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Top basketball betting sites 2023

THE list of best international basketball betting sites is obviously subjective, but the No.1 game in the USA has an extensive reach into most parts of the world. The top betting sites for basketball will generally have markets for the National Basketball Association (NBA) and many other domestic competitions being held around the world. What we’re saying is that the best online betting sites will generally be flush with basketball odds, promotions and even live streaming. This article will highlight the best basketball betting sites in the world and run you through everything you need to know to successfully bet on basketball.

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Best basketball betting sites
Top basketball leagues
International basketball events
Mobile basketball betting sites
Live basketball betting
Deposit options at betting sites
Verifying your basketball betting account
How we judge basketball bookies
Commonly asked questions

 

Top basketball betting sites 2023

To be given a position in our best basketball betting sites rankings the gambling company must cater to multiple countries (More than one currency and languages a big plus), have extensive basketball odds, be licensed and regulated and most of all, have a great reputation among bettors for a safe and fair betting service.

Betway: Has a huge footprint in Europe, but also has a UK licence, which means it also services many countries with grey gambling laws. Betway has live betting available on basketball (although under-way betting has to be legal in your country) and has extensive futures markets available on the NBA. At the time of writing Betway was covering several under-20 international matches live – which indicates it has a strong pedigree in basketball. Find out more about basketball at Betway in our review.

WilliamHill.com: While William Hill started out as a rails bookie in the UK, the gambling company is now one of the biggest in the world. Live basketball betting, futures markets, live streaming and live scores are just some of the features of WilliamHill.com. You can find out more about WilliamHill.com’s basketball betting options in our review.

Bet365: Servicing over 200 countries, Bet365 has true global appeal, plus has extensive streaming of major basketball leagues, like the NBA. With every domestic basketball league covered extensively, Bet365, which has multiple licences, sits comfortably among basketball’s top betting sites. Find out more about Bet365 basketball in our review.

All International Betting Sites

Top 5 basketball leagues to bet on

undisputedly the US-based NBA is the the no.1 basketball competition on the planet, but there is plenty of other high class competitions around the globe. This section will highlight the top five basketball leagues to bet on in the world.

  • NBA (USA): The pinnacle of basketball, with every other league around the world featuring players hoping to reach the top-flight NBA. With it possible to watch the NBA right around the world (check out NBA live pass) there is massive betting interest surrounding all aspects of the NBA, although strangely enough many of the options are not available in the US, where they are only just beginning to embrace legal sports betting. The Toronto Raptors won the 2018-19 season, beating out Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.
  • NBL (Australia): While Australia is small in population, they punch well above their weight class in basketball. With NBA stars like Ben Simmons, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum and Thon Maker among the names coming out of Australia, it’s little wonder the sport is blossoming. The NBL is the no.1 competition in Australia and features players like former NBA No.1 pick Andrew Bogut (who recently was taken back by Golden State on loan during the playoffs) and talented the RJ Hampton, who chose to forgo US university, instead signing with New Zealand Breakers for the 2019-20 NBL season.
  • LIGA ACB: Spain’s top flight basketball league, has really shot up the global rankings in recent years, as they produced superstars like Marc and Paul Gasol and Kristaps Porzingis among a total of close to 40 players in the NBA. The competition runs from October to May and is seen as the most fertile breeding ground in the world for NBA players.
  • Turkish Basketball League: The BSL has got huge financial weight behind it, and is regarded as only narrowly weaker than the Spanish league. Running from October through to April, the BSL has been dominated in recent years by Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes, who are two of the better teams in Europe at the moment. The Turkish Basketball League, founded in 1966, attracts significant betting interest in Europe and is seen as a place to find NBA talent.
  • Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga: Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga, or the BBL, is quickly becoming one of the strongest competitions in world basketball, with plenty of funding and crowd power behind it. While it is still a fair way behind the Spanish and Turkish leagues, the German basketball competition is likely to continue to grow in stature as more players like the supremely talented Isaac Bonga emerge.

Other countries with powerful national basketball competitions include Italy, France, Greece, Lithuania and China.

Upcoming International basketball betting events

FIBA Basketball World Cup: Happening every four years, the FIBA Basketball World Cup pits the best international teams against each other in group stages, before progressing through to a knockout phase. The next edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup is due to be played from August 31 to September 15, 2019. Team USA is hot favourites to win the tournament, but they will face stiff challenges from teams like Canada, Australia, Serbia and Spain.

Tokyo Olympics: Due to be played in July and August of 2020, the Summer Olympics is a huge event on the basketball calendar. Again Team USA will be heavy-favourite to win both the men’s and women’s gold medals. Countries can automatically qualify for the Olympics via the FIBA Basketball World Cup, although there are other opportunities to secure a spot. Betting on the Olympic basketball can be fraught with danger, particularly in the men’s division, with many teams make-up undecided until the weeks leading up to the first tip-off.

FIBA Women’s World Cup: The female equivalent to the FIBA Basketball World Cup runs under a very similar format, with the best international teams pitted against other, firstly in groups before a knockout stage determines the winner. Due to the played in September 2019, Team USA and Australia, which will be lead by Liz Cambage, are among the medal fancies for the next edition.

Mobile basketball betting

The best online basketball betting sites generally will have mobile apps and responsive versions of their website available. This means you can do everything at a mobile basketball betting site, as you would at the desktop or retail version of the sportsbook.

Often the app or mobile betting company, will be slightly more stripped back than the desktop version, meaning there might not be every option on the smaller device. This might be things like live betting not being available on mobile, or less deposit or withdrawal options than you find on desktop. As a general rule though, mobile versions of basketball betting sites will provide you with everything you need and this is continually improving as more and more bets are place via mobile.

