Are you a sports fan looking to join the betting action for your favorite leagues? You can learn how to bet on sports online in 2025 with Gaming Today’s beginner’s guide to sports betting.
If you have a brand new sportsbook app on your phone but feel like a dog who finally caught the car it was chasing, you’ve come to the right place. Read this page to learn sports betting basics, including terminology, how odds work, common types of bets, and more.
We also offer additional sports betting resources and betting guides for specific leagues and events.
What Is Sports Betting?
Strap in, folks. This is a definition for the ages. “Sports betting” is the practice of betting on sports. Groundbreaking, we know!
Following a Supreme Court decision in 2018, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned. The decision allowed states to legalize sports betting on an individual basis. Many quickly jumped at the opportunity. New Jersey, for example, had already laid legislative groundwork for sports betting and became one of the first states to offer it.
Now, you can bet on sports in more than 30 US markets. The vast majority of legal sports betting states offer both online and retail sports betting. You can gamble with real money via sports betting apps or websites.
Getting Started with Online Sports Betting: How to Bet on Sports
Every sports bettor must follow the same general steps to open a new sportsbook account. In this section, we offer a high-level view of the sign-up and betting process. Note that the steps and exact language can vary depending on the sportsbook. Fortunately, the top recommended sportsbooks make the process simple and intuitive.
Remember to choose only reputable and trusted sportsbooks. At Gaming Today, we only recommend legal, licensed, and thoroughly vetted sportsbooks so you can bet with peace of mind. You can find additional information about licensing at your state’s governing body.
Choose Sportsbook
Pick your preferred sportsbook (or a few) and click Gaming Today’s ‘PLAY NOW’ button or sign-up link to visit the sportsbook. The betting site’s sign-up landing page will pop up.
Claim Sportsbook Bonus Offer
The most exciting part of joining a new sportsbook is receiving the welcome bonus. By clicking a sign-up link and/or entering one of our exclusive sportsbook promo codes, you will have the offer applied to your account throughout the registration process.
Savvy bettors join more than one sportsbook to claim welcome offers, build multiple bankrolls, and gain the opportunity to line shop for the best odds for every bet.
- Learn More: What is Line Shopping?
Register Sportsbook Account
Once you’re on the sportsbook sign-up landing page, click ‘Sign Up,” “Register,” “Join,” or a similar button to get started. If necessary, select your state.
Enter Personal Information
Follow the prompts to fill out your identity-verifying information, including name, address, email, phone number, and date of birth. If required, verify your phone number or email with a link or code that’s sent to you.
Some sportsbook apps will install geolocation software on your mobile device to ensure you’re physically located within a legal betting market.
Deposit Funds
Add a payment method and make a deposit. ACH, PayPal, online banking, and credit cards are among the possibilities.
Watch out for fees associated with credit card transactions. We recommend PayPal as your best bet when it comes to sportsbook payment methods.
Place Your Bet
Once you’ve signed up, you can check out the available odds and betting markets.
Click your desired bet to add it to your bet slip. Enter the amount you would like to wager. The odds and your potential winnings will be displayed on the bet slip. Hit “Place Bet” and wait a second or two for the wager to process.
Don’t forget about Gaming Today’s Implied Probability Calculator, Parlay Calculator, and Moneyline Calculator throughout the wagering process.
Types of Bets at Online Sportsbooks
Here, we cover the most common types of sports bets.
With moneyline (or straight-up) bets, you wager on a single team/individual to win a match outright.
In spread betting, sportsbook oddsmakers will set a number to act as a handicap between two opponents (teams, individuals, etc.). You can wager on a team to cover the spread by winning when the adjusted points are applied. These are called run lines in baseball and puck lines in hockey.
Bet on both teams to combine for Over or Under a certain total score threshold set by oddsmakers. You can also bet on individual team totals, totals for a portion of the game (i.e., 1st period, 4th quarter), and you’ll Over/Under betting with some prop bets (i.e., Patrick Mahomes O/U 225.5 passing yards).
Wager on an outcome that isn’t specifically tied to the game’s final score. For example, Caleb Williams to score an anytime touchdown, or the Maple Leafs to score the first goal of the game.
Bet on a long-term outcome, such as the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl or the Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup. You can also bet on player awards, conference and division titles, individual season-long performances (i.e., odds to lead the NFL in rushing yards).
With parlay betting, you combine multiple bets (legs) into a single high-risk, high-reward wager. All legs must be successful for the bet to win.
