1. Bovada is an online casino that offers sports betting, video poker, table games, and slot games. The video poker, table games, and slot games can be played for free or for real money provided players comply with their requirements to join the casino and deposit funds. You do not need to register an account with Bovada to play their games for free.
2. Bovada is a trusted online gambling site offering sports betting, poker, casino games and betting on horse racing. Join today to claim your welcome bonuses!

Bovada runs a very busy tournament schedule which is the cause of much excitement. They even update their website with all the changes they introduce to their client’s tournament schedule, so you are always in the know with regards to new and upcoming games. Looking into the traffic, we couldn’t fail to notice that the game limits are very affordable and regardless of the budget you have. Where sports, casino and poker combine for unforgetable entertainment. Bovada sports betting seclusion is great as it is completely away from all casino noise. The bar is big and is located in the middle of the casino. It isn’t particularly close to the table games at Bovada has a lot of walking space, but it’s easy to find. Traffic and Viewing Ability Since Bovada.

www.bovada.lv is a popular gambling site dedicated entirely to the United States market. They offer US residents of 48 states sports betting, online poker, casino games and a racebook from a single website. You can access all four products using the same player log-in and account bank. If you’re from WA or MD, note these are the two restricted states. You’ll want to review our articles on Washington State Gambling Sites, or Maryland Betting Sites to find alternatives. This aside, in this Bovada review I cover mostly sports betting, but also touch on poker, casino and horses.

Top Reasons to Choose Bovada

Owner Of Bovada

There are two features that make Bovada an easy choice for US sports betting.

#1 US Credit Card Deposits – This is one of the few betting websites where it is still possible to deposit using a US credit card. There is a 4.95% fee charged when making deposits through this method. Understand this is well offset by the fact they have one of the best sign up bonuses in the industry.

#2 50% up to $250 Bonus – When you join you’re welcomed with a Bovada bonus offer that is a 50% initial deposit match up to a $250.00 free play. This means if you deposit $500.00 you’ll get a $250 free bet.

Expert’s tip: When joining www.bovada.lv it’s wise to make an initial deposit of $500.00. Sincerely, any time you join a gambling site, always look to see how much you need to deposit to get the maximum sportsbook bonus. Any other strategy is foolish as these are one time deals and there are only so many reputable betting sites to take free bonus money off of. If $500 is too large for you at the moment, start with another site such as www.5dimes.eu. They offer reduced juice instead of bonuses. This way you’re not missing out on bonus cash and you can come back to Bovada later to take advantage of their maximum offer.

Recreational Player Features

Recreational sports bettors might enjoy the following features.

• Live Betting – Here you’ll find the best live betting interface in the industry. All nationally televised games are covered. While games are in-play, you can do live betting on propositions such as the result of a drive, series or next play in football, or an at bat or pitch for baseball betting. You can also bet the game winner on the point spread or moneyline, or the can bet the over/under total. This is all available while the game is in-play and you’re presumably watching it on TV.
• Mobile Betting – It doesn’t matter if you’re accessing from an iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Nokia phone, or with a tablet such as iPad, Galazy, TouchPad or Zoom – no matter which mobile device you’re using, they’re all supported by Bovada’s advanced mobile betting software.
• Online Poker – I’ll touch more on this later in this Bovada review, but at poker.bovada.lv you’ll find the most populated poker room servicing the United States. This ranks tops on our list of US Poker Sites for 2012, for reason it features the weakest player competition in the industry.

Bovada for Professional Punters

If you’re truly a professional bettor, where $25.00 positive expectation means nothing to you, you’ll be far better suited using www.bookmaker.eu. For lower limit professionals, Bovada does have plenty to offer as a second or third out. The first thing to understand however is that they utilize a dual pricing model. Let me start by discussing how to take advantage of this.

Because Bovada is a recreational gambling site, they often shade the lines in such a way that the odds are worse for popular teams. So, for example if the Patriots should be -6.5 -110, here you might find them -7.0 -110. In this case, betting the Patriots’ opponent at +7.0 is probably a great bet. Professionals should take advantage of this by comparing Bovada’s odds with those of reduced juice sportsbook www.5dimes.eu. You’ll want to do this in a hurry however, betting as many off market prices as you can find your first day. It takes only a day or two of bets for Bovada to discover you’re not a pure fish. When this happens they will begin dealing you regular lines. This is called dual pricing. The sharp players get one set of betting lines, where the square (recreational) players get another.

