Betting on Football

[Pogues]

So, I've never bet on sports before, aside from throwing in $5 or less for a Bowl Game pick'em or a March Madness bracket. However, after watching the amazing performances by the SEC top dogs (Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi St, Georgia) I had a strong feeling Ohio St could beat Alabama, or at least cover what was about a 9 point spread.

I went so far as to open an online gambling site account (legal in Maryland, from what I read). But then I saw things I just didn't understand. It read something like this:

Alabama -9.5 (-110)
Ohio St +9.5 (+120)

Alabama -8.5 (-120)
Ohio St +8.5 (+140)

Alabama -6.5 (-135)
Ohio St +6.5 (+140)

Alabama -3.5 (-125)
Ohio St +3.5 (+135)

I might not have the numbers right, but I was utterly lost, and decided my lack of understanding was a good reason to not bet. What do the +/- numbers mean, and why the hell were there so many different point spreads?

[mjl]

basically it means that you can pick whatever pointspread you want out of those, and the +/- is how much you win or lose when you bet that. A negative number is the amount you have to bet to win $100, and a positive number is the amount you win if you bet $100 (not counting any vig you have to pay to the site, of course). So obviously your numbers are wrong, since they'd be steadily going up or down as the spread changes, but that's what it means.

[Pogues]

basically it means that you can pick whatever pointspread you want out of those, and the +/- is how much you win or lose when you bet that. A negative number is the amount you have to bet to win $100, and a positive number is the amount you win if you bet $100 (not counting any vig you have to pay to the site, of course). So obviously your numbers are wrong, since they'd be steadily going up or down as the spread changes, but that's what it means.

Oh...and now it looks like I missed a good opportunity. Eh, maybe in a few years I'll actually place a bet.

Thanks for the explanation.

[Judge Jude]

You can't bet on pro or sports online legally outside of Nevada (well, horse racing is an exception, you can do that in many states). Doesn't mean you can't find a website anyway.

You can legally bet on an electronic device when in Nevada casinos, I believe, not sure outside.

You can legally play online poker while in Nevada, and play any casino game online while in New Jersey at sites affiliated with Atlantic City casinos, or in Delaware at sites affiliated with the state lottery/racinos.