Legal NFL betting is available in more than half of the country, and in most states, fans have their choice of multiple NFL betting sites and retail sportsbooks.
However, each state has a unique sports betting landscape resulting from a confusing patchwork of laws and availability. On this page, BettingUSA breaks it down in simple terms so fans can bet on the NFL online or in person safely and legally.
We also list the best NFL betting sites and mobile betting apps, explain common football betting promotions, and compare NFL betting odds across different sportsbooks.
Best NFL Betting Sites
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*The options available in your state are fantasy pick’em apps and social sportsbooks, not technically sports betting.
States With Legal NFL Betting
The following map provides a brief overview of where NFL betting is legal. In each highlighted state, fans can bet on the NFL online or in person at licensed sportsbooks.
States with Legal Sports Betting
Map Key
- Blue: States where online sports betting is legal.
- Red: States with retail sportsbooks only.
Readers can visit our state-specific pages for lists of sportsbooks in each state.
In states without legal NFL betting, fans can use fantasy pick’em apps to make parlay-style predictions on player stats like rushing and passing totals for real money payouts.
Best NFL Betting Apps
BettingUSA has analyzed all legal NFL betting apps and can firmly recommend the following sites to bettors looking to wager online:
BetMGM NFL Betting
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- Standout features: Low vigorish on two-way bets, strong interface, quick parlay tool, MGM Rewards integration
BetMGM Sportsbook is arguably the best NFL betting app for casual bettors, but it also appeals to seasoned veterans.
The main betting interface allows bettors to seamlessly swap between full-game and derivative (1st half, 1st quarters, etc.) displays. In addition, spreads, totals, and props are all neatly categorized, with the entire betting menu accessible via a couple of taps.
Bettors who dig deeper will notice that the pregame and in-play money line vigorish is lower than on most other sportsbooks. It’s not uncommon to find pregame money lines with an outstanding house edge of 3.8% or less.
The futures menu is nearly as expansive, focusing on team accolades and creative over/under bets.
Remarkably, over/under futures are priced the same as pregame point spreads, averaging -110 odds on each side. However, the house edge on multi-option futures, like the AFC Championship winner, runs higher than average.
BetMGM has integrated new bettor-friendly tools like its “Easy Parlay” builder, allowing users to string together wagers in seconds.
BetMGM also offers regular parlay boosts, bet insurance promos, and frequent spot bonuses. Bettors on the app will notice that their inbox almost always contains a generous offer, usually in the form of a bonus bet or a deposit match.
Finally, all customers are automatically enrolled in BetMGM Rewards, which is a crossover loyalty program tied to MGM’s award-winning land-based rewards program. This perk is especially lucrative for customers who frequent retail MGM casinos.
Caesars Sportsbook NFL Betting
- Standout features: Early lines, strong promotional schedule, willingness to take action, hidden value, live streaming, Caesars Rewards
Caesars Sportsbook excels in areas that many NFL betting apps neglect.
For instance, Caesars Sportsbook hangs its NFL point spreads for the entire regular season before Week 1. This appeals to serious bettors who prefer placing wagers before lines are hammered into efficiency.
Caesars also offers dozens of over/under and yes/no futures with stellar market pricing. The house edge on team bets like “To Make The Playoffs” or “Win Totals” is typically under 4%, and sometimes dips below 3.5%.
There’s a lot of hidden value to be found for bettors who seek it.
Caesars is hesitant to post early prop and derivative lines, but when it does there are hundreds of creative wagers available for each and game. Pricing on these wagers is usually better than average.
Caesars Sportsbook has also shown a willingness to take action from sharp bettors, its decades-long experience as a respected Las Vegas bookmaker carries through to its online betting app.
Caesars is also the forerunner of NFL live-streaming integration. Thanks to an agreement with NFL data provider Genius Sports, Caesars began broadcasting live NFL games in December 2022, and plans on utilizing its low latency streams to elevate its in-play (Watch & Bet) experience.
Promotional opportunities at Caesars Sportsbook are frequent and lucrative. Odds boosts with generous $100 limits are offered nearly every week, 25-50% profit boosts are plentiful, and there’s usually some sort of contest running.
Caesars Sportsbook also offers one of the most valuable sports betting signup bonuses.
Bettors using the app also earn Caesars Rewards status and rewards on their wagers, combined with points earned at Caesars retail Caesars properties.
FanDuel NFL Betting
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- Standout features: Solid in-play pricing, expansive NFL betting markets, large geographical footprint
FanDuel Sportsbook is the industry’s market share leader and the top pick for many NFL bettors, although it hasn’t evolved quite as much as its competitors since claiming the #1 spot.