Experts’ tip: This has been discussed on betting forums to all ends. Because Bovada is very quick about changing from the square lines profile to the sharp one, the optimal +EV play is to bet as many off market prices your first hour betting as you can find, perhaps putting them all on the same ticket. You’ll get switched regardless, so might as well take advantage of it.

Even after you get switched, there is still great value to be found. Here are some of my favorite advantage betting intricacies:

Bovada Wikipedia Shqip

• Best Teaser Odds – Here you’ll find 3-team 6-point teasers at +180, 3-team 10-point teasers at -110, and 4-team 13-point teasers at -120. Bovada teaser odds are highly completive as is, but are even better because they don’t shade against basic strategy favorites. They also often shade basic strategy underdogs in such a way these are more profitable. Their odds makers (or more correctly: their guys who copy odds from competitors) LOVE the point spread 3. Often when other betting sites are offering +1.5 -110, Bovada might be offering +3 -140. Because teasers use fixed payouts: the -110 and -140 make no difference. Here when using 6-point teasers you’ll often get an extra 0.5 to 1.5 points better than you get at the competition.
• Underdogs – Even with the dual pricing model, there is still plenty of value on the sharp odds for underdogs. There are times where 5Dimes might have an NFL underdog +6.5 -109 and Bovada has them +7 -110 for one group of clients, and +7 -115 for those on the wrong side of their dual pricing model. Obviously the +7 -110 is a GREAT bet, but +7 -115 is still great as well because here a push on 7 is worth FAR MORE than 6 cents. So despite Bovada gouging odds for some, you can still find solid value here.
• Propositions – Bovada does not offer propositions on every NFL game, but for the games they do offer props on – plenty of value can be found. I can recall various sack props bets where everyone else was offering over/under 3.5 they had had the line at 4. Or a Mathew Stafford passing yards prop where most sites had the over/under at 307.5 to 312.5 and they had 296.5. Overall smart prop bettors can find plenty of value at bovoda.lv.

Other Bovada Products

As mentioned in the intro, it’s also possible to play online poker, casino games or use the racebook with a single log-in ID. You can use your single account balance for any of the four products offered. I’ll provide some quick information on each product, before concluding this Bovada review with detailed information on their history.

Bovada Poker Review

poker.bovada.lv is the URL to use if you wish to visit one of the most popular poker rooms servicing the US market. Here you’ll find a $1,000 welcome bonus, a VIP program, chances to win seats to major tournaments such as the WSOP, Punta Cana, APT Macau and much more. Their promotions are endless and include guaranteed tournaments, freerolls, a tournament leader board, and so much more. In fact, because there is so many, Bovada’s promotion page spans three pages of content. You’ll want to visit their website to check these out.

Perhaps the bigger draw to Bovada Poker is how soft their games are. A number of Asian bookies, such as Bodog88 and Bodog99, operate on the same poker network. As a result many casino gamblers and sports bettors from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Vietnam end up playing at the same tables. Many of these players have little to no poker playing experience; they’re just spilling over from the casino. This is only one of two reasons the games here are super soft. The other is Bovada offers anonymous poker, which they refer to as a recreational poker model. What this means is when you visit their poker tables you won’t have a user name. All you have is a number (example: Player 1, Player 2) and this changes each time you sit at a table. This prevents professionals from using pokertableratings.com, Poker Trackers and other tools to track, and take money off of, the fish. If you’re looking for the softest games and best bonuses head to poker.bovada.lv.

Bovada Casino Review

The casino is available using the URL casino.bovada.lv. This casino is powered by Real Time Gaming (RTG) but its source code is modified. Their internal programing team has made many enhancements unique to their casino. Here you’ll find one of the most favorable single deck blackjack games in the industry. You’ll also find popular table games such Pai Gow Poker, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and much more. For slots they have all sorts of games including video slots, many which have massive jackpots that can be won. They also have many bonuses starting with your choice of a 100% up to $500 welcome bonus for slots, or a 100% up to $200 bonus for table games. From here you can earn a 100% bonus each week. There are also other promotions. Play the slot game featured on Friday and if you don’t win your losses are refunded 50% up to $50. Hit a 21 in blackjack on Sunday and win a $21.00 bonus. There’s also a $100K travel promo that if won will send you to 5 continents to visit 5 cities over 5 weeks. This is only a small sample of what’s offered. You can learn more visiting their website.

