• Is Betting On College Football Legal Rules
• Is Betting On College Football Legal Lines
• Is Betting On College Football Legal

Betting on football is the biggest part of the growing US sports gambling market. That’s due largely to tremendous interest in betting on the NFL, but also because of the games that take over Saturdays in the fall for sports fans: collegefootball.

Football is the most bet on sport in the United States with an estimated $100 billion to be wagered on NFL and college football betting combined each year. Below we detail the status of legal domestic football betting in each state in the country. Legalized Football Betting By State. Sports betting is in legal in a number of states. These, plus the latest information on more US states, are listed in-depth in our guide to US sports betting. These three states, however, have the most extensive places and methods for legal sports betting. Pennsylvania: Sports betting is.

Read on for more information about betting on college football legally in the US and the market for it in the states.

While NCAA College Football odds and legal NFL betting options include prop bets for broadcast-inclusive events, Fan Controlled Football has only offered game lines and futures so far, and that will likely remain the case until the sport becomes more popular on a national and global scale. Is it legal to bet on College Football Bowl Games? Yes, there is no federal law that prohibits college football fans from betting on bowl games. Currently, there are two ways to legally bet at a sportsbook for the 2020-21 bowl season: Offshore ‒ There is no law banning gamblers from using sports betting sites located outside the United States.

Is it legal to bet on NCAA Football? There are no federal laws that prohibit betting on college football, post-season playoffs, bowl games, or NCAAF Thanksgiving games. When it comes to risking real money on college football games, there are two options available to you in the United States.

Where can you legally bet on college football in the US?

College football betting used to be legal only in Nevada. But now, it’s legal in a variety of states around the country.

Here’s the current list of states where you can bet on sports, in general, (or will be able to in the near future), and wager specifically on college football:

A number of states have considered either a ban on collegiate sports entirely or a ban on betting on events involving schools in that state.

New Jersey is the only state where a ban on in-state collegiate events and in-state colleges exists. Nevada used to have a ban on betting on in-state schools — UNLV and the University of Nevada — but that ban has since been rescinded.

Here is a quick look at college football betting in some key states:

College football betting in Nevada

If you want to bet on college football in Nevada, you’re in luck, because there is no shortage of options. More than 100 sportsbooks are available; many in the population centers of Las Vegas and Reno.

Almost every sportsbook also offers a betting app where you can wager.

There is also a bowl game in the state every year: the Las Vegas Bowl. It pits teams from the Mountain West Conference and the Pac-12 Conference.

College football betting in New Jersey

College football betting is undoubtedly a big part of the pie in New Jersey, because of the massive interest in college football generally.

But that is not because of interest in the in-state teams. Rutgers sometimes makes a bowl game but is usually not a player on the national scale.

Some of the online sportsbook options in New Jersey include:

College football betting in Pennsylvania

There are a lot of colleges in PA, so that should mean lots of interest in betting on them legally.

However, one college stands alone in fandom in the state: Penn State. It’s a huge state school that draws fans from across the state, even if they didn’t attend.

Penn State is often in the upper echelon of the Big Ten and ranked nationally, although it has never made the College Football Playoff. It has won the national title, but it hasn’t in decades.

Other schools, like Pitt, Temple and Villanova, also draw rooting and betting interest in the state.

Here are the options for online sportsbooks in Pennsylvania:

College football betting in West Virginia

Every other sport pales in comparison to West Virginia football in the Mountaineer State. And that’s especially true for betting on WVU football.

In fact, WV football is so big that it’s likely to be the single biggest driver of betting handle and revenue in the state.

Marshall University is also significant in West Virginia, and the team usually fields a competitive and sometimes very good football team that will draw betting interest.

Right now, there are two options for betting on college football online in WV:

College football betting in Iowa

Iowa is one of those states where betting on college football should be massive, especially as online betting gains traction.

The two-state schools, Iowa and Iowa State, are often excellent programs. And Nebraska, another program with a rabid fanbase, is just over the border, as well.

College football betting in Indiana

Indiana is another state with a lot of interest in betting on college football, mainly because it is the home to NotreDame. The private school is routinely in the national championship hunt and is a favorite to watch nationwide. Its home state makes betting on Notre Dame football big business.

