The Evolution of Basketball Betting

Millions of basketball fans worldwide follow the National Basketball Association, popularly the NBA. With hundreds of matches played yearly, this basketball league offers vast opportunities for sports bettors. However, a bookmaker offering NBA betting markets was not common in the past. Along with other mainstream American sports, the NBA has taken a tough stance against sports betting.

Together with the NFL, NHL, and NCAA, these sporting bodies made their stance against online betting known. This anti-betting stance was inspired by the fear that wagering on sports could directly impact these sports.

However, most US states started opening their doors to online gambling following a landmark supreme court ruling. This move not only saw online bookies cover online betting but also meant that US nationals could now wager on this national sport.

NBA betting is incredibly spectated and wagered on. However, due to the league's popularity, NBA betting has evolved considerably.

How did the NBA Become a Popular Betting Market

As mentioned earlier, American leagues like the NBA were not popular in the past. However, things took a rapid twist in 2018 after the Supreme Court reversed a federal ban on sports betting in the country. And almost 'instantly' online sports betting in the country sprung into prominence.

In the past, gamblers had limited options. However, the court ruling welcomed a relaxed gambling environment. As such, a wide range of betting markets became the standard for basketball betting. With online bookies available in almost every state, the best US sportsbooks promise an exciting experience and opportunities to win.

Once NBA betting had gone mainstream across American states, the number of people wagering on NBA games started to increase. This was inspired by the fact that people could stay home and follow the action while placing bets as the game dragged on.

Live NBA Betting

While it all started with the convenience of wagering online, the rise of live basketball betting has brought massive changes in NBA betting. However, this development came with some challenges that bookies had not envisioned. 

TV or satellites had an enormous time lag that meant those watching the game on mainstream media could not bet fairly. As such, live bets were only allowed during commercial breaks. However, this limitation was resolved with technological advances, and bettors could bet on live basketball matches.

Live betting became lucrative for basketball fans due to the relative ease of placing them. Most punters find it attractive to live stream a game while placing bets, as it often gives them a chance to make informed picks. The live betting aspect also makes bettors place more wagers than they would have with conventional online betting. In addition, last-minute changes and the possibility of massive basketball odds changes during the game's final minutes make live betting fascinating.

Expansive Range of Betting Options

During the early days, NBA bets were mainly limited to totals, moneylines, and handicaps. However, the last few years have seen exponential growth in the number of betting options. This means that basketball punters today do not have a limit to the range of markets.

The NBA is a general sport that revolves around players and the team. As such, betting markets offered by online sportsbooks tend to reflect this. Some betting options available to basketball punters today include:

• NBA player/team prop bets: Punters bet on the occurrence or non-occurrence of certain events, which mostly revolve around points, assists, rebounds, or times.
• Parlay bets: A single NBA wager with multiple selections, where each selection must win.
• Future bets: As the name suggests, this bet type allows punters to bet on the outcome of a future event

Change in Rules

Following the massive uptake of NBA betting, despite the initial pushback by the NBA, there have been some new developments. The NBA introduced a pricing per quarter, which sought to introduce pricing options for live and on-demand games.

Another rule inspired by online betting is the lineup reporting. This rule required all teams to submit their lineups 30minutes before the match kicked off formally. This rule allowed bettors to analyze the teams and make informed picks. Before this new rule, most teams could submit their official lineups 10 minutes before the game.

NBA last 90. This is essentially a new betting game advanced by the NBA. This new game employs footage from past games stitched together, allowing punters to place wagers during 90 seconds of simulated footage.

Final Thoughts

Betting on the NBA has never been so lucrative. Online bookies have been mushrooming in most states following massive legalization across the US. The NBA is one of many sports that online betting has revolutionized. Players in the states, where sports betting is legal, have a long list of options from top bookies. Online bookie review sites, such as the BettingRanker, are always a great place to start for punters looking for the best NBA betting sites.