Bovada Racebook Review

The racebook can be accessed at http://horses.bovada.lv/. Here you’ll find more than 60 tracks covered. This includes the Major US tracks such as Churchill Downs, Pimlico Race Course, Santa Anita Park, Aqueduct, Gulfstream and Belmont Park, as well as Colonial Downs, Fairmount Park, Kentucky Downs, and many more. Most all the legal gambling in Kentucky is covered. You’ll also find Australian tracks covered as well as tracks for Harness racing. They offer a rebate of 3% on straight bets of win, place or show and 5% on exotics. The exotics include Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Boxes and Wheels. This rebate is paid to players accounts every Tuesday for their weekly horse racing turnover. Additionally, when you bet Saratoga or Del Mar Races from Wednesday to Friday, the rebate is 6% on straight bets and 10% on exotics.

As you can see Bovada covers all the tracks Americans are interested in betting, and also supports all the wagering options we utilize. Even bigger, they have many prop and future bets available for the major Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup. If you’re new to betting horses, no sweat – they have a full glossary explaining all the wagering options and terms. They also provide daily previews and all the data needed to properly handicap each horse race. Finally worth noting is the 50% up to $250 sign-up bonus that is available for sports, can also be used at horses.bovada.lv.

The History of Bovada

The history of Bovada intertwines with the history of Bodog. The official story is that in late 2007, Bodog’s founder Calvin Ayre was retiring. No longer wanting to stay in the US market he sold Bodog’s North American business to Mohawk Morris Gaming Group (MMGG). They then became a licensee of the newly started Bodog Brand.

There were, and still are, other gambling sites that also licensed the Bodog name. This once included Bodog Europe who used the URL bodog.co.uk which is now closed. The sites still active are Bodog Canada (bodog.eu) and an Asian bookie named Haydock Entertainment who started Bodog88.com. The brand didn’t involve only betting. There was also Bodog Music, Bodog Babes, Bodog Fight and other companies and products licensing the same brand name. So originally, and beginning in late 2007, MMGG used the URLs Bodog.com, Bodog.eu, and Bodog.ca for the various markets they were license holders of.

In mid-2011 Bodog decided they didn’t want their other brand licensees to carry the perceived liability of having their names associated with US gambling. This is because many of these sites were going big time in legal markets. The Asian version was the shirt sponsors of an English Premier League team and had recently started legal betting booths at a UK football stadium. Ample time was given to MMGG to rebrand their US gambling site.

On December 14, 2011 all players were sent notice that their accounts have been transferred to the website www.bovada.lv. There was no change in ownership as MMGG had owned the US version of Bodog since late 2007. 4 years later, this website was rebranded Bovada, and the software and betting features remained the same. Now because we at SBS take pride in being the most honest portal on the web, it’s important to share we do have some doubts regarding this official story.

Mohawk Morris Gaming Group (MMGG) is owned by Alwyn Morris. He won two medals, including gold, for Canada at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics. He’s also a Native American who is a prominent member of the Mohawk nation in Kahnawake, which is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, across from Montreal. He was a made a member of the Order of Canada in 1985 for work with Aboriginal youth in the field of Alcohol and Drug abuse. He then spent 12-years as senior advisor to the Chief and Council of the Kahnawake Mohawks. We’ll just say it simply as, true or not about the ownership change: moving US operations to a sovereign Indian reservation, the US government couldn’t easily reach, is a smart move when dealing with online gambling.

The Bodog Story

Bodog has been involved in online gambling since it was first getting started. Their founder Calvin Ayre originally sold his online gambling software idea to a company called Cyberoad, which was publicly listed as OTC: BB FUNN. In 1998 Cyberoad was the software hosts for three gambling sites, specifically: Mayan Sports, The Big Book, and Grand Prix. Another part of the idea Ayre sold was an innovation in payment processing that took on the name eBanx. This company took deposits with credit card and paid out via e-check. Back then most gambling sites were using agents that settled in cash, Western Union, or even occasionally FedEx envelopes stuffed with money. eBanx was integrated directly with the gambling sites, and this was the start of easy deposits and withdrawals being available at online betting sites.