Bet in real-time on a game’s outcome, props, or other live odds markets while it’s underway.
Understanding Odds: Sports Betting 101
Sports betting odds can look intimidating at first glance. We’re here to help you dispel that notion. Let’s look at two examples and what they mean.
- SF 49ers -3.5 (-108)
- Seattle Seahawks +3.5 (-112)
This is a point-spread betting example. The numbers immediately following the team names represent the spread, which gives points to the underdog (Seattle, in this case) and takes points from the favored team (San Francisco).
The numbers in parentheses are the odds. With this handicapping method, point-spread bets have relatively even odds thanks to the points given to the underdog and taken from the favorite.
A winning $108 bet on the 49ers to cover the spread would pay $100, while a $112 wager on the Seahawks would pay $100. So, San Francisco would need to win by at least 3.5 points to reward 49ers spread bettors, whereas the Seahawks could win the game outright or lose by less than 3.5 points to cover.
Betting Favorites vs. Underdogs
The odds given to two opponents in any matchup can tell you which is favored to win and which is expected to lose. This is never guaranteed (we’re gambling here, after all), but the information is still crucial when making betting decisions.
Let’s use a moneyline example to highlight the difference between favorites and underdogs.
- Cleveland Browns: +340
- Philadelphia Eagles: -440
In sports betting, a plus symbol indicates an underdog, while a minus symbol indicates a favorite. The bigger the numbers following the symbols, the more mismatched these teams are expected to be when they meet. The disparity in odds for the Browns and Eagles here is pretty significant. To win $100 on an Eagles bet, you’d need to wager $440. Meanwhile, a winning $100 bet on the Browns would net you $340 in profit.
The potential payouts also highlight the difference in expectations for each team.
Can You Make Money Betting on Sports?
Is it possible to make money betting on sports? Yes. Does that mean you will make money? No. Sports betting is gambling, so you should never assume you will win or make meaningful gains. Always spend within your limits and use what you can afford to lose.
With that in mind, you can employ a few betting strategies to help maximize your potential profits.
Bankroll Management
Bankroll management always starts by calculating your unit size — the amount you are comfortable betting on a single wager. For example, a casual bettor might deposit $5 and say a single unit is $5. It’s important to use a sports betting tracker to keep tabs on your wins and losses. This will help you understand the sports and bet types you’re most successful with.
Betting strategies can help you decide how many units to place on each wager. Gaming Today offers several useful sports betting tools, including a No-vig Fair Odds Calculator, a Point Spread Calculator, and many others.
Advanced Sports Betting Strategies
Once you get into the swing of things, you can use more advanced betting strategies. The Martingale betting system and Kelly Criterion formula are among our favorites. Kelly Criterion comes from the world of finance, but it applies nicely to sports betting. This betting tool helps you determine what percentage of your bankroll to place on a given bet.
We recommend trying different strategies to find the one that works best for you.
Responsible Gaming
Whenever you gamble, you should consider responsible play. We have a responsible gambling guide and numerous resources for assistance and education.
Gaming Today also recommends visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website for extensive coverage of RG practices and resources.
More Sports Betting Guides
Check out more betting guides in the table below to get the latest sports betting tips and strategies to help you along your wagering journey.
How to Bet on Sports FAQ
Yes, you can legally bet on sports online in 32 US markets and many other countries around the world. You can bet within a legal state if you’re at least 21 years old (18 in some states like Kentucky) and physically located within the state’s borders.
US states have jurisdiction over sports betting and can legalize it on an individual basis. As of October 2024, 30 states — plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia — offer legal online betting.
A negative moneyline means the associated team is favored in the matchup. The number after the minus symbol indicates how much money you would need to bet to profit $100 on a successful wager.
Beginners can easily claim welcome offers and start betting on sports with legal sportsbook apps that are licensed and regulated in their state. Remember to avoid offshore sportsbooks that don’t adhere to US laws.
A $100 moneyline bet can have different payouts based on the odds. A winning $100 moneyline bet on odds of +125, for example, would pay out $225 in total ($100 in profit plus the initial wager returned).
A +200 moneyline is a straight-up wager on the outcome of a match. With plus odds, +200 suggests this is the underdog, and a successful moneyline bet of $100 would net $200 in profit for total winnings of $300 (including the original stake).
It’s possible, but you should never expect to make money betting on sports. Always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose.
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