One of FanDuel’s standout features is its massive array of NFL betting markets, which are overflowing with alternative lines, derivatives, props, and futures.
The NFL futures menu at FanDuel Sportsbook is particularly impressive, with 16 distinct categories ranging from seasonal awards, win/alternative win totals, and rookie stats.
FanDuel also posts compelling “Season Specials” which are essentially hand-picked season-long player and team props. The problem is that the specials are one-way (Yes only) props, so it’s difficult to determine the house edge.
In either case, give “props” to FanDuel’s creative team for combining two popular formats.
FanDuel also offers house specials on local teams. For instance, customers in New Jersey will see special bets on the Jets, Giants, and Eagles. These niche bets don’t always offer the best odds but are popular with regional bettors.
Overall, the pricing on NFL markets is average. Most two-way pregame bets carry a 4.5% house edge, and multi-option futures are priced at slightly worse odds compared to other sportsbooks.
The in-play pricing is better, with FanDuel generally offering -114/-114 live bet spreads as opposed to the industry standard -115/-115.
Unfortunately, FanDuel Sportsbook is not a great option for teaser bettors. Two-team 6-point teasers are listed at -134, and 7-pointers go off at -150. That’s just bad.
FanDuel has cut back its promotional spending and focuses on high-juice Same Game Parlays, a format that it pioneered. FanDuel also lacks a VIP loyalty program, and the betting interface is starting to feel dated.
FanDuel initially set the bar for other NFL betting apps to follow, most are catching up and a slight overhaul feels necessary.
Bet365 NFL Betting
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Bet365 Sportsbook has a reputation as a no-nonsense operator that posts early lines and fair odds across a wide variety of betting markets.
Bet365 pregame NFL moneylines are exceptional (3-3.5% house edge), and it’s one of the first betting sites to hang next week’s alternative lines.
Bet365 also supports over 60 distinct futures markets, not including a variety of season-long specials.
Where Bet365 really appeals to US bettors is with its early Same Game Parlay lines on all regular season games and dozens of highly engaging props.
Bet365 also has promotions that are friendly to casual bettors, evidenced by its regular bet boosts, parlay boosts, and a generous signup bonus.
Bet365 also has an in-play product that provides live game trackers, game summaries, and highly competitive in-play lines.
The Bet365 betting interface is still confusing, and the app won’t win any visual awards. Alternative line and futures pricing is mediocre and there isn’t a VIP loyalty program, but there is potential for Bet365 to become a top-tier NFL betting app.
DraftKings NFL Betting
- Standout features: Early lines, low moneyline vigorish, extensive betting menu, Dynasty Rewards, sports betting pools
DraftKings Sportsbook is an exemplary model of what an NFL betting app should look like, taking the crown for providing bettors with a nearly flawless experience.
DraftKings offers lots of betting markets, and competitive odds. DraftKings NFL lines are posted well in advance, with spread and moneyline wagers available on every single regular season game before the season starts.
NFL Point spreads at DraftKings are listed at standard -110 odds, but the house edge on moneylines is a consistently low 4%.
DraftKings also offers thousands of futures markets on teams, individual players, league leaders, and award winners with vigorish on these normally highly taxed wagers significantly lower than industry standards.
Pregame and in-play markets are equally vast, with the number of available bets soaring well into the hundreds, and spanning props, upward of 50 alternative lines and totals, and live bets as granular as the result of the next snap.
Most Over/Under props are offered at -110/-110 odds, although the pricing on multiway props is less ideal. Two-team six-point teasers are priced at -120 which is about the best bettors will find.
DraftKings also supplements its NFL betting markets with Survivor and Pick’em Pools, with maximum prize pools climbing up to seven-figures.
DraftKings has a high-quality NFL interface, although the number of categories may overwhelm new bettors.
DraftKings offers it’s best promotions for the NFL season, offering plenty of odds boosts, bet & get’s, and profit boosts. The promos are a bit too focused on Same Game Parlays, but that’s a minor complaint.
All bettors earn rewards with DraftKings Dynasty Rewards loyalty program.
What To Look For In NFL Betting Sites
Finding the right NFL betting sites begins with understanding which online sportsbooks are legal and where they’re available. After that, it’s a matter of narrowing it down based on a number of factors:
BettingUSA advises fans to use licensed online sportsbooks exclusively. State regulators ensure all licensed NFL betting sites protect customers’ funds, maintain their privacy, and treat them fairly.
In most states with legal online sports betting, the agency in charge of regulating sportsbooks maintains a public list of licensed operators.