Bovada Lv Wikipedia

In 2000, Cyberoad failed and was taken over by El Moro Finance Ltd. (BVI). Its assets were assigned to a subsidiary of El Moro called eSportz. What happened from here is Mayan got new software, the Big Book purchased Grand Prix, and eSportz continued initially powering the Big Book. In 2001, an email was sent to former Mayan Sports clients introducing them to Bodog. A huge amount of controversy, that’s now a decade in the past, is for years Mayan (who btw, was not very reputable) accused Bodog of stealing their clients. Also, initially the head of Bodog and eSports was known as Cole Turner, but it was later revealed this was just an alias of Calvin Ayre. There was a great deal of debate regarding Cyberoad investors losing their funds, a new company immediately taking over and how it was Cyberoad idea man and consultant Calvin Ayre was suddenly the main beneficiary of this betting operation’s profits. Further questions were raised about why he was using an alias if he had nothing to hide. Calvin explained one aspect of the controversy over several betting forum posts. His claim is that he sold the idea to Cyberoad, and eBanx but was never a shareholder, only a consultant. Later when Cyberoad went bust, El Moro asked him for help recovering their asset. They were a Cyberoad secured creditor. During the process he became involved again, helped El Moro sue Cyberoad and gain control. He then started eSports, the software company that evolved into becoming Bodog. Again a decade in the past, there’s two sides to the story, but to note: through this entire process Grand Prix, The Big Book and then Bodog were the most reliable companies for paying players, and none of these controversies ever got in the way of that.

Back on the topic of history, initially Bodog and Big Book shared an office. Though Big Book came first, they were essentially a white label of Bodog who had the same owners as the software provider. The company that managed their payment system was called Kazootek Technologies Ltd., likely also primarily owned by Calvin Ayre. The story goes that a Viktoria Zazoulina (known as Vika – and shown left), Tatiana Kostiouk (known as Tanya – and shown right) and Greg Tanner (not shown) were employees that embezzled large sums of money from Kazootek and then conspired with The Big Book to steal eSportz source code. Basically, they had a plan to go solo financed off theft from the company Bovada originates from (Bodog). So anyways in mid-2003 Bodog kicked Big Book to the curb. From this date on Bodog was no longer a software company, but a standalone gambling brand with the best payment processing and betting software in the industry.

Once they went solo their growth came rapid. They introduced poker in 2004, and quickly grew into one of the largest internet poker rooms. In 2006, they purchased one of the oldest and most trusted sportsbooks in the industry World Wide Tele Sports (WWTS), who ran betwwts.com and many other gambling sites through their BetCorp white labels. Today, when you read on Bodog websites that they have been in business since 1994, this is a bit strange. It was WWTS who Bodog purchased, closed, and took over the offices and much of the staff of that was actually in business since 1994. In any case, they began rapidly growing their brand name creating the Bodog Handicapper Challenge, Bodog BEAT, Bodog Music, the Lingerie Bowl, Bodog Fight, Battle of the Bands and all sorts of other products that did wonders for their branding. It also helped that their founder Calvin Ayre made Forbes Magazine Billionaire list, had his home featured on MTV Cribs, and made appearance on BNN, VH1, Extra, Careers TV and CNBC. This only names some of the methods they used in becoming a massive brand.

Bovada and Bodog Legal Issues

In August 2007, the Bodog.com domain name was seized over a patent dispute with 1ST TECHNOLOGY LLC. They have what in our opinion is a silly patent (one that should have never been issued) on a method of sending information over networks using low bandwidth. It’s worth noting this same company later sued PokerStars, BetCRIS, Cake Poker and many other gambling sites too. Bodog just happened to be the first, and they took the hardest hit over being sued. This is because figuring they’re not subject to US law, and their main business is betting, it was a good idea to ignore served legal notices. This however resulted in a US judge issuing a default judgment that ordered Bodog to pay $48,937,456 for patent infringement. The domain was later seized over failure to pay. Bodog appealed this and fought in court, while using the domain bodoglife.com in the interim. Finally unsuccessful, Mohawk Morris Gaming Group paid the $49 million and got their domain back in April 2009.

In 2008, while they still didn’t have their domain, $24 million of their money was seized cumulatively in the criminal busts of two payment processors. The loss of the player volume and funds seized had Bodog payouts to players seriously delayed. While we had long been fans, even we had to warn players to avoid this site over financial concerns. Bodog however worked through the issues. As mentioned they got their domain back. After this, for two years and eight months (April 2009 to December 2011) they were fastest paying US sportsbook with check payouts arriving in a matter of days.

In December 2011 there were more processor issues that caused Bodog payouts to again be delayed. This was then followed with seeing Calvin Ayre indicted by US authorities for violating US gambling laws. Considering he’s not an American, and operates a legal and licensed betting site in the areas he’s located, this was more of a show move, or a “just in case” in the event he later visits somewhere the US can legally apprehend him (not going to happen). Concerns over this did affect the newly established Bovada and we had a Bovada Payout warning posted for much of 2012. Initially we suspended their rating. After payout time frames reached 1.5 months we downgraded them. It turns out this was us being overcautious (which is our preference as we’d do the same again anytime we smell risk) as Bovada payouts are now coming very fast (5-10 days in most cases by check, same day by P2P).

Bovada is Rated A-

As mentioned Bodog has been involved in online gambling since it first started in the 1990’s. They are one of a very small number of companies from that era that has (to our knowledge) never stiffed a player or had an unresolved dispute over player funds. While there were hiccups that caused payments to be very late in 2008 (all which were resolved) and then delays in early-to-mid-2012, for the most part they have a spotless payout track record. This applies to both MMGG, who we’ve known of since 2007, and Bodog who has been involved in gambling since 1998. Also worth noting, their payout delays in 2012 were NOTHING compared to what other sites have been through. At poker sites such as Carbon Poker, and betting sites such as Sportsbook.ag, 6-8 weeks has been their standard payout time for more than a year now. Bovada even when having delays was delivering in the range (and most cases faster) than the standard payout times of many other gambling sites.

There will be of course always people who disagree with our sportsbook ratings, but they are not betting affiliates. We could get paid huge money to shill WagerWeb, OddsMaker, or other scam sites that pay large CPA rates. However, all recommendations on our website are always sincere. I understand some feel different about Bovada’s rating. Some don’t like anonymous poker. Many don’t like that they post lines late, or have small betting limits, for some players a delay, and having dual pricing is a very popular complaint. However all things considered, these guys have the longest positive track record of all “recreational” betting sites. Many recreational players want live betting, mobile betting, easy credit card deposits, soccer lines, props, and the ability to play poker, casino and bet sports and horse races from the same website. They also want to get paid checks fast. While Bovada isn’t for everyone, we feel they are one the best option for a great majority of our visitors and comfortably rate them A-. This is our sincere assessment of the risk players have when posting up at their gambling site.

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Bovada USA

The Bovada Bars and bovada Sportsbooks are more of a big-time sports bar than anything else. But the cashier is right at the entrance, so it’s simple to just walk in, bet, and walk out. There is a big screen TV right across from the cashier along with the pamphlets showing all of that day’s action including the bovada betting lines for upcoming events, futures, and whatever props bovada might have.

The day to day lines won’t be any better or worse than another sportsbook’s for some special reason. Whenever bovada issues their betting lines, they are all pretty similar. The one possibly big difference is for the futures. Your best shot at getting a possible great futures payout is at bovada sportsbook. Bovada sports betting offer a safe and secure sports betting environment.

Since this is a bar, no smoking is allowed and there is a bathroom right inside. Unfortunately, there is no horse racing shown or any wagering available for it, but you can still open an account quickly and easily at the cashier, so you may download the Bovada sports betting app. The maximum bet allowed is drastically less, but so too is the minimum bet. With the app, you have access to every game including the horses, and it also features live betting on every game. Live betting is betting on games already in progress. You cannot do this over the counter, but since it has become a popular form of betting Bovada sports betting is planning on making it available at all of their books sooner before later.

Size and Location
Bovada sports betting seclusion is great as it is completely away from all casino noise. The bar is big and is located in the middle of the casino. It isn’t particularly close to the table games at Bovada has a lot of walking space, but it’s easy to find.

Traffic and Viewing Ability
Since Bovada sports betting is secluded, it will be quiet when there isn’t anything major going on, but we would expect this place to fill up by mid-afternoon when every game is going and especially during popular events like NFL Sunday or March Madness. Since not every TV is big and this is not traditional theater style sportsbook seating, finding the game you want to see could be an issue if you show up to a packed crowd. Otherwise, with all the seating and TVs, you got everything right in front of you.

As the cashier is at the front of Bovada before you enter the bar, so too is the betting board. That means you have to get up every time you want to check the line, so this gives you a good reason to either download the app or just keep a pamphlet with you. Just note that lines can change during the day, so make sure you’re getting the price you want when you bet.

