NFL Betting Sites

American Football Betting in the UK

On this page, we’ll cover the general structure of the NFL, giving you a better idea of all the matches on offer at UK betting sites. We’ll also outline the different types of bets you can make on American football, the bonuses up for grabs, and the different available payment methods.

Once you’re ready to start betting, use the comparison tools on this page to browse and pick an NFL betting site that’s right for you. Once you’ve decided, click the ‘claim bonus’ button to sign up and get started.

Safe and Secure American Football Betting

Here at GamblingDeals, all our recommended sites are fully licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), so you can enjoy peace of mind when browsing the wide range of options of where to bet. These betting sites also use 128-bit SSL encryption or equivalent to ensure customer data is secure.

The NFL Explained

The National Football League (NFL) consists of 32 professional American football teams. It’s the highest level of American football in the world and the most popular sport in its home country. Formed back in 1920, it’s been known as the NFL since 1922.

American Football Teams

The 32 teams that make up the NFL are divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). There are 4 divisions within each of these 16-team leagues — East, North, South, and West. Big-name AFC teams include the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans. In the NFC, you’ll find the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers.

Regular Season

Similar to other sports like football in the UK, there’s a three-week preseason before the regular season kicks off. However, the NFL gets started slightly later and has a shorter regular season — pre-season is in August, followed by 18 weeks of the regular season running from September to January. Each team plays 17 matches — home and away against the other three teams in their division, plus 11 more games assigned by the NFL.

NFL Playoffs

Once the regular season has concluded, seven teams from each conference progress to the NFL playoffs. These seven teams include four division winners plus the next three best-performing teams, known as the wild cards. The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, also known as a knockout. The third round decides the NFC and AFC Championships, with the winners coming together to play in the final round, the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 

The Super Bowl decides the overall champion of each NFL season by pitting the NFC and AFC champions against each other. The first Super Bowl was in 1966, and from 2022 it’s played on the second Sunday in February. It’s a huge event that’s watched worldwide and is famous for its half-time show, which has featured huge stars over the years such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, and U2.

Previous Super Bowl Winners

From the NFL’s current selection of 32 franchises, 20 have previously won a Super Bowl, while 15 of these teams have won it multiple times. 11 NFC teams have won it and 9 AFC. Let’s check out the most recent winners.

• Philadelphia Eagles – 2018 – The Iggles picked up their first Super Bowl when they beat the New England Patriots 41–33 in 2018. Going head-to-head at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, they denied the Patriots a sixth Super Bowl victory.
• New England Patriots – 2019 – The Patriots didn’t have to wait long for that sixth title, however, as they beat the Los Angeles Rams 13–3. This made it their third title in just five years. Super Bowl LIII was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history, a shock to the system after the previous year’s had been the second-highest scoring.
• Kansas City Chiefs – 2020 – Just over 62,000 watched on at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida as the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–20. This was the third lowest attendance in Super Bowl history, due to the seating capacity of the chosen venue.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2021 – Only 24,835 were permitted to attend Super Bowl LV due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when Tampa Bay Buccaneers decisively beat the Chiefs 31–9. Played at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, this was the first time a team played a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
• Los Angeles Rams – 2022 – Attendance was back up to just over 70,000 for Super Bowl LVI, where the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 in a back-and-forth match. Remarkably, for the second consecutive year — and second time ever — a team played and also won the Super Bowl in its home stadium.

American Football Betting Markets

Now you’re clued up on what the NFL is all about and how it’s structured, let’s take a look at the main types of American football betting markets available at the top sportsbooks.

Match Winner

The most simple NFL bet you can make is a prediction on the team to win a particular match. Draws are very rare in the NFL, so you’re usually just betting on either the home (1) or away team (2) to win. If the end of normal time is a draw, it’ll head into overtime, which is also included as part of the bet.

Player Props

A player proposition bet is a bet on a particular player’s actions in the game. This includes a myriad of things, including the number of passing yards, rushing yards, pass completion, receiving yards, tackles, touchdown scorers, passing touchdowns, and more. So if you fancy backing Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers to continue his incredible interceptions record, you can.

