How to Bet on Basketball in Vegas

By: Sean Taylor

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Something that a lot of people do for fun is learn how to bet on basketball in Vegas. NCAA Basketball and NBA are very popular to watch on television. Most sports that are watched in the United States by millions of people offer wagering on that sports. In the United States, Las Vegas is one of the only places where betting on basketball is legal. There are many basketball fans looking for information on how to bet on basketball in Vegas, so let's discuss some of the steps necessary to do this.

  1. Obviously the first step of learning how to bet on basketball in Vegas is knowing how betting on basketball works. The first option to bet on basketball is betting on the point spread. For the sake of example, the Heat and Magic are playing. The point spread is Heat -4. This means to bet on the Heat -4 and to win, the Heat must win the game by more than four points. If betting on the Magic, the point spread will be Magic +4 and in order to win the Magic must lose the game by less than four points or win the game. If the Heat win the game by four points, then the bet is considered a, "push." This means all money is returned to the better and it is a tie. Another way to bet on basketball is by betting on the total. The total is the total points combined to be scored by both teams. The total of the Heat versus Magic game is 200. To bet under and win, the total points must be below 200 and to bet over and win the total points must exceed 200. If exactly 200 points are scored, again it is a push and all money wagered is returned to the bettor.
  2. The next step of betting on basketball in Vegas is finding a place to place the bet. In Vegas, there are many casinos that accept sports bets. After placing a bet at a window, the casino gives the person placing the bet a receipt and if the bet is won it can be returned to collect the winnings.
  3. A major aspect of betting on basketball is setting aside a certain amount of money that can be used to place wagers. This should be an amount of money that can be lost and it will not affect a person's life too adversely.

An important thing to remember is that gambling should be done for amusement only. If the amount of money lost gambling on basketball is negatively affecting someone's life, then professional helps should be sought. Calling 1-800-GAMBLER is an option for people that suffer from a gambling addiction. When done in moderation, learning how to bet on basketball can be a great mode of entertainment.

Posted on: Apr. 13, 2010