What do purchases such as electronics, flights, hotels, and more have in common? They are all purchases that are not made off the cuff. Anyone who lives in the year 2020 and not under a rock with Patrick Star surely knows this.
Not only are consumers far more price-conscious, but so are companies. Entire industries have been built around the concept of comparing prices on products and services. Ever heard of Expedia? Trivago? Skyscanner? Thought so. Thanks to the internet and smartphones, information has never been more accessible and customers are using this to their advantage.
Why should sports betting be any different?
You may be asking yourself, “what does price comparison have to do with sports betting?” The answer is as simple as it is ironic.
In what (sadly) may be a surprise to many people, sportsbooks do not like to gamble! That is why they set the odds they do. Bookies set odds based not on what they believe the actual chances of an event occurring are, but rather, in an effort to offset their risk.
A sportsbook wants an equal amount of money wagered on both sides of a bet. That way, they use the money wagered by the losing side to pay the winning side, all while collecting the commission they charge to take on your bet (known as the “juice” or the “vig”). This way, they only win.
But herein lies the silver lining for the user!
The fact that bookmakers set odds based on where bettors put their money means that sportsbooks don’t offer the same odds for the exact same bets! Meaning, a savvy bettor interested in betting on a particular game can compare odds on the same game across different sportsbooks and find the spot offering the odds that give the highest payout.
While the differences between odds can sometimes be small, they are not insignificant. After all, would you rather win more money or less money? That, ladies and gentlemen, is the raison d'être for odds comparison. Just as you wouldn’t pay for a hotel, cellphone, or car without doing a quick price comparison, so too should you not bet without some quick due diligence!
Given the popularity of betting on the NFL, both for casual and avid bettors, the demand for NFL odds comparison has never been higher. But what should bettors looking for value and the maximum possible payout be looking for exactly when comparing NFL odds? What features can help you the most? What are the most important factors to take into account?
We’re glad you asked…
Make Sure Everything Is on the Up-and-Up
Despite the once sketchy reputation sports betting had, times have changed. In 2018, the US Supreme Court struck down a law that made sports betting illegal as unconstitutional. This landmark ruling effectively made the legalization of sports betting a state issue. However, those looking to place their bets should be aware that offshore sports betting is still illegal!
While it is true that there is no federal law that expressly targets bettors using offshore gambling services, many states have laws on the books making such operations illegal. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, offshore sites have no reliable consumer protection mechanisms. Meaning, if an offshore operation decided to stiff you out of your winnings, or they are shut down by the Department of Justice, you would have no legal recourse with which to confront them.
That is why we cannot overstate the importance of betting in a state where it is legal. Not only are all sportsbooks regulated by state authorities to protect consumers, the taxes states collect on sports betting go to programs such as education, infrastructure, social services, and more.
So, do yourself (and the great state facilitating your action!) a favor and bet above board.
Compare As Many Brands As Possible in One Place
The whole point of comparison services is for the consumer to get the best option from a plethora of choices. What good would an airline comparison service be if they didn’t include one or more major providers? The same can be said about comparing football odds.
Any odds comparison site worth its salt will compare odds from the industry’s biggest operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, PointsBet, William Hill, Sugar House, Borgata, Unibet, and more.
Not only does it help to compare the most odds as possible, but each sportsbook also offers different bonuses and promotions, some of which, again, provide more value than others. Getting as many choices as possible ensures that not only are the odds in your favor, but also that you get added value by betting with a sportsbook offering you truly valuable bonuses and promotions such as matched deposits, free bets, and more.
Odds Comparison for a Broad Selection of Betting Options
One of the first things a prospective bettor will notice is that there is no one way to wager on pro sports, especially football. There are a broad range of bet types including, but not limited to, moneyline wagers, spread betting, totals (over/under), futures, proposition bets, and many, many more. Any solid NFL odds comparison site will not only cover the standard options such as moneylines, spreads, and totals, but also include the more novel and exotic bet types listed above.
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In addition to comparing all betting types, a good platform will also compare alternate lines from all the sportsbooks they cover! Alternate lines are betting lines offered by bookmakers that differ from the originally posted lines. These alternate lines offer values for the spread or whatever bet type and have their odds adjusted accordingly. So, if you don’t agree with the lines offered by a bookmaker, you can still wager on lines you find more agreeable. So, make sure any odds comparison site you’re using takes these alternate lines into consideration and provides an overview of the best on the market!
Good User Interface
It goes without saying that a website, or any other internet-based product that is not easy to use will not be very successful. This is especially evident in the case of odds comparison and sports betting in general.
Due to the numerical nature of sports betting in general, it can be intimidating and off putting for the uninitiated. Seeing a chart packed with numbers such as negative and positive values, fractions, and decimals can give potential bettors flashbacks from 7th grade algebra. As such, when looking through odds comparisons platforms, the ease of use cannot be overstated! A good product will be well organized, easy to navigate, and very intuitive, so that even someone is entirely unfamiliar with sports betting will be able to understand what the best odds on any given are.
Additionally, given that the majority of internet users today do so via their mobile devices as opposed to desktops, any solid NFL odds comparison platform will have their mobile version front and center. Lack of a mobile version should be a raging red flag for any user!
Final Thoughts
While there are many things to take into account before embarking on an odds comparison journey, the four features mentioned above should serve as a basic guide at the minimum. Sports betting is only growing in popularity and the need for odds comparison for the NFL and other major sports is also only expected to grow. The industry is expanding and bettors should be on the lookout for advancements and trends in the industry!