Handicap

If there’s a clear favourite to win a match, their odds will be very short and you won’t be able to garner much profit. This is where handicap, or point spread betting, comes in. It essentially gives the weaker team a headstart in the number of points, evening up the respective odds for each team in the process.

For example, as the Chicago Bears took on the New England Patriots in October 2022, Bet365 offered a spread of +8.5 for the Bears — this means you could add 8.5 to their score at the end of the game, and if it was higher than the Patriots’ score, they’d win for the purposes of the bet. With the Patriots starting on -8.5, this brings the odds for both teams to 10/11. Bettors still had the option to place a regular moneyline bet too though, which was set at 3/1 for the Bears and 5/19 for the Patriots.

Outright Bets

While plenty of NFL betting takes place in a fast-paced environment, outright bets look further into the future and can be made way ahead of time. Here you’ll be betting on the team to win a league or tournament, such as the AFC and NFC Championships or the Super Bowl. 

Total Match Points

With total match points, you’re betting on the cumulative number of points scored by both teams during a game. So, if you’re unsure which team will win but you think the match is going to be particularly low- or high-scoring, this can be a handy bet to make.

Bonus Offers for NFL Betting

Whichever sportsbook you choose for NFL betting, there’ll be plenty of bonuses available to help maximise the potential of your bets. There’s always a welcome bonus up for grabs for new customers, but the best sites also offer a range of deals for existing bettors.

Matched Deposit

Matched deposits are one of the most common welcome offers you’ll come across at American football betting sites. When you make your first deposit at a site, they’ll match your deposit with bonus credit up to a certain amount. A 100% match would double your money, meaning if you added £20 to your account, you’d get a £20 bonus to use on NFL betting, or anything else that takes your fancy.

Free Bets

Free bets are regularly included in both welcome offers and deals for existing customers. They’re set to a certain value, effectively acting as a token. You can then use a free bet to place a wager on an NFL match rather than using your own funds. If the bet wins, you’ll keep the profit.

Bet Refunds and Risk-Free Bets

New customers will often be able to get a form of insurance on their very first bet on the site. With this type of deal, if your bet loses, you’ll receive your stake back either as cash or in the form of a free bet. Bet refunds and risk-free bets may also be available to existing users, giving you the chance to have a punt on an American football game without as much risk involved.

Acca Insurance

Another popular form of insurance is designed specifically for accumulator bets. With an acca, you’re betting on four or more markets at the same time — and to win the bet, all of the selections have to be successful. Seasoned bettors will know the pain of an acca missing out by one pick. With acca insurance, however, you’ll get your stake back in cash or as a free bet if your bet loses by just one selection.

Payment Options at American Football Betting Sites

Depositing and withdrawing funds from your betting account is a standard process that should be made as straightforward as possible. It helps to have plenty of options at your disposal, so that you can find the right service for you, depending on your priorities. Here are some of the most common methods bettors are likely to use.

Debit Cards

Visa and Mastercard debit cards are accepted at all NFL betting sites. As you would with any other online payment, it’s easy enough to key in your card details and set up a payment. You can also save your card to your account for quick access next time. 

e-Wallets

If you have an e-wallet account with the likes of PayPal, Neteller, or Skrill, you may prefer to use that to deposit and withdraw funds. Digital wallets offer faster withdrawals than debit cards — completed within two days — and don’t require you to share your sensitive bank details. Instead, you’ll just log in with your email address and password.

Paysafecard

Paysafecard is a type of voucher you can buy from shops in various denominations. Bettors can then load these funds into their accounts, ready to place wagers on online sports. It’s a simple and secure process as all you need to provide is the 16-digit PIN located on the card itself. The downside with prepaid cards like Paysafecard is they can’t usually be used to withdraw funds, so you’ll need to use an alternative service for that part of the process.

Trustly

Trustly allows you to make payments directly from your bank account without actually sharing any of your card details with the betting site. Instead, you’ll log in to Trustly’s secure portal using your bank credentials and it handles the rest.

Get Started at a Top NFL Betting Site

Now you know what the NFL is all about, you’re ready to pick out an American football betting site. Browse the list of options using the comparison list on this page — once you’ve found one you like, click through to sign up and start betting.