Basketball Sports Betting in Australia
Introduction
Do you enjoy watching sports and betting on them? Are you looking for bookmakers that will offer something more, especially in basketball betting?
If your answer is yes to both questions and you are in Australia, continue reading because, in this review, we discuss everything you need to know about basketball betting, including legal aspects, popular leagues, betting platforms, and much more!
Basketball has always been one of the most popular sports in the world, including in Australia. Lots of people watch basketball and maybe have wished to participate in the top league teams, such as the NBA in North America or the NBL in Australia. For some, this passion has changed its form into basketball betting, with people all over the world placing bets on winning or their favorite teams, making basketball online sports betting one of the top markets in the Australian sports wagering industry.
While basketball online sports betting is offered by every bookmaker, this does not mean that all of them are legal or safe. Yes, some of them offer more betting types and better odds, particularly betting sites not on BetStop.
However, there is no reason to jump into them if they are dangerous or if you have gambling problems. With bookmakers not on BetStop, you avoid Australia’s national self-exclusion register, which is not always the best idea; therefore, think twice before proceeding to them. Nevertheless, if you have no problem with this and are looking for ways for basketball betting in Australia, keep reading because we cover the legal sides and safe platforms you can bet on!
If you’re interested in diversifying beyond basketball, you can also check out our detailed A-League predictions and betting tips for high-value football markets.
Legal Overview of Sports Betting in Australia
Let’s take a look at the laws towards sports betting in Australia.
Sports betting is legal in Australia and is regulated by both federal and state laws. Each state is responsible for companies within its territory (for licensing and regulation) and applies a different strategy, so rules can be slightly different depending on where you are exactly.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) looks after online betting services and gambling advertisements to protect underage and vulnerable people. In 2023, they introduced BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register that helps people with gambling addictions by excluding themselves from all platforms licensed by the Australian government.
It’s free to participate in BetStop’s self-exclusion register, and you can exclude yourself for a minimum of 3 months to a lifetime. Self-exclusion forbids you from playing on approximately 150 platforms licensed in Australia.
However, sites not on BetStop are still available, with some of them being unlicensed and dangerous, while others have an offshore license and are safe. It’s in your best interest to bet on licensed and responsible platforms, in order to not getting scammed or falling into gambling addiction. Non-BetStop platforms may have better offers than those with an Australian license, but laws and restrictions are made for a reason, right? Therefore, it’s best to have a legal basketball betting experience for your own good.
To get a broader understanding of the wagering landscape, visit our detailed guide on online sports betting in Australia for insights on legal and trusted sites.
Popular Basketball Leagues to Bet On
We have already covered the legal aspects and it’s time to talk about the most famous leagues for basketball betting in Australia.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
Everyone knows the NBA, as it is the most popular professional basketball league in the world. It was founded in 1946 and now features 30 teams, with each playing 82 games. The NBA’s regular season is from October to April, with playoffs being held in June, when it peaks.
You may be drawn to the NBA because of Australian players like Josh Giddey and Ben Simmons. If not, other things might interest you.
Depending on the platform, NBA betting in Australia offers various bet types, such as game winners, point spreads, over/under totals, player props, and others. But live betting may be the best part of basketball sports betting, because while watching, you can bet on fluctuating real-time odds.
NBL (National Basketball League)
As you may know, NBL is Australia’s men’s professional basketball league that has grown significantly in popularity over the last decade. Its first season was back in 1979, and today it runs from October to February, with each team playing 28 games. Now it consists of 10 teams, like the Sydney Kings, Perth Wildcats, and Melbourne United, with 9 from Australia and 1 from New Zealand.
NBL odds in Australia are quite competitive. Betting markets mainly include match outcomes, total points, handicaps, and others. On the plus side, it’s a domestic league, so most likely you will know players and teams better than those in the NBA or other leagues. NBL is also a smaller market than the NBA, which may be great to learn and try different betting strategies.
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
The NCAA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1906 and helps student-athletes. It is a major betting market, especially during the March Madness tournament, where 68 teams compete in a single-elimination format.
Betting markets for the NCAA are almost the same as for the previous two. It includes individual game results, regional winners, championships, etc. If you decide to bet on NCAA games, we suggest researching team form and stats because of their numerous games and differences in team strength.
