Football Gambling

A sportsbook is the only place in a casino where a single bet can provide three hours of suspense and excitement. If you're a football fan, you already know that rooting for your favorite team can be an emotional roller coaster. When there's money on the line, however, even the most inconsequential games involving teams you care nothing about can seem as important as the fate of Western civilization. You really have to experience it to know what I'm talking about. If you're a newcomer to the world of sports gambling, here's an explanation of the two most basic types of football bets.

The Point Spread and Over/Under Bets

Football analysts decide which teams will most likely win each game and by what margin of victory. If the experts believe Denver will defeat Oakland by six or seven points, for example, they will set the point spread at 6.5. The line at a casino would read, "-6.5 Denver," and "+6.5 Oakland."

From the point of view of a gambler, this line means that Oakland is winning by 6.5 points before the opening kickoff. If Denver wins the actual game by six, the people who bet on Oakland actually won the game by half of a point. In this instance, someone who bet $100 on Oakland would collect approximately $190 from the casino; the casino returns the initial $100 bet, plus $90 for choosing the winning team. The house usually keeps either $10 or a predetermined percentage of every winning bet.

Say the line reads, "-3 Denver," and Denver wins by exactly 3 points. This is called a push. The house refunds 100 percent of your money on a push.

The over/under line represents how many total points the analysts believe the two teams will score. If the line is 40, for example, and Denver wins by a score of 20 to 21, the people who bet on the over have won, because the two teams scored a total of 41 points. Betting on the over/under changes the way you watch football. Rather than rooting for one team over another, you end up pulling for the offense or defense of both teams.

As long as you gamble responsibly, betting on football is a great way to add excitement to your Sundays. As with all gambling, any sports bet you make should not exceed your personal entertainment budget. If you're good at picking games, the hobby might even become profitable.