Indiana and Purdue also field football teams and should draw a lot of betting interest from Indianans.

College football betting in Oregon

Oregon will not have college sports betting on the app from the state lottery. However, you will be able to bet on college sports at any tribal casino that opens up a sportsbook in the state.

Where does the NCAA stand on sports betting and betting on college football?

The group that oversees college athletics has been staunchly against betting on college sports for all of its existence; however, it has at least relaxed its stance in recent years.

The NCAA is still advocating for a federal ban on betting on collegiate events, or in state-level laws whenever possible. That’s despite the fact that there are billions of dollars already wagered on collegiate sports on the black market via local bookmakers and offshore sportsbooks that serve the US illegally.

Short of that, the NCAA and its member schools think the ban on in-state games for any state legalizing sports betting is also preferable.

The NCAA was the lead plaintiff in the federal court case that led to the end of the federal sports wagering ban. It joined the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL as plaintiffs in the case against New Jersey, which was attempting to prove that the ban was unconstitutional.

While some of the professional leagues evolved their stance on legal and regulated betting before and in the wake of that decision, the NCAA has not.

The market for college football betting

It’s difficult to come up with exact numbers for how much Americans bet on college football.

Our best data comes from Nevada, where we know betting on football, in general, is king of all sports. The state does not break down wagering by pro and college football. But anecdotally, the breakdown between the two is about 50-50.

Is Betting On College Football Legal Rules

While betting on the NFL is more popular, in general, there are more games at the collegiate level. There are more than 100 teams in the top echelon of college football — the Football Bowl Subdivision — with most of those playing on any given Saturday. That gives bettors more games they might be interested in betting on.

That dynamic could be different in other states, in that college betting could be more popular. The college teams in Nevada are not terribly good or popular in any given season, so interest in betting them is often muted.

But college football is hugely popular in many of the states that are legalizing sports betting. That’s especially true in the Midwest and the South, where there often isn’t a hometown pro football team to cheer for and bet on.

That includes the likes of West Virginia, Iowa, Indiana and Mississippi, where all have seen brisk college football betting as gambling became legal in each of those states.

As far as the illegal, offshore market go, again, good estimates are difficult to come by. The universe for all betting is tens of billions to $150 billion, depending on who is making the estimate. Certainly, billions are being wagered via illegally operating sportsbooks and bookmakers every week on college football.

College football schedule and the biggest windows for betting

The college football season ebbs and flows, and betting on it will do so as well. Here’s a look at how the calendar goes every year:

• Early season: When football returns, people love to get action on the games. While meaningful games are often in short supply early in the season, that doesn’t stop people from betting on games.
• Conference rivalries and top-25 matchups: Throughout the season, some games are bigger than most. When traditional rivalries take place in the Power 5 conferences— the SEC, the Big 10, the Big 12, the Pac-12 and the ACC — these are often huge in terms of how much will be bet. Similarly, when two rank teams play each other, there’s more action on those games because they will air on national TV. When these two variables coincide, that is a formula for a lot of betting at legal sports.
• Conference championship week: At the end of the regular season, most conferences feature championship games between the league’s top two teams. Because there are fewer games this weekend, that will likely translate to a lot of betting on high-profile matchups.
• Bowl season: Perhaps the best time of year for betting on college football is when the bowls roll around. The games feature matchups of teams that don’t often play each other and are usually on national TV. That translates to people wanting to bet on these games, whether at a sportsbook or in pick’s contests with friends.
• National championship playoffs: The three biggest games, in terms of betting in the US, will be the three games that pit the best four teams in the country. First, two teams square off in the national semifinals. The winners advance to a winner-take-all game for the national championship. Just like the SuperBowl, the final game of the season for all the marbles is also the biggest in terms of betting handle.

Legal betting on college football vs. offshore sportsbooks

Not every sportsbook that will allow you to place bets on college football is operating legally in the US.

A variety of offshore sportsbooks serve the US market, including most of the states that have legalized sports betting. But those online sportsbooks are located outside of the US and operate in violation of state and federal laws.