Drinks at Bovada Bars and Sportsbooks
It used to be easy to drink for free in traditional sportsbooks, but those days have passed. Now you have to make a large bet just to receive a single drink ticket. We figured since this is a bar there won’t be any, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn if you do bet $100 you still receive a free drink. There are no any cocktail servers, but if you can get in good with the cashier you never know maybe he’ll give you some extra ones.

Right as you go inside Bovada there is a pool table and plenty more great sound and picture quality TVs including some big screens that spread across the entire bar which bends around like an L. Other seating includes restaurant-style booths and some wide length benches and tables.

Not being much of a football fan, I wouldn’t have read this book if a friend of mine hadn’t recommended it. But I’m glad I did, because 'From Underdog to Bulldog' opened my eyes to the rigors and discipline required to be a top athlete in a most demanding sport. This book gives a first-hand account of what it took for Bovada, who was “too small, too slow, [and of] average strength,” to make the team and become a full-fledged Georgia Bulldog. While Bovada sports betting describes in detail the physical demands of Georgia football (ten meals a day? Are you kidding me!?) and relates the play-by-play action of individual games, what makes this book inspiring is Bovada himself. Each chapter ends with a series of observations and questions designed to challenge readers to set their own goals higher than they might have thought possible, and gives guidance on how to achieve them. I have no doubt that Bovada will continue to set impossible goals for himself and to achieve them, given his “dawg-ed” determination. I hope he shares them with us in another book.