Bettors can verify any sportsbook’s licensing status in their state to ensure it is legal, regulated, and safe.
NFL bettors can also look for their state regulator’s seal of approval on any online sportsbook’s website for further confirmation.
For example, the New Jersey seal of approval looks like this:
Bettors should always confirm any online sportsbook they are dealing with holds a valid license. Many offshore sportsbooks claim to be legal but operate contrary to US law.
Unregulated offshore sportsbooks present significant risks, operate under questionable security standards, and bettors have no legal recourse should something go wrong.
Note: BettingUSA.com only recommends licensed online sportsbooks and NFL betting apps.
Legal online sportsbooks offer far more deposit options than offshore bookmakers.
Legal NFL betting sites are mandated to keep player funds separate from operating accounts and must offer viable withdrawal options.
Bettors can expect swift, reliable payouts.
It’s not enough for NFL betting apps to take action on moneylines, spreads, and totals.
Most sports betting apps now expand their NFL menus each season to include more props, futures, and dozens of team specials.
Exotic bets once reserved for the Super Bowl are showing up in regular season betting menus, and preseason markets have expanded.
In-play NFL betting markets are becoming as diverse as pregame wagers, with some operators even taking instant bets on the result of each snap.
Some online sportsbooks post early lines, letting bettors browse Week 18 point spreads and totals in August. Finding ways to trim the house edge on NFL markets is extremely hard, but having access to early lines makes it much easier.
Bettors won’t find much variation in NFL betting lines from site to site.
This is partially because NFL lines are extremely efficient, but also because wise bettors avoid sportsbooks that juice up their lines.
It doesn’t take long for even the most casual bettor to realize that they shouldn’t be betting into -115/-115 point spreads.
However, disparities still exist, especially in prop, derivative, and futures markets.
Also, some online sportsbooks are more willing to take positions than others. These books are worth special consideration since they’re not simply copying the same line as everyone else.
Even the most common moneyline and in-play prices vary slightly, with a few books charging up to 1% less vigorish on featured bets.
Over the course of an NFL season, 1% adds up.
The easiest way for NFL bettors to offset the house edge is to take advantage of promotions and welcome bonuses.
NFL promo offers come in many forms like bonus bets, deposit bonuses, and odds boosts.
Bettors can also find value in sports betting loyalty programs. A generous VIP rewards structure can cut a player’s expected losses by 30-40%.
NFL Betting Bonuses and Promotions
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Nearly all NFL betting sites offer welcome bonuses and ongoing promotions that fans can leverage to extract more value from their football wagers.
New customer NFL betting bonuses usually offer the most flexibility and greatest potential upside.
In contrast, short-term promos for existing customers tend to provide pinpoint value on specific games, players, propositions, post-season contests, and the Super Bowl.
NFL Welcome Bonuses
Typically, football betting sites welcome new customers with a bonus that takes one of the following formats:
- NFL Second Chance Bets: Second chance bets invite fans to sign up for accounts and place their first wagers in exchange for promising to refund them with a bonus if it loses. For example, a sportsbook may promise to refund any customer’s first bet on an NFL game if it loses with up to $1,000 in bonus bets.
- First Deposit Bonuses: Some NFL betting sites welcome new customers with percentage-based bonuses based on the size of their first deposit. For example, an online sportsbook may offer all new customers a 20% bonus on their first deposit, paid as site credit. In that case, depositing $500 would get the customer $100 in bonus funds to use for betting on NFL games online.
- Bet & Get NFL Bonuses: “Bet and get” offers tend to be some of the most value-added NFL betting bonuses because they often require the least upfront risk but still provide excellent value. For example, a sportsbook that offers $200 in bonus bets to anyone who places a first wager of at least $20 provides an oversized benefit relative to the size of the initial deposit and first bet.
Deposit match NFL bonuses and “bet and get” offers are usually preferable over second chance bets because they benefit all new customers, not just those who place losing wagers.
However, second chance bets and first wager refunds can still provide significant value because they provide the largest potential upside.
In most cases, the best way to get the most value out of second chance NFL betting bonuses is to place high-variance wagers on underrated underdogs.
Placing an initial wager on an underdog is an excellent opportunity to take a shot at a bigger payout while receiving a bonus bet if it loses.
Using refunded bonus bets on underdogs is a higher-EV play because most second chance NFL betting promotions do not include the initial wager when paying winnings on bonus bets that win.
Expert Tip: Check out our guide to second chance bets for the mathematical explanation of why it is the most +EV play to use bonus bets on long-odds markets.