How do you tell the difference? Well, the offshore sportsbooks that are commonly found by sports bettors are:

• Bovada
• BetOnline
• MyBookie
• Bookmaker.eu

Is Betting On College Football Legal Lines

None of these sportsbooks serve the US market legally.

The easiest way to tell if a sportsbook is legal and regulated in your state, there will usually be a logo of the state’s gaming board along with a link to its licensing. If a sportsbook says it is licensed by a country and not a state in the US, is not operating where you live legally.

The moral: Choose carefully when deciding where to place your bets on college football.

How to bet on college football

If you want to bet on college football, there are a variety of ways to do so.

If you’re relatively new to betting on sports, in general, you can read more about sports betting terms. But the most common means of betting on football include:

• Point spread bets: A sportsbook sets a line of how much one team will win by. A bettor will wager whether either team will be able to able to beat the spread, by winning or losing by more than the allotted number of points in the spread. If you bet on Alabama to cover a 3-point spread, for instance, they must win by 4 or points for a winning bet.
• Moneyline bets: This is a simple wager on who will win a game.
• Totals bets: A sportsbook sets a line on how many points will be scored in a game. A bettor chooses over or under that total.
• Futures bets: This is a bet on whether a team will win a conference or the national title, among other things, placed early in the season.
• Parlay bets: This is where multiple outcomes are wagered in a single bet. If a bettor chooses all the outcomes correctly, it results in a higher payout than betting them individually would. But more outcomes tied to a wager means it is more difficult for a bettor to win.

Betting on football has never been more popular, and according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), close to $100 billion is wagered on National Football League and college football games each year with an estimated 98% of football wagers being placed through online offshore betting websites. But is any of this legal?

To learn more, read on to find out the sports betting laws involved as well as the best football sportsbook sites on the web in our legal online US football betting guide.

Is it Legal to Bet on Football in the United States?

Depending on where you live, you may have more than one option for betting on football. Due to PASPA's repeal, state lawmakers are now allowed to pass their own legislation and determine whether to legalize sports betting in their respective state. Multiple states have already legalized and launched domestic sportsbook gambling initiatives.

Legal international sports betting has been available to Americans for decades, and does not violate any US federal laws. There are only two states that prohibit offshore online betting: Connecticut and the state of Washington. Offshore sportsbooks covering NFL betting lines offer attractive bonuses and a wide range of wagering options.

Best USA Friendly Sportsbook To Bet On Football Games

In House

If you enjoy betting on football, then Bovada Sportsbook is where you should consider playing. Players who are familiar with the big names in online gambling know Bovada is a name they can trust since they are part of the Bodog group of reputable online betting sites. Bovada accepts all USA players and offers easy funding methods.

As far as football is concerned, Bovada offers everything you can imagine in the way of betting on football games from NFL, College and Arena with all the betting options you've become accustomed to such as straight, halves, quarters, 2nd half lines, prop bets, future bets, teasers, parlays etc... And the fact that you are playing with one of the most reputable names in online betting should give you the peace of mind you need so you can actually just enjoy the games and sweat your bet, not getting paid.

• Extremely Reputable - They've never missed a payout

• Only Players from the US, Mexico and Brazil accepted

Yes, but only if you place a wager through a legitimate destination that is subject to strict regulatory oversight or that is owned and operated by a parent company that holds licensing credentials. Some states offer domestic options of this nature to expand the range of opportunities offered by reputable, US-facing offshore sportsbooks. Our staff has reviewed, put together, and vetted the betting sites on this page and have verified that these sites are operating legally within the industry and always process their payouts for winning bets on football reliably and effectively.

The most popular sports league in the United States in terms of individual game viewership is also the most popular sport to bet on in the country with estimates of around $55 billion to be bet on the NFL for this season alone – meaning 98% of all NFL action comes from online offshore sportsbooks.

Is Betting On College Football Legal

NFL odds and betting lines feature much tighter margins and lower numbers when compared to its collegiate counterpart. This is because the professional tier of the sport is the pinnacle for American football, and playing the game perfectly is expected each week.

Games in the NFL can literally be decided on one play where the outcome simply swings one way because one player gave 100% and his opponent only gave 99%, making the phrase “game of inches” hold even more weight due the sheer amount of games being decided on only an inch many times in the past with more to surely come in the future.

The professional NFL bettors can predict all of this on a regular basis since they routinely know which side holds more value and more importantly – which side can come up with that extra inch to guarantee a winning bet. Learn more from our page targeting legal NFL betting online.

College football is where American football all started and is by far the most popular college sport in the country today in terms of viewership and betting with roughly $45 billion being bet on this level of football annually.

The NCAA organizes and legislates the game of college football, and Division I is where most of the betting action takes place since it features the best college football athletes of today with many hoping to become the NFL stars of tomorrow.

“Chaos” is the name of the game in college football, since younger minds are more likely to crack when the pressure is on – regardless of talent level. The odds and betting lines may be bigger than the pro game of football, but don’t get fooled into thinking that a team much less talented has no chance of winning or what the top priority should be: covering.

Betting on college football games is like investing in stocks where even the most reliable stock, or team, can plummet after just one bad product release or game played in this analogy. It can be a volatile market, to say the least, but the best college football bettors, much like the best investors, can reliably predict when chaos will strike and reap the rewards, after all is said and done each Saturday night.

The XFL is back and this time the league is poised to last at least a few years giving the massive funding provided by Alpha Entertainment and owner Vince McMahon. The league is different from the NFL in many ways but one of the most notable differences is that the teams are owned by the XFL instead of franchise owners. There will also only be eight teams that compete in a ten-game season that concludes after a two-week playoff system.

The XFL is also geared to be gambling-friendly considering almost every team (except Florida) is located in a state that has passed or has pending sports betting legislation. Our guide to betting on the XFL will offer our advice on the best XFL sportsbooks and have you ready for the inaugural season of the revamped football league that is set to begin on February 8th, 2020.

What is Football Point Spread?

A point spread in football is an estimated number of points by which the favored team is predicted to defeat the underdogs.

Example: New England Patriots over New York Jets (-7.5)

Whenever a negative number is given, the team favored must win by more than the margin for your bet to payout. In the example, to win a bet on the Patriots requires the team to win by 8 points or more for the bet to payout. If a wager was placed on the Jets, the Jets don’t have to win the game, but instead, only need to lose by 7 or less points.

How Do Over/Under Bets Work?

The over/under in football is where the sportsbook sets a number for a statistic and a wager can be placed on whether the outcome of the statistic will be higher or lower than the established number.

Examples: New England Patriots vs. New York Jets (47)
Philadelphia Eagles 2018 Season Total Wins (O/U 10.5)

If 2 teams are shown, typically attached to a (O/U) to indicate an over/under, the number shown is the combined point total of both teams at the end of the game. If a bet is place on the over the total points scored in the game must be over 47, and if a bet is on the under then the total must be lower than 47. If both teams combine for exactly 47 points, then a bet is lost on both sides because bets are placed on the over or under and not the exact amount.

Futures with over/under odds are common too. Typically, this will be on a season win total or a end-of-season player statistic. As shown above, if the Eagles win total at the end of the season falls below 10.5 then the under wins, and if the total is above 10.5 the over wins. And again, if the set number is the outcome, then both the over and under lose.

Why Should I Bet on Futures Odds?

A futures bet on football is a wager placed ahead of time, sometimes weeks or months in advance, where the result and payout will not occur until a future date.

Example: Chicago Bears (+1200) to win Super Bowl 54

The most common futures wager in football each year will be on the Super Bowl. Odds for futures are simple: The +1200 indicates the payout in American odds, so to receive $1,200 if the Bears win the Super Bowl, a bet of $100 would need to be placed. Other ways to show futures odds may be with fractions (12/1) or decimals (13.00).

You can learn more about wagering options from our guide to understanding the different types of NFL bets and how they work.

Football fans typically are driven to follow their teams and players, gathering the latest news and information, and go into a season 'in the know'. Its a great way to get ahead of the game with an edge in calculating extra factors that may affect the betting lines and odds. Two great resources include the official websites for the NFL and the NCAAF.