How to Bet on NFL Games: A UK Beginner's Guide to American Football Betting

Last updated: 30/10/2026

If you're working out how to bet on NFL games from the UK, it comes down to three choices: which game, which market and how much to stake. This is the NFL, not the Premier League, so expect American names. Every game sits under American football at Midnite.

How to Bet on NFL Games: The Basics

To place an NFL bet on Midnite, open American Football, pick an NFL game, choose a market such as the money line, point spread or total points, and tap a price to add it to your bet slip. Enter your stake, check the To Return figure and confirm the bet.

Betting on NFL football uses the same bet slip as any other sport. The vocabulary is the new bit, and most of learning how to bet on American football is learning three markets.

The money line is who wins. The point spread is who wins once one side has been given a head start. Total points is how many points both teams score between them.

Midnite settles all three on the final score including overtime, under its American football betting rules. Anyone used to football, where extra time usually doesn't count, gets caught by that at least once.

This NFL betting guide is for UK fans of the American game. For the Premier League kind, read how to bet on football.

The Midnite Take: NFL Betting: Touchdowns, Totals and the Odd Bit of Chaos

By Dave Learmont, Creative Copy Lead at Midnite

The NFL doesn't do things by halves. Well, technically it does four quarters, but you get the point.

There's plenty happening beyond the final score. Moneyline betting is about picking the winner, point spreads give one team a handicap, and over/under markets focus on the total points scored. You'll also find markets covering individual player performances.

From a quarterback picking apart a defence to a last-second field goal changing everything, understanding how the game works helps make sense of the odds. Just remember, even the strongest favourite can have an absolute shocker on Sunday.

How American Football Scoring Works

American football points come in a handful of fixed sizes, set out in the NFL rulebook. A touchdown is worth 6. The try after it adds 1 for a kick or 2 for a two-point conversion. A field goal is worth 3, and a safety is worth 2.

So most scores move the board by 3 or by 7.

That's why final margins of 3 and 7 points turn up more than most others. It's how the scoring works, not a betting edge, and the market already knows it.

It matters most on the point spread, because a line sitting on one of those numbers is more likely to land exactly on it. It's also why a field goal lead with two minutes left never feels safe.

Popular NFL Bets Explained

Midnite's NFL markets start with the money line, point spread and total points, each with a worked example below.

Money Line

The money line is a bet on which team wins the game, overtime included. Most NFL money lines have no draw to pick, so you're choosing one side or the other.

Say the Kansas City Chiefs are 4/6 and the Denver Broncos are 6/5. These prices are made up for the example. A £10 bet on the Chiefs returns £16.67 if they win. A £10 bet on the Broncos returns £22.

NFL games can occasionally finish level in the regular season. If that happens and no Tie selection was offered, the money line bet is void and your stake comes back.

Point Spread

The point spread gives the weaker team a head start, measured in points, and you bet on the result once that head start is applied. It's the NFL version of handicap betting.

A spread of +7 means the team can lose by up to 6 points and your bet still wins.

Take the Jacksonville Jaguars at +7 against the Houston Texans, at an example price of 10/11, with an £11 stake.

• Jaguars win the game? Your bet wins. Return: £21.
• Jaguars lose by 6? Your bet wins. Return: £21.
• Jaguars lose by exactly 7? The bet is void and your £11 comes back.
• Jaguars lose by 8 or more? Your bet loses.

That middle outcome comes from Midnite's rules: if the spread is a whole number, the adjusted scores are level and no tie selection was offered, bets are void. A half-point line such as +6.5 or +7.5 can't finish level, so it always settles as a win or a loss.

Total Points (Over/Under)

Total points is a bet on the combined score of both teams, against a line set by the bookies. You don't need to pick a winner.

With a line of 44.5:

• 24-20 (44 points)? Under 44.5 wins.
• 27-20 (47 points)? Over 44.5 wins.
• 21-21 after four quarters, 24-21 after overtime (45 points)? Over 44.5 wins, because overtime counts.

The half point means there's no void outcome. Our over/under betting guide explains how the same market works in other sports.

Player Props

Player props are bets on what one player does rather than on the result. On Midnite, NFL games carry player markets on passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, touchdowns and touchdown passes, and some turn up with boosted prices in the Odds Boost section too.

Three rules are worth knowing. A player has to play at least one snap or the bet is void. Overtime counts for player markets unless the market says otherwise. And a passing touchdown doesn't count as a touchdown for the quarterback who threw it in scorer markets: the receiver gets it.

Outrights

Outrights are bets on who wins over a season rather than in one game. Midnite's NFL outrights include Super Bowl LXI Winner and AFC Winner.

An outright stake stays tied up until the market settles, and for the Super Bowl that's February.

NFL Accumulators and Bet Builders

An accumulator combines selections from different games into one bet, and every leg has to win for it to pay. One losing leg loses the whole bet. Sunday's 6pm window, with half a dozen or more games kicking off together, is where NFL accas usually start.

A bet builder combines selections from the same game. NFL match pages on Midnite have their own Bet Builder tab, and the American football rules are simple: every selection must win, and if a player in any selection doesn't play, the whole bet is void. Our bet builder guide explains how they're put together.

How to Read NFL Odds

NFL odds are usually written in American format, with a plus or minus sign. A plus number shows the profit on a 100 stake. A minus number shows how much you'd need to stake to win 100.

So +200 means a 100 stake wins 200 profit, which is 2/1 in fractional odds. And -150 means you'd stake 150 to win 100, which is 4/6.

To convert them yourself:

• Plus odds: divide by 100 and put it over 1. +200 becomes 200/100, which is 2/1.
• Minus odds: put 100 over the number. -150 becomes 100/150, which bookies write as 4/6.

That also answers the question of how much you win if you bet $100 on a money line. At +150, $100 wins $150 profit. At -150, the same $100 wins $66.67.

These rows are the same price written two ways, not Midnite prices. Returns are worked out from the fractions and include your stake.

Some UK guides print -130 as 5/6. It isn't. 5/6 is -120, and -130 is 10/13.

Midnite shows prices in fractional or decimal format, and you can switch between them in your settings, as the help centre's guide to odds formats explains. For the UK formats in more depth, read betting odds explained, how decimal odds work and how to convert decimal odds to fractions.

How Overtime and Ties Affect Your Bet

On Midnite, money line, point spread and total points bets on the NFL are settled on the final score including overtime. Player markets count overtime too, unless the market says otherwise.

In the regular season, a game level after four quarters goes to one 10-minute overtime period, and if it's still level after that, it's a tie. Rare, and usually followed by a week of complaints. In the play-offs, overtime continues until someone wins.

Here's how Midnite's American football rules handle the awkward cases:

• A tied game with no Tie selection offered: money line bets are void and stakes are returned.
• A whole-number spread that finishes level: void, stake returned.
• Quarter and first-half markets: overtime doesn't count.
• A game postponed and not played within 48 hours: bets are void, unless the result was already settled.

How to Place an NFL Bet on Midnite

You can bet on NFL games online with Midnite through the app or the website, and the steps are the same on both. Same three choices as before: game, market, stake.

1. Log in, or open an account if you're new. You have to be 18 or over, and Midnite checks your age and identity before you can place a bet. If the electronic checks can't confirm you, you'll be asked for documents.
2. Go to American Football in the sports menu and choose NFL.
3. Pick a game from the match list, or open Outrights for the Super Bowl and conference markets.
4. Tap the price you want. It goes straight onto your bet slip.
5. Enter your stake and check the To Return figure.
6. Place the bet. It shows in your open bets until it settles.

The NFL Season and UK Kick-Off Times

The 2026 NFL regular season runs from 9 September 2026 to 10 January 2027, according to the NFL's 2026 schedule. That's 18 weeks, with 17 games and one bye week for each of the 32 teams. Seven teams from each conference reach the play-offs, which start on 16 January 2027. Super Bowl LXI is on Sunday 14 February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

UK kick-off times follow a pattern most weeks:

• Sunday early games: 6pm UK time.
• Sunday late games: 9.05pm or 9.25pm.
• Sunday Night Football: about 1.20am on Monday.
• Thursday and Monday night games: about 1.15am on Friday and Tuesday.

For one week in late October, after UK clocks go back but before US clocks do, everything starts an hour earlier. The NFL page on Midnite lists every fixture with its kick-off time.

The 2026 international games, with UK kick-off times:

Bet Responsibly

Only stake what you're comfortable losing, and decide on a budget before the first game rather than during it. With Sunday games running past 1am, a budget set at 6pm is easier to stick to than one worked out at midnight.

In Great Britain, NFL gambling, like any betting, is for adults aged 18 and over, and operators need a licence from the Gambling Commission. The Commission's remit is Great Britain: it doesn't regulate remote gambling in Northern Ireland.

Midnite gives you tools to keep betting within limits you set, deposit limits included. Net Spend Limits cap what you pay in minus what you withdraw, daily, weekly or monthly. Loss Limits cap what you can lose. Cool Off pauses your account for 1 to 30 days and can't be lifted early. Everything is in the Responsible Play hub, and GamCare and BeGambleAware offer free, confidential support if you're worried about how much you're betting.

FAQs

How to Bet on NFL for Beginners?

Pick one game you're going to watch, choose a simple market such as the money line or total points, and keep the stake to an amount you're comfortable losing. Add it to your bet slip, check the return and place the bet. The steps above walk through it on Midnite.

What Is the Best Way to Bet on the NFL?

There isn't one best way to bet on the NFL, and no market or method guarantees a win. What helps is understanding how each market settles, especially the spread and overtime rules, and setting a budget before you bet.

Who Bet $100 to Win 1.7 Million?

Wayne Shelton, a bettor from Phoenix, Arizona, placed a $100 three-leg futures accumulator (a parlay, in the US) with DraftKings in 2023, with a profit boost: the Texas Rangers to win the World Series, the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl and the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA title. The first two legs won. In May 2024 he cashed out for a little over $80,000, and the Dallas Mavericks then knocked the Thunder out of the play-offs, so the $1.7 million was never paid. It was a US bet with a US sportsbook. Most multiples at odds that long lose, which is why this one made the news.

What Does +200 in Odds Mean?

+200 means a 100 stake wins 200 profit. In fractional odds that's 2/1. A £10 bet at +200 returns £30: £20 profit plus your £10 stake.

Before the Snap

The money line, the spread and the total cover most NFL betting, and Midnite settles all three including overtime. When you're ready, the full fixture list is on American football at Midnite, and if you want to check who you're betting with first, read is Midnite legit. For another sport where the spread does the work, see how to bet on basketball, or for a game settled on the score at 80 minutes, how to bet on rugby.

Midnite is licensed and regulated by the Great Britain Gambling Commission. 18+, gamble responsibly.

Midnite is the NFL's official sports betting partner in the UK and Ireland, under a multi-year deal announced in October 2026.

About the author

Jordan Willmott is Sportsbook Experience Senior Manager at Midnite, where he leads the team behind sportsbook operations and propositions, from bet settlement and price boosts to the range of markets and specials available across every sport on site. He has spent 13 years in sportsbook and trading, previously in similar roles at BetVictor, Sporting Index and Sky Betting & Gaming. He writes here on how markets are built, made available and settled once the whistle goes. Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.