EuroLeague and FIBA competitions
EuroLeague is the top league in Europe, consisting of 20 teams from different countries, including Turkey, Spain, Greece, etc. The season begins in September 2025 until May 2026. FIBA tournaments, such as the Basketball World Cup and Olympic Qualifiers, may also catch your attention because sometimes the Australian Boomers compete in them.
Here you will see various betting opportunities, including on match winners, performance, outcome, etc. Try to do a more detailed analysis while betting on EuroLeague games because of differences in players’, team dynamics, and other reasons.
Types of Basketball Bets
There are different types of basketball sports betting lines, which vary based on the game and the site you are wagering on. It’s important to understand how each basketball bet works in order to increase your winning chances. You can see the most common basketball bets below.
Match Winner (Moneyline)
As the name says, you bet on which team will win the match. This is the most popular and simple basketball sports betting line, which works for beginners as well. Let’s imagine one example: If you bet $10 on a winning team that has 2.00 odds, you receive $20 because your stake is multiplied by the number of odds.
Handicap/Line Betting
You may have heard betting types like handicap, also known as point spread betting. This bet means giving one team a points advantage or disadvantage to balance the strength between teams. For example, a team A might be -6.5, which means they need to win at least 7 points for the bet to pay out. Team B, an underdog at +6.5, needs to either accumulate less than 7 points.
Over/Under Totals
If both teams are not that different and are equally strong, and you can’t decide who will win, betting on over/under totals might be a good option. In this case, you wager whether the total combined score of both teams will be over or under a number set by the specific platform. Totals are available for full games, halves, or sometimes quarters.
Props (Player Stats)
Unlike other bet types, props focus on individual player and their performance, including their scoring points, recording a double-double, etc. However, we strongly recommend having detailed knowledge of the player before betting on props.
Futures (MVP, championship winner)
If you choose futures bets, you wager on long-term outcomes, for example, who will win the NBL Championship, who will be named MVP, which team will participate in the playoffs, etc. These bets usually have higher odds, but you have to wait for the outcomes.
Live betting
Live betting means placing bets during the gameplay, when odds change all the time. Unfortunately, live betting is legal in Australia, but it comes with a few restrictions. Australian licensed companies can’t offer live in-play betting, but you can still place live bets over the phone on either Australian licensed sites or on international ones.
Understanding Odds in Australia
If you have decided to place wagers, you have to understand the sports betting basketball basics, which starts with understanding how the odds work.
Decimat Format
Let’s start with understanding the format. In Australia, you mostly see the odds displayed in decimal formats. 2.50 odds mean that a $10 bet would return $25 because 10 is multiplied by 2.50, which equals 25.
How Decimal Odds Reflect Probability
To understand the implied probability of a bet, we have to use this formula:
Probability (%) = (1 / decimal odds) x 100
So what does this mean? If we put numbers in this formula, we see that odds of 5.00 have a 20% chance of winning, while 1.50 have a 66.7% chance.
- 20% = (1 / 5) x 100
- 66.7% = (1 / 1.5) x 100
As you can see, the higher the odds = the higher the payout, but a win is less likely. Don’t take this as encouragement from us to bet on high odds because it’s not always the best idea. Decide for yourself if the risk is worth it and research the team or player beforehand.
Comparing Odd Across Legal Sites
At legal basketball betting sites, you will see various odds, even different ones for the same game. The reason behind it is that all platforms analyse risks and wins in their own way.
Of course, you are free to look for the best odds across these sites and compare them, but stick to legal basketball betting platforms. Some offshore sportsbooks might have significantly better odds, but do you know what they lack equally? Protections and legitimacy, which means they might be scammers, unless they are licensed or regulated. So don’t blindly trust any platform.
Best Australian Betting Sites
We have listed down all safe and legal offshore bookmakers to make sure you are betting at the right place.
Mystake
- Betting options: Sports, eSports, virtual games, live sports, and the casino section.
- Bonuses & promos: Welcome offer of 120% bonus up to 600$, VIP offers, crypto cashbacks, reloads, crypto deposit bonus, freebet, tournaments.
- Payment methods: Varies depending on country, but includes both cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies.
- Mobile support: App for Android, but web version is optimized for every device.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming with license number – OGL/2024/1798/1048.
