The NFL is the most popular sport among U.S. audiences, with millions of viewers tuning in throughout the year. According to Nielsen, an estimated 123.7 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl in 2024, accounting for more than a third of the country’s population. This popularity extends to NFL betting as well. More than four in five sports bettors (81%) have placed a wager on NFL action, according to CRG Global. This far surpasses the numbers for other sports leagues in the U.S., with the NBA the next closest at 54%.
By: Dan Bradley In this piece, we’ll explain how you can take up NFL betting in Virginia, including how the signup process works, how to read the odds, and expert advice before you make your wagers.
It won’t take you very long to sign up with an online sportsbook site; most operators have set up the process to be completed in 10 minutes or less. Here’s what you’ll need to do to bet on the NFL online in Virginia.
The idea of the “best” site for NFL betting is somewhat of a flawed concept. In the same way that we can’t agree on the best football player of all time, the “best” betting site will be determined differently depending on who you talk to, also. We’ve found these operators to be worthy of recognition and use based on their consistent performances, competitive lines, and user-friendliness in all aspects.
Since replacing Barstool Sportsbook as the branding of PENN Entertainment’s betting platform, ESPN Bet has shown it will be a competitive force in Virginia’s sports betting landscape. While ESPN does not actually run the sportsbook, the platform offers exclusive content from the on-air talent of the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” on its cutting-edge mobile app and browser platform.
Virginia bettors were likely familiar with FanDuel even before the state legalized sports betting thanks to the company’s daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests. This is because Virginia was the first state to legalize DFS operations. FanDuel Virginia is a superior option when crafting same game parlays (SGPs) because of their broad selection of available SGP lines.
Like FanDuel, DraftKings’ DFS background is strong in Virginia. The platform is very intuitive, making it a popular option for new bettors. DK will also quickly become a favorite of NFL live betting enthusiasts (we’ll discuss live betting more below).
Last but not least on our list, Caesars Sportsbook VA has frequently offered incredibly generous sign-up bonuses, often meeting or exceeding $1,000 in bonus bets in various forms. The customer service team is also an industry leader.
NFL betting sites in Virginia will have many different types of wagers you can place before, during, and after the games are played. Here are a few of the most popular markets.
NFL live betting (sometimes called “in-play wagering”) refers to placing wagers on game events and the final result after the game has started. Sportsbooks will update the odds after every play based on what is happening on the field, adding to the excitement of betting on the game.
Mastering live betting requires you to be able to anticipate momentum shifts, pouncing on a favorable line before the odds swing and your wager isn’t as favorable.
For this reason, we recommend you only live bet on games you’re actively watching. NFL stats are more accessible than ever, but they don’t always paint a clear picture of what’s happening.
Instead, watch the game, trust your instincts, and pay attention to line movement so you can get your bet in while it’s still favorable to do so.
Reading NFL odds is the most important step in football betting. You will need to understand two elements when calculating odds: which outcome is the favorite/underdog and how much money you can win by backing that outcome.
The first step when reading NFL odds is to locate where the “+” and “-” symbols are on the odds posting. The “+” symbol indicates a betting underdog and the “-” symbol denotes the betting favorite.
A “favorite” isn’t necessarily your favorite team or player; instead, the term refers to the outcome that the sportsbooks and bettors believe is most likely to occur. On the opposite side, the “underdog” is the outcome (or outcomes, in props and futures betting) that is less likely to occur.
The next step to reading NFL odds is to look at the number listed after each of the signs. To make things easier to understand, it helps to base around a $100 amount.
The number listed after the “-” sign shows the stake needed to bet to win $100, while the number after the “+” sign shows how much money you’d win with a $100 bet.
Payouts are scaled proportionally to your stake, so you won’t need to actually bet $100 or more when making these bets unless doing so is within your financial means. Whatever amount you decide to use as a stake, please ensure that it is a responsible amount.
In cases where all outcomes have a “+” sign (which tends to happen with futures bets), the betting favorite is the one that has the smallest number after the “+”. In a similar manner, close head-to-head matchups may list both outcomes with “-” symbols; when that is the case, the betting favorite has the higher number after the “-”.
Before you begin betting on the NFL in Virginia, we hope you keep this expert advice in mind.