet also offer odds on the Spanish LNFA and the French FFFA which you won’t find in most sportsbooks. The site also has a massive range of sports to bet on.

#2 Megapari

A sister site of 22bet, both owned by Marikit Holdings, is another excellent choice when choosing a sportsbook. They also have a larger than normal range of American Football leagues and have a huge range of other markets to bet on.

#3 20Bet

20Bet is another well-known sportsbook that has a decent range of markets and also offers live streaming on some. They have a decent range of bonuses and their main menu can be edited to show a list of upcoming events if you don't want to have to sort through days for future bets to find something to bet on that day.

#4 1xbet

The most established of the sportsbooks mentioned so far. 1xBet has been about since 2011. Despite having fewer sports to bet on compared to the others their welcome offer is generous, and the odds are usually above average, so they are certainly worth considering

#5 Rabona

Rabona is the final sportsbook on our list. They also offer odds on American Football and are the first to offer odds for the Canadian CFL. Unfortunately, unlike the others, they don't cover the European leagues. They are still well worth joining and have a decent Welcome Bonus

Is American Football betting legal?

Yes, it’s perfectly legal to bet on American Football. As long as you are above the minimum age limit and gambling is legal in your country. You will need to check that the site is Licenced by the correct governing body for your country of residence.

Popular American Football Betting Markets

American Football is probably one of the most popular sports to bet on, and there are a variety of markets to choose from to keep you interested in the game till the final down. The most common of these markets are explained below.

• Moneyline. This is the simplest of the betting markets. You are betting on who you believe will win the match. The only thing to be careful of here is whether your bet includes overtime, which you should be able to find out in the rules on each site.
• First/Last or Anytime Touchdown Scorer. This market allows you to bet on who will score a Touchdown during the game. There usually are longer odds for betting on the First or Last Touchdown Scorer, or for shorter odds, you can bet on a player to score anytime during the game.
• Player Rushing/Passing Yards. Similar to the Total Points market explained below. The Sportsbook will set the number of passing or rushing yards a player may achieve during the game. You will have the option to bet whether they will achieve that target or not.

What are the most popular types of American Football bets

The most popular betting markets for American Football are mentioned below. These markets are usually available in-play as well as pre-match, allowing you to bet on these markets till the very end of the game

• Handicap (also known as Point Spread) - This market allows you to bet on the margin of victory. There is always a favourite for any game, and you will be able to bet on them to win with a handicap to get better odds. For example a slight favourite may be 1.9 on to win. However, applying a handicap of -1.5 points from their final points total will likely improve the odds to 2.0. This then would mean they would not only need to win but win by 2 points.
• Total Points - This is a reasonably simple market allowing you to bet on the total points scored in the game. It doesn't matter which team scores the points or who wins the game. So for example you may bet on there being over or under 42.5 points. These points will change throughout the game allowing you to bet on the outcome till the end of the game.
• A Parlay - This is a combination of bets, usually across multiple games. Each part of the parlay is called a leg, and all legs of the parlay must win for the bet to be considered a winner.

American Football Bonuses and Promotions

Any decent bookmaker will have various promotions and bonuses. Most sites will offer a special one-off bonus for new customers in an effort to tempt you into joining the site. Usually, after this bonus the site will offer either weekly promotions or random one-off promotions. It's always worth having your contact preferences set to be contacted about future bonuses

What are the best American Football Welcome Offers?

There are a range of different types of Welcome Offers, and each site will be different. They tend to fall into similar categories, which we will explain below. It is important to always read the terms and conditions of an offer, as although two can sound the same, there are often small differences.

• Deposit Bonus. A very common welcome offer is when the site offers you a percentage bonus on the amount that you deposit. So, for example, if the offer is a 100% match up to 100 euros. This means if you deposit 100 euros, the site will match the amount and add an additional 100 euros to your balance. There will be wagering requirements to complete before you can withdraw the additional funds and, in some cases, maximum bet limits.
• Free Bets. Probably the best type of offer is a Free Bet. These offers usually involve you placing a bet, and as a reward, you get a Free Bet regardless of whether your bet wins or loses.
• Money Back / Refund offers. These types of offers allow you to place a bet, and if it wins, all is well. If the bet loses, you get your stake back in some form. The best offers are the ones which give you a cash refund. The more common are your stake will be refunded as a Free Bet.

What are the best American Football existing user bonuses?

• Free Bets are also common as existing user bonuses. These offers tend to be based around a specific sport, tournament or on a certain game. For example, you might get an offer like placing a bet on the divisional round of the NFL and get a Free Bet on the Super Bowl.
• Reload/Redeposit bonus. Identical to the new customer deposit bonus, sometimes a site offers a similar offer for placing further deposits.
• Acca Insurance. As it sounds, this offer gives you some chance of a refund if your accumulator bet doesn't win. For example, let's say you have placed an accumulator bet on 4 teams to win their various games. The insurance offer is likely to be something like this. If only 3 of 4 of your teams win, the stake will be returned for you to use as a free bet.
• Acca Boost. Some sites will boost your Acca odds. This typically means as well as the normal longer odds for combining bets you will get an additional percentage boost based on the amount of selections on the bet. The more selections, the greater the boost.
• Price Boosts or Enhanced Odds. Some sites will pick certain events within a game a boost the odds of one of the markets. You will find typically, these odds are better than the same bet at similar sites. Be careful when wagering for other offers, as sometimes bets on these markets don’t count towards wagering.

Are there any American Football betting Apps?

Yes, there are plenty. Mobile betting is becoming increasingly popular, and the apps sportsbooks offer are constantly improving. Even if a site doesn't have an app most are customised to work on a mobile browser. Most decent sites do now have apps for both iOS and Android devices, and these can typically be downloaded from the Apps Store or Google Play of course, most desktop sites promote their app, and some even offer special promotions for downloading and placing bets on the app.

Any app should give you full access to your account, and most are designed to replicate the websites, so moving between the two is easy. You should be able to deposit, withdraw and bet on the app.

What are the major American Football events or tournaments for betting on?

National Football League (NFL)

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the final game of the NFL season and is worth having its own mention. It is watched by over 160 million people each year

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

Canadian Football League (CFL)

European League of Football (EFL)

Womens American Football betting

The longest-running active women’s Football league is the WFA- Women’s Football Alliance, established in 2016. The current 2024 champions are the St. Louis Slam, who are based in St. Louis Missouri. They beat the Boston Renegades 30-27 to win the National Championship, ending Boston Renegades' dominance of the league, having won the previous 5 championships.

Women's American Football has never managed to reach the popularity of the men's game, and there have been several Leagues which have started and have since stopped operating and these are detailed below.

WPFL- Women’s Professional Football League. Which ran from 1965 to 1973,

NWFL-  National Women’s Football League, Which operated between 1974 and 1988, IWFL-  Independent Women’s Football League. which operated between 2001 and 2018. USWFL- United States Women’s Football League. Which started in 2011 since 2019 only the 2021 and 2023 went ahead, and there is currently no 2024 season.