Jackbit
- Betting options: Sports, eSports, racing, casino games, and aviator.
- Bonuses & promos: 100% welcome bonus if your bet is lost, daily and weekly tournaments, 3+1 FreeBet, Rakeback VIP club offers.
- Payment methods: Fiat & cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: PWA downloadable from the website.
- Licensing: Curaçao Gaming Control Board with license number OGL/2024/1800/1049.
Donbet
- Betting options: Sports, eSports, virtual sports, racing, casino, and mini games.
- Bonuses & promos: 120% welcome bonus up to 600$, 3+1 freebet, crypto deposit bonus, loyalty 10% cashbacks.
- Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, bank transfers for fiat currencies. Cryptocurrencies are available too.
- Mobile support: Mobile-optimized platform.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming under license number OGL/2024/1798/1048.
Freshbet
- Betting options: Sports, eSports, virtual sports, racing, casino, mini games, aviator.
- Bonuses & promos: Sports & eSports 100% welcome bonus up to 500$, crypto welcome bonus, 3+1 freebet, loyalty bonus, Freshbet VIP club, football cashback.
- Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard + crypto.
- Mobile support: Device optimized.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming, license number: OGL/2024/1800/1049.
Goldenbet
- Betting options: Sports, eSports, virtual sports, racing, in-play, casino, and instant games.
- Bonuses & promos: Sports & eSports 100% welcome bonus up to 500$, sports cashout, freebets, unlimited cashbacks up to 500 EUR.
- Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, Jetonbank, Interac, AstroPay. Fiat + cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: No app, but mobile optimized.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming with license number: OGL/2024/1798/1048.
Wazamba
- Betting options: Sports, live betting, virtual games, horse racing, casino games.
- Bonuses & promos: Cashbacks, reload bonuses, tournaments, mask collection reward, freebets.
- Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, bank transfers. Fiat + cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: Optimized for mobile.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming.
Rocketplay
- Rocketplay casino offers a Curaçao License and provides us with secure encryption of our data to players.
- It is accessible on any mobile or desktop device.
- An extensive collection of more than 6000 games available from top providers.
- Offers a live casino.
- Betting options: Sports, esports, in-play, casino.
- Bonuses & promos: Freebets, cashbacks, tournaments.
- Payment methods: Fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: App for both Android and iOS.
- Licensing: No. OGL/2023/174/0082 by Curacao eGaming.
Winspirit
- Betting options: Sports, esports, casino.
- Bonuses & promos: Bonus up to $200 + $100 Freebet for the first 2 deposits, cashbacks, combo bonuses, Tuesday sports bonus.
- Payment methods: Fiat + cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: Optimized.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming with license number: OGL/2024/923/0383.
Neospin
- Betting options: Sports, esports, casino.
- Bonuses & promos: Combo boosts, freebets.
- Payment methods: Fiat + cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: You can install a PWA.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming with license number: OGL/2023/176/0095.
Kingmaker
- Large number of pokie games
- Website available in more than 20 languages
- Partnering with the key software providers
- Many deposit and withdrawal methods
- No additional fees for transactions
- High-quality and responsive customer support
- Betting options: Sports, live betting, virtual sports, casino games.
- Bonuses & promos: 100% first deposit bonus up to $100, weekly reloads, accumulator boosts, cashbacks, early payouts.
- Payment methods: Fiat + cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: Optimized.
- Licensing: Gaming Board of Anjouan.
Quickwin
- Many Pokies
- Partners with leading software providers
- Unique bonuses for different pokies
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Betting options: Sports, esports, live betting, virtual sports, horse racing, casino games.
- Bonuses & promos: 100% first deposit bonus up to $100, weekly reloads, cashbacks, accumulator boosts.
- Payment methods: Fiat + cryptocurrencies.
- Mobile support: Optimized for any device.
- Licensing: Curacao eGaming.
If you’re interested in expanding your wagering beyond sports, check out the best options for no BetStop live casino platforms that accept Australian players.
Tips for Betting on Basketball
Here are the best sports betting tips for basketball:
- First and maybe most important is to know teams and players. Regularly watch games and research the latest updates on teams and stats on sites like ESPN or social media. It is also nice to look into trends, like over/under performance, and others.
- Analyze injury reports and game schedules because they can strongly affect team performