First Bet
Few sporting events are as thrilling as a high-octane college basketball game. Betting on college basketball online can be as exciting if you’re doing it responsibly and in an informed manner. The fundamental step for all of this, of course, is being able to place wagers on a secured site.
The sports betting industry is cutthroat which means operators in the market are aware of the need to provide a customer quality, reliability and assurance that their money is safe. In this guide, we will recommend safe and reputed sites that offer a massive selection of games.
Live streaming service, bonuses, welcome offers and sign-up incentives are among several factors that determine which site one wants to access while placing bets for college basketball. The best sites offer a strong sign-up bonus for new customers. The top sites offer a sign-up offer that’s generous and easy to claim, with no hidden clauses or ultra-lengthy documentation. These are a massive advantage in the new digital world.
Is Betting on College Basketball Legal
Yes, it is, as long as you reside in a state where there are regulations for betting. Some regions have some restrictions, however. For example, if you’re betting from New Jersey, you can’t bet on games involving schools from New Jersey or games that take place in the state. However, given there are more than 350 basketball teams playing at the NCAA Division 1 level, there’s enough for everyone.
College Basketball Betting Sites and Online Sportsbooks
With the right information, there’s no reason to scour through several apps and websites to identify what works best for you. That’s why we’re trying to make it simple for you to decide what works and what doesn’t. Remember this: the best college basketball betting sites go beyond just catering to online NCAAB bettors.
Caesars Sportsbook
- Active States: AZ, CO, IN, IA, IL, KS, LA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA & WV
- Full Review: Caesars Sportsbook
- Tech Partner: William Hill
Few sportsbook operators will incentivize you better than Caesars. The app features specific odds-boosts on game and player prop outcomes. New players can grab a USD 1250 first bet on the app in most states. If you’re in Ohio or Maryland, this number can be USD 1500 with current bonus offers along with Caesar rewards.
Caesars divides this bonus into Rewards Credit and Tier Credits. Users benefit further by getting discounts on restaurants, hotels and entertainment arenas across the company’s flagship physical locations.
BetMGM
- Active States: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wyoming, Ontario
- Full review: BetMGM
- Tech partner: Sportsgrid
A market leader in sports betting and gaming entertainment, BetMGM is available in 21 markets and can be downloaded on both iOS and Android, as well as on desktop. Responsible gaming education remains one of their key focus areas. They provide resources to help customers play responsibly. BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey.
DraftKings
- Active States: AZ, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY
- Full review: DraftKings
- Tech partner: SB Tech
DraftKings is among the largest and most widely available sportsbooks in the USA. You can wager on multitude of sports, including big and small match-ups, like the national championship or the college championships. Ease of use of their app, attractive sign-up bonuses and incentives make them a strong betting proposition.
FanDuel
- Full review: FanDuel
- Tech partner: xDesign
FanDuel offers college basketball odds, including spreads, moneylines, over/under points totals and prop bets. That they do this for every basketball game, right from the regular season matches through to the NCAA Tournament makes them a massive player.
BetRivers
- Active States: AZ, CO, CT, IL, IA, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA and VA
- Full review: BetRivers
- Tech partner: Rush Street
BetRivers uses a world-class software and is renowned for its user-friendly tools for creating a varieties of bets. They also offer large bonuses and secure payouts. The BetRivers promo codes offer excellent deposit match sign-up bonuses.
Their biggest USP is the strong loyalty program and compelling leaderboard contests. They also process withdrawal requests automatically, thereby known for quicker payouts. Their stats interface on big games help make informed decisions. They also have an array of options for in-play betting.
Pointsbet
- Active States: CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, NJ, NY, OH, VA, WV
- Full Review: PointsBet
- Tech partner: 1/ST Technologies
An innovative betting site that offers traditional markets, such as spreads, moneylines, totals, props and parlays. Largely, Pointsbet offers more March Madness betting options than any other sportsbook in the USA.
Bet365
- Active States: New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia and Ohio
- Full Review: Bet365
- Tech partner: Genius Sports
One of the most popular betting sites, Bet365 have a strong digital footprint worldwide, even though in America they are live in just three states. Known for their UI-UX and strong bonus sign-ups, Bet365 for a long time enjoyed the first-mover advantage.
How to Choose the Best College Basketball Betting Site
It starts with a peek at the odds and available bet types. Expect to see money line bets, points spread, player props, parlays and total (over/under) betting lines offered during both regular season and NCAA tournament. Given there are nearly 350 schools and 32 conferences in Division One, some sites will cover more games than others.
Do check for listings and see if the games you want to bet on are available before committing. Some focus on value offerings, others serve up a bigger variety of exotic options and prop bets.
Live Betting
Live betting exposes you to several options unavailable to the average bettor. Added offerings once teams are on the court includes: next player to score, next team to score, next player to record a foul and next player to grab a rebound. With so many options, there’s a greater opportunity to find real value and capitalise on enticing odds.
Several factors influence a quick change in odds. For example, injuries to key players. This can affect moneyline and the spread. Then there are other factors like momentum, home/away form, rest and head-to-head records. Keep all these aspects in mind when live betting.
Quality of Lines and Odds
Becoming good at college basketball betting is tough, but understanding how college hoops wagering works isn’t as hard.
The basis of betting revolves around the point spread. Look at a game, and you may notice both teams have the same number listed next to them. One team is in the positive, the other in the negative. Here is an example.
Team A +6.5 vs Team B -6.5
In this above game, the point spread is 6.5: Team A is +6.5 and Team B is -6.5. A positive sign indicates an underdog. For a winning bet on Team B, they must win by at least 7 points. A winning bet on Team A at +6.5 will occur as long as they don’t lose by 7 or more points.
Remember, both sides of the bet pay the same. The point spread essentially cancels out the massive disparity in college basketball, making betting enticing even for a mismatch on the court.
Variety of Bet Types
Point Spread
Also known as “the line” or “the spread.” It is used as a margin to handicap the favorites. Bettors predict whether the favorites to win by a certain number of points, called a spread or a handicap.
Moneylines
In simple terms, it is a prediction of the winner. The odds for moneylines can often fluctuate from game to game because top-tier schools are significantly stronger than lower-tier programs.
Over/Under totals
This is the combined points scored between both teams in a selected game. As a bettor, you simply have to pick whether the eventual score will be over or under the handicap set by a sportsbook.
How to Register at a Legal College Basketball Betting Site
- Check if you’re in a state where online sports betting is legal. For patrons residing outside the USA, it isn’t possible to make an account with a legal sportsbook until they have a residency and social security number, which is required both during account registration process and in some cases, for cashing out bigger wins.
- If you are eligible, sign up at one of many sports betting sites.
- Provide the following details: First and last name, residential address, email address, phone number and partial SSN.
- Pick your sportsbook, register and verify your email and verify your identity.
- Start using the app
Do note: Legal sportsbooks limit every user to have just one account. In some cases, only one account can be opened per household. Do check a sportsbook’s terms and conditions before you sign up.
College Basketball Online Sportsbook Promotions
Risk-free Bets
A risk-free bet is one where your first wager will be refunded to you in some capacity should it settle as a loss. This can be in the form of a cashback, site credit or another free bet. If a risk-free bet settles as a win, you will receive your winnings in your platform wallet.
Deposit Bonus
This is essentially the money a casino or a sportsbook matches when you make an initial deposit. Upon claiming a match deposit bonus, your wallet balance doubles to account for the matched bonus, but the rider is you may need to process a minimum deposit amount to avail the offer.
No Deposit Bonus
This is a free bet given to a user without the compulsion to deposit money. These are usually either loyalty bets or introductory offers to help users get accustomed to a sportsbook.
Other College Basketball Sports Betting Promotions
Odds Boost
An Odds Boost is an incentive to a user by increasing the payout for a moneyline, points spread or on over/under totals on a certain game. The sportsbook may also offer increased odds to customers on certain players or a team prop. An odds boost moves the odds in favour of the bettor.
Parlay boost
A parlay boost increases potential payouts on a parlay (also called an accumulator) and adds a level of intrigue and entertainment to the betting experience. In using a parlay boost, your reward increases without you touching your risk position. This could lead to an exponentially higher payout on your parlay.
Parlay Insurance
A parlay insurance protects you against some or all of your losses by returning your stake in the form of free bets. Sportsbooks usually offer this as a means to encourage bettors who come close to winning on parlays to try again. There are two forms of parlay insurance: cashbacks and free bets.
First basket boosts
This is a bet on a particular player or team to score the first basket. This could also be betting on the type of first basket: either a two-pointer, a three-pointer or a free throw.
Where Can I Legally Bet on College Basketball?
You can legally bet on college basketball in the following states:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
- Washington D.C.
Why Should I Bet On College Basketball On Legal Sites?
- Safety and the security of your money
- Smoothness of bets and accumulation of rewards
- Reliable sign-up bonuses and offers
- Access to data on players and live scores
- Seamless payouts experience
