Bet on Basketball in Ohio With NBA Bonus Bets

Learn how to bet on basketball throughout the season. Back the Cavaliers and other major NBA teams and sign up via Ohio.bet for offers & promos.  

How to Bet on Basketball: A Guide for Cavaliers Fans 

Understanding how to bet on basketball is necessary to bet on the Cavaliers legally. NBA betting is hugely popular in Ohio, and you can place moneyline wagers, point spread bets, and futures bets throughout the season.  

Here, we reveal how to bet on the NBA and introduce the best legal sportsbooks in Ohio for basketball betting. We also explain the different NBA bets you can place and give real-life examples to help you form your NBA betting strategy.  

Is NBA Betting Legal in Ohio?  

Basketball betting is 100% legal in Ohio. The passing of House Bill 29 legalized online sports betting in the state, and many of the country’s top sportsbooks, including Bet365, BetMGM, and FanDuel, launched operations in Ohio at the start of 2023.  

Today, you can choose from 16 online sportsbooks, all licensed and regulated by the Ohio Casino Commission to offer real-money sports betting opportunities.  

We’ve identified Ohio’s best basketball betting sites, each offering extensive NBA betting markets, good value basketball odds, and a generous welcome bonus for all new customers, as detailed below. 

The Best Online Sportsbooks for NBA Betting in Ohio  

BetMGM and FanDuel are frequently rated as the best Ohio sportsbooks for NBA betting, but they’re not the only sites that offer great odds and ongoing promotions. Check out our table below for the lowdown on the top NBA betting sites, which are legally available to Ohioans: 

How to Bet on the NBA – Popular Betting Types  

After choosing one of the top US online sportsbooks and apps for basketball betting, you must decide which bets to place as you watch the NBA. Here are some of your options:  

NBA Moneyline  

The easiest way to bet on basketball is to place a moneyline wager. Here, you bet on the team you think will win a basketball fixture. You will win a payout, regardless of the number of points scored, if your team wins.  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.  

NBA Point Spread  

An NBA point spread wager is a handicap bet, an excellent way of levelling the playing field when an overwhelming favorite takes to the court.  

The basketball line is often set at 6.5 by online sportsbooks, and you can bet on the following:  

• A team to win by seven points or more (-6.5)  

• A team not to lose by more than six points (+6.5)  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the Indiana Pacers (-6.5). To win your bet, the Cavs must win by at least seven points.  

Total Points (Over/Under)  

Instead of backing an NBA team to win a match, you can bet on the number of points you think will be scored in a fixture. The sportsbook sets the NBA totals line, and your job is to bet on over or under this number of points that will be scored in the match.   

It doesn’t matter which teams or players score the points; the final score will determine whether your totals bet wins or loses.  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers v Detroit Pistons over 229.5 points to be scored.  

Propositions 

Proposition bets (props) are popular with basketball fans. There are player and team props, which are tied to specific outcomes within the match, rather than the final result.  

NBA Player Props  

NBA player props are one of the most popular basketball betting types in the USA. You can back specific players to achieve various things in every NBA match, including:  

• Scoring props: Total points (over/under)  

• Rebounding props: Total rebounds (over/under)  

• Assisting props: Total assists (over/under)  

• Three-pointer props: Total three-pointers (over/under)  

• Block or steal props: Total steals or blocks (over/under) 

🏀Example: Donovan Mitchell to score over 27.5 points against the Milwaukee Bucks.  

NBA Team Props  

Rather than focusing on one player, NBA team props let you bet on the collective efforts of the Cavs or any other team in an NBA match-up. Some of your team prop betting options include:  

• Total team points (over/under)  

• First team to 20/50 points  

• Total team three-pointers made (over/under)  

• Which team will win the first, second, third, and fourth quarters?  

• Total team turnovers (over/under)  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers to score under 114.5 points against the Boston Celtics. 

NBA Parlays  

You will encounter parlay bets when learning how to bet on basketball. These are wagers on multiple outcomes, with the potential to increase your payouts. The easiest parlay bet is to back three or more teams to win their gameweek fixture.  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder all to win in an NBA gameweek.  

Same Game NBA Parlays  

You can also spice things up with an NBA same-game parlay, building numerous potential outcomes into the same wager. You can account for points scored, rebounds, and assists, depending on which players you’re betting on.  

🏀Example: Donovan Mitchell over 30.5 points + 5.5 assists + Cavaliers to win against the Pacers.  

Futures Bets 

You can also look later in the season when learning how to bet on the NBA. Bet on the Larry O’Brien Championship winner or the team you think will win their conference. Here are some of the basketball futures markets offered:  

• Championship winner  

• Conference winner  

• Division winner  

• Regular season MVP  

• Rookie of the Year  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA Championship. 

How to Bet on Basketball – Understanding NBA Betting Odds  

One of the fundamentals when learning how to bet on basketball is understanding how odds work. At US sportsbooks, odds are presented in the American format. The favorite has negative (-) odds, and the underdog has positive (+) odds. Here’s an NBA example to show you how to calculate your potential returns:  

🏀Example: Cleveland Cavaliers (-140) v Orlando Magic (+170)  

• A $140 winning bet on the Cavaliers would return $100 in profit.  

• A $100 winning bet on the Magic would return $170 in profit.  

The NBA Format & Schedule Explained  

Thirty teams compete in the NBA annually, with 15 in the Eastern and 15 in the Western Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers compete in the Eastern Conference, which they topped at the end of the 2024/25 season.  

There are three divisions within each NBA conference:  

• Eastern: Atlantic, Central, and Southeast  

• Western: Northwest, Pacific, Southwest  

In the regular NBA season, each team plays 82 games between October and April. The top six teams in each conference progress to the playoffs, while the teams between seventh and tenth participate in the Play-in tournament, competing for the final two playoff berths.  

The playoffs are a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four matches making it to the next round. The NBA finals are held in June annually, with the winner collecting the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy.  

The Cavaliers have only won the NBA Finals once – in 2016 – but they have five conference titles and eight divisional titles, the most recent coming in 2025.  

NCAA Basketball Betting in Ohio  

Don’t restrict yourself to NBA betting in Ohio. You can also bet on NCAA fixtures, including March Madness, one of the most exciting betting opportunities on the US calendar.  

While Ohio only has one NBA team, you can back numerous Ohio university teams in the NCAA as follows:  

• Ohio State University Buckeyes (Big Ten)  

• University of Cincinnati Bearcats (Big Twelve)  

• Xavier University Musketeers (Big East)  

• University of Dayton Flyers (Atlantic 10)  

• Kent State University Golden Flashes (Mid-American)  

• University of Akron Zips (MAC)  

• Bowling Green State University Falcons (MAC)  

• Miami University RedHawks (MAC)  

• Wright State University Raiders (Horizon League)  

• Cleveland State University Vikings (Horizon League)  

• Youngstown State University Penguins (Horizon League) 

Bet on the NBA Today in Ohio  

Now that you know how to bet on basketball in Ohio, sign up for one of the top sportsbooks above and deposit funds to place your bets.  

We also invite you to check out the latest Ohio promo codes so you can kick things off with a bankroll boost when betting on the Cavaliers and other NBA teams.