NFL LIVE BETTING PA sports betting sites and, in some cases, PA retail sportsbooks may also offer live or in play NFL betting. This means betting on lines that adjust throughout an NFL game. Once again, it may sound complicated, but it isn’t. These markets offer the same basic NFL bets; it’s just that odds adjust according to how the game is playing out. Oddsmakers will put out up-to-the-minute odds you can bet on throughout an NFL game, which is why this better for PA mobile betting. If you keep your PA sports betting app open during a game and you can see the odds change as the action does. BETTING ONLINE VS. A RETAIL SPORTSBOOK For the most part, the NFL lines are the same at PA retail sportsbooks and at their online PA sports betting app counterparts. However, there are several key differences between betting on the NFL at either. PA sports betting apps own the convenience factor. There’s no need to travel to a PA casino or off-track betting (OTB) parlor to place a bet on the NFL when you can do it with a PA sports betting app. Plus, PA online and mobile sportsbooks are available statewide, 24 hours a day, wherever you can access the internet. PA sports betting apps also help eliminate several barriers to NFL betting market entry. There’s no need to wait in line at a sports betting window to place a bet. Plus, the intimidation factor of having to place that bet with sportsbook staff is removed. In other words, PA sports betting apps take away the need to learn the often foreign-sounding language employed by sportsbook staff and pro sports bettors, including things like the game number. Although, most retail sportsbooks also employ self-serve betting kiosks, which help eliminate several of the same barriers to market entry as well. Perhaps the top reason you might want to bet on the NFL at a PA sports betting site rather than a retail sportsbook is that you may be able to do it for free. PA sportsbooks offer a variety of different sign-up bonuses that their retail counterparts do not. Both retail sportsbook kiosks and PA sports betting apps allow you to freely browse through all your NFL betting options and see the possible outcome of bets immediately. However, PA retail sportsbooks may have an advantage when it comes to a place to watch the action. The high-end audiovisual equipment at retail sportsbooks is top of the line. Add in access to the NFL Sunday Ticket TV package and all the games, plus great food and beverage service, and there’s likely no better place to bet on the NFL and watch the action play out than a PA retail sportsbook. Unless, of course, you value your privacy over all that. Then, a sports betting site in Pennsylvania and your couch may be your best bet. WHAT ARE LINES AND HOW TO SHOP FOR THE BEST LINES IN PENNSYLVANIA NFL lines are the different odds you can bet on at PA sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks. Essentially, the line is the price you’re getting on a bet. Basic NFL lines include moneylines, point spreads, over/unders and futures. Different PA sports betting operators offer different lines on NFL games. Since the line is essentially the price you’re getting on a bet, smart consumers will shop around for the best price. This effort is called line shopping. All that’s required is checking the line on a bet at different PA sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks before you book it. This is easy to do online and can make a big difference to your bottom line. One sportsbook might have the Philadelphia Eagles moneyline at -120 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Another might have it at -110. Placing the bet with the second book would instantly save you $10 for each $100 you bet, and all you had to do was browse through the NFL lines at a few different PA sports betting apps to earn it. Line shopping is also important because it keeps the sportsbooks honest. If a particular sportsbook is always more expensive than the competition, and the action dries up. But if consumers are line shopping effectively, books will adjust the lines. WHY LINES MOVE Lines also move for a variety of other reasons. These include: Injury reports on key players: NFL teams will publicly release injury reports. Should a key player be out for an upcoming game, sportsbooks will move the lines on the game up or down accordingly. Inclement weather reports: Outside of games played in a dome, the weather is a factor on NFL games. A late report of inclement weather for an upcoming game could have sportsbooks scrambling to move the lines. Big bets or increase in action: It takes a lot to move a sportsbook’s needle, but a big bet or increased action on one side or another will likely move the lines. WHAT LINE MOVEMENT WILL TELL US When an NFL line moves, you should immediately look for the reason why. Bad weather usually results in a low-scoring game so that PA sportsbooks will adjust the over/under. If a key player is out for one team, that might turn a moneyline favorite into an underdog. If weather and injuries aren’t a factor, line movement is most likely due to increased action on one side. That will tell you what the majority of the betting public is thinking about a particular game and give you the chance to adjust accordingly. NFL BETTING TIPS How to develop your own NFL betting strategy? Information is the key to the best NFL betting strategies. That means if you want to bet on the NFL in PA successfully, you have to do your homework. There’s no substitute for proper research. Scour the internet, read all you can about the NFL and the upcoming games and you’ll quickly go from making picks akin to throwing darts at a board blindfolded to educated and informed picks. Then, come Sunday, you’ve got to watch NFL games. Nothing will prepare you better for making NFL picks than watching NFL games. When it comes to betting on NFL games, you’re also going to want to be selective. Just because there are as many as 16 games on the schedule doesn’t mean you have to bet them all. Stick to the picks that look like locks to you. Avoid betting massive double-digit game parlays that offer attractive payouts but rarely come in. In other words, be selective. Finally, the best NFL betting strategies involve proper bankroll management. Think of betting on the NFL in PA like an investment. That means never having all your eggs in one basket. In other words, diversify. Plus, always making sure you have enough cash in reserve to keep you going through a bad losing streak until one of those beautiful winning streaks comes around. BETTING MISTAKES TO AVOID CHASING YOUR LOSSES You’re going to want to chase your losses when they start to pile up. But it’s a big mistake to start betting bigger when you’re on a bit of a downswing. It is a fast way to go broke, not break even. Proper betting bankroll management involves using the same bet amount for most or all of your bets. Slow and steady wins this race and keeps you in the game long enough to enjoy a winning streak or two as well. BET USING STATS OR DATA Diehard Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers should probably avoid betting on the team they support altogether. That’s because far too many fans make the mistake of betting with their hearts instead of their heads. The best NFL betting strategies involve using information, statistics, and data to find winners. They don’t involve backing a team simply because of your undying love for them. The truth is, as a fan, you’ve probably got enough emotional skin in the game already. And you should stick to making educated and informed picks instead of emotional ones. FOCUS TOO MUCH ON LONGSHOTS While fading the public often involves betting underdogs at improved prices, depending on how the lines move, you might find yourself backing favorites, too. In fact, it’s a good idea to get behind a few favorites sometimes. After all, they are favorites for a reason. Many novice sports bettors get drawn in by good prices and back far too many longshots to be ultimately profitable. A sound betting strategy often involves betting favorites when they are a lock. The bottom line is that sometimes you’ve got to lay money to make money. NFL: BETTING AGAINST THE PUBLIC Betting against the public, otherwise known as fading the public, is an NFL betting strategy most experts recommend for casual sports bettors. Simply put, betting against the public means betting on the other side of what the general public has proven it thinks about a particular NFL game. In this case, the public perception of a game can be defined as the side with the most action. It’s just natural for sports fans to back winners and home teams. While a side draws action for any number of reasons, this NFL betting strategy depends on the notion that the public mostly bet on home favorites. Sportsbooks set opening NFL lines as a way to attract bets. When those lines move, it often indicates where the public is betting. If a home favorite becomes an even bigger favorite, it means the public is backing that team. If you book a bet on the road underdog at the improved price, you’re fading the public. The trick is, you’re getting a better price on the bet by waiting until that line moves.