Short-Term NFL Betting Promos for Existing Customers
Short-term NFL betting promotions for existing can take even more forms:
- NFL Bonus Bets: Sportsbooks issue bonus bets to existing customers regularly. Occasionally, online sportsbooks drop bonus bets to existing customers’ accounts if it’s been a while since they’ve logged in. In most cases, NFL betting sites host short-term promotions that issue bonus bets to customers who take specific actions like betting on a particular game, or making a new deposit.
- NFL Odds Boosts: Most football betting sites offer frequent odds boosts promotions that enhance the payouts on specific markets.
- NFL Parlay Promotions: A typical NFL parlay promotion offers to refund customers’ parlays with bonus bets if their ticket loses by just a single leg.
- Reduced Juice NFL Bets: Reduced juice NFL betting promotions temporarily reduce the house advantage on all football betting games. For example, a sportsbook may move all NFL point spread from -110 to -105 for a weekend.
- Super Bowl Betting Promotions: The Super Bowl is the season’s highlight for fans who value NFL betting bonuses and promotions. Most sportsbooks significantly ramp up their football betting promos during the week of the Super Bowl with offers that provide substantial value to customers.
Free NFL Betting Pools
Free NFL pools are some of the most fun and potentially lucrative football betting promotions.
A few NFL betting sites host free pick’em, survivor, and prop pools every season, sometimes guaranteeing seven-figure prize pools.
Fans can enter free pools from any state and choose from various formats:
- NFL Pick’em Pools: Fans predict the winners of NFL games every week. At the end of the season, bettors with the most correct picks win cash prizes. NFL pick ‘em contests can instruct bettors to submit picks for every game of the season, but most simply set a minimum number of weekly picks entrants must submit. Contests can have entrants select games against the spread (ATS) or straight up (SU).
- NFL Survivor Pools: Entrants choose one NFL game every week and select which team will win. If you get it right, you advance to next week’s round. If you get it wrong, you’re out. You can also only select a team once each season.
- NFL Prop Pools: Fans log in every week to answer prediction-style contests about upcoming games. Questions vary, covering everything from which team will score first in a particular game to which of three upcoming games will end with the smallest margin of victory.
DraftKings offers the most free NFL pools with cash prizes each season.
Bettors can check their sportsbooks’ promo tabs early each season to find the details on the next big NFL betting pool.
Of these, DraftKings is by far the most consistent because it has an entire tab dedicated to free and paid betting pools.
Fans can visit the “Pools” section in the DraftKings app at any time and find several free-to-play contests on offer.
Daily free-to-play contests feature prize pools worth a few thousand dollars, but DraftKings also hosts a few promotional pools every year with six or seven-figure prize pools.
NFL Betting Loyalty Programs
Quality sports betting rewards programs provide significant value to frequent NFL bettors via regular bonuses, exclusive promotions, and passive rewards like VIP hosts.
Sportsbook loyalty programs from major casino operators like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment also provide crossover rewards for customers who frequently visit retail sportsbooks and casinos and also like to bet online.
For example, fans can bet on the NFL online and earn hotel stays, comped meals, VIP event tickets, and more.
Fans should use NFL betting loyalty programs that are straightforward, transparent, and provide useful perks.
Too many sportsbook VIP programs are opaque regarding how customers earn loyalty points and their exchange rate for bonuses, which makes it difficult to figure out how much value bettors are receiving.
The following are BettingUSA’s most frequently recommended sports betting loyalty programs:
Types of NFL Bets
See the following links for basic explainers of the most common types of NFL wagers.
Alternatively, fans can visit our comprehensive page on how to bet on the NFL for an in-depth discussion spanning the basics to advanced betting strategies.
- Moneylines
- Point Spreads
- Point totals (Over/Under)
- Parlays
- Teasers
- Round Robins
- Futures
- Props
- In-Play Bets
NFL Stance On Sports Betting
The NFL’s stance on sports betting has evolved since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018.
For years, the NFL viewed sports betting as a threat to the integrity of its games and actively opposed legalization.
After the Supreme Court ended the federal sports betting prohibition, the NFL changed its rules to embrace the opportunity and partner with various sports betting operators, even allowing sports betting lounges to be operated at stadiums.
The NFL has gained billions of dollars in additional revenue via increased viewership, sponsorship agreements, and data rights since embracing legal sports betting. Simultaneously, the league tries to balance those gains against protecting the integrity of the game via detailed betting policies covering players, coaches, and league officials.
NFL Betting FAQ
Mike Murphy is the founder of BettingUSA.com and has over 10 years of experience in the legal gambling industry. A regular attendee of industry trade shows and conferences, Mike is a strong proponent in the idea of a well regulated online betting industry.