Here at NetBet, we’ve got a whole load of great markets for sports betting, and we offer some of the best American Football odds around. Not only do we offer the popular money line bets for a team to win a game, but we also have plenty of deeper, more unique online betting markets available on our UK betting site. If you want to place any sport bet on American Football, here’s a quick guide on how exactly you should go about it.
What is American Football?
American Football is a team game played on a 360ft long field with an end zone and goal posts at either end. The aim of the game is to advance the ball downfield through a variety of plays, in which the quarterback is pivotal in orchestrating. A touchdown is worth six points and is scored when the attacking team catches or carries the ball into the opposite team’s end zone – an extra point is then awarded if they manage to score from their conversion kick. An alternate method of gaining points is by converting a field goal, whereby the team’s designated kicker must put the ball between the posts and above the crossbar.
Based in North America, the National Football League (NFL) is the world’s most prestigious and reputable American Football organisation. The past decade has been incredibly competitive, with the LA Rams the latest team to win the championship. However, the Kansas City Chiefs have become a force in recent years thanks to the emergence of talented quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and they’ll almost certainly be back in the hunt in the coming season.
History of American Football
The sport is traditionally named gridiron football due to the vertical lines marking the pitch. It was initially founded in the late 19th century in North American colleges with a ruleset resembling a combination of rugby and association soccer. The early game was brutal and almost unrecognisable from today’s game – players were not allowed to hold the ball and instead advanced up the field by kicking and swatting the ball. The first game is believed to have taken place between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869, with the former emerging victorious.
The most important period in the sport’s history took place not long after its emergence, when the father of American Football, Walter Camp revolutionised the game. The Yale student was a driving force that led to the creation of the Intercollegiate Football Association, and the important rule changes that removed the scrum and implemented downs – requiring a team to concede possession should they fail to cover a certain yardage in a set number of attempts. Camp was also instrumental in adapting the scoring system, converting teams to 11 on-field players and introducing the all-important quarterback position.
Another important moment in the sport’s history was the founding of the American Professional Football Association (which became the National Football League) in 1920, which helped to professionalise the sport and rapidly increase its popularity across the continent. Half a century later, the NFL merged with the American Football League (AFL) in 1970, thus giving way to what has become the most widely enjoyed sport in North America.
The Super Bowl is the biggest event in the sport, crowning the NFL champions in a one-off fixture. The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi trophy, named in honour of the coach who led the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowls. Due to the commercialisation of American Football, not only is the Super Bowl immensely popular due to the sporting prowess on show, but incredible half-time shows have turned it into one of the most globally watched events on the sporting calendar. It was first contested in 1967 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers, amidst the ongoing merger of the AFL and NFL. The New England Patriots are the most successful modern-day team having been crowned Super Bowl champions six times since the turn of the millennium, but they are tied for number of championship wins with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won four of their six titles in the 1970s.
How do I bet on American Football?
Here at NetBet, we have a wide variety of markets available for NFL games, with the season scheduled to start in the second week of September. Here are 10 of the most popular markets:
- Outright – An outright bet on the team that will win the championship come the end of the season.
- Conference winner – Bet on which team you think will win either the AFC or NFC conference.
- Division exact order – Bet on the exact order four teams will finish in a particular division.
- MVP – Bet on which player you think will win the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season.
- Money line – A bet on the outright winner of a single match.
- Handicap/spread – Handicap betting balances the odds to make one-sided games more even. Teams will either have to win or not lose by a certain number of points for your bet to land. If you bet on the Packers at -4.5 handicap, they must win by five or more points for your bet to be successful. If you bet on the Patriots at +4.5 handicap, they must either win or lose by four points or less for the bet to land.
- Total points: over/under – A more or less than bet on the number of points to be scored in a game.
- Money line / total points – Pick a team to win the game and choose if more or less than a certain number of points will be scored.
- Spread / total points – Back a team with a handicap and predict the number of points scored.
- Most passing yards – An individual bet on which player will accumulate the most passing yards. Similar bets available for receiving yards, rushing yards etc.
However, there is often more to choose from. Occasionally, we might Boost a price which you can find at our Promotions page.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.