Live or underway bets on basketball

Many of the top basketball betting sites will have live, or in-play betting, available to their customers. Live basketball betting on the internet is illegal in some countries, including Australia, where you can only place these basketball bets via telephone.

Other countries like the United Kingdom and the USA (only states with legal sports betting) are some of the countries that have forms of live basketball bets that you can place over the internet. Generally the betting interface at live bookies will show a series of basketball matches scores that have already started, with the pre-match odds now updated to reflect the state of the game.Much like placing any other bet, you then make you selection and it will be imported to the bet slip, where you can select your stake and finalise your wager.

Deposit options at basketball betting sites

Depositing real money to an online betting account can be daunting, or really simple, usually depending on where you are in the world and what banking methods you have at your disposal. For instance most countries can bet on basketball with their Visa card, but other services like Paypal and various pre-paid cards are very common at top basketball bet sites. Some of the more common deposit options you will find at basketball betting sites are:

If you want to learn more about the deposit options available at basketball betting sites, read our guide to online betting banking.

Verifying your new basketball betting account

This is an overlooked factor when it comes to betting on basketball, with most online betting shops requiring you to verify your account, to firstly keep betting and secondly to withdraw funds. The verification process is generally very straight-forward, where you prove your identity to the chosen site, however it’s critically important you have given the correct details during the sign up stage. If you give a fake name you won’t be able to prove your identity and won’t be able to withdraw.

Some common ways you can verify your new basketball sportsbook account include an online verification form, which is our preferred method if it’s available, where you enter in details off an ID card before the betting company verifies your identity with government agencies.

The other option, which is much more common, is to verify your account by sending in scans of documents such as a passport, a drivers license and utility bills. After you have opened your new betting account, you are generally sent out an email with information about how to finalise your new account.

Basketball betting sites – By country

In this section we’ll give some information and link to further articles about basketball betting sites in certain countries, including the USA, Australia and South Africa.

Basketball betting sites in Australia

Australia has legal and regulated sports betting sites that take extensive bets on basketball. Major basketball betting licensing bodies include the Northern Territory Racing Commission and NSW Liquor and Gaming.

Basketball betting sites in South Africa

South Africa has many sports betting sites that take bets on basketball, including international brands like Betway and Sportingbet. The best South African basketball betting sites are licensed by one of the provincial gambling regulators, with the Western Cape Gambling Board playing a large role.

Basketball betting sites in New Zealand

New Zealand does not really address sports betting in their local laws, which means Kiwis can wager with basketball betting sites based overseas legally. These include many of the top basketball bookmakers based out of places like Malta and the United Kingdom.

Basketball betting sites in the USA

The USA is slowly undergoing a sports betting revolution, with more and more states legalising it. So far around 10 USA states are offering legal basketball betting sites and apps, although we expect this to double by the end of 2021, even with covid-19 raging in the USA. We also expect basketball betting sites in the USA to eventually boast the best coverage of the NBA and basketball in general.

Basketball betting sites in the UK

UK betting sites tend to have extensive betting available on basketball, with the leagues obviously covering the NBA and many of the popular European leagues. Basketball does however play second-fiddle to football betting at bookmakers in the United Kingdom.

Basketball betting sites review criteria

There are a number of factors we take into consideration when deciding to list basketball betting sites on the World Gambling List, with these including things like:

Markets available: If a basketball betting site does not have odds available on the basketball league you want to wager on, what is the point? We won’t list betting sites on this page that don’t have extensive basketball wagering options available.

Types of bets: If a betting site only has straight bets or a very limited bet options we will not list it on this page. We want betting sites that can please even the most ambitious prop bettor.

Bookie bonus: While this is not the bee all and end all of basketball betting, bonus bets are something we can all take advantage of. Just remember there are terms and conditions attached to bonus offers.

Usability: If a betting site does not have a well presented website that is easy to navigate alarm bells are ringing for us. We’ll point you to other top basketball betting sites.

Betting site banking: This is important because we want you to be able to fund your account and withdraw any winnings quickly and efficiently.

Languages and currencies: If a betting company does not cater to your specific language or currency, there is probably one out there that does. If you’re from a smaller country, chances are you will have to convert your funds into USD, EUR or another popular currency before you can wager. The good news is this done automatically by the betting site.

Trust: It’s no coincidence that trust is last on this list, because it’s the single-most important thing when betting on basketball online. Read reviews of the betting company you are looking sign up at, read other players opinions and just generally do your research before committing to a betting company.

Commonly asked questions about basketball betting sites

What odds formats do basketball betting sites use?

This really will depend on the site that you are betting with. For instance, WilliamHill.com, which has a huge global footprint and operates in many countries displays their odds in American, Fractional and Decimal odds, depending on your selection. While a bookie like Bovada, which is US-facing, is more likely to just display American odds, because their customers are used to this format.

Why is licensing so important for basketball betting sites?

This determines who is making the rules your chosen basketball betting site must abide by. For instance if a betting company is licensed in the United Kingdom they will be policed by the Gambling Commission and held to high standards. If a basketball betting site is licensed in Curacao, they can probably get away with a lot more.

Which basketball betting site has the best odds?

There are a number of online basketball betting sites that will have extensive odds available and from match to match a different one might have the best odds. We strongly recommend having multiple betting accounts for your basketball wagers, and check the odds before placing any bets.

Can I bet on basketball with Paypal?

Yes, if Paypal is available in your country and you have legal sports betting, you can more than likely bet on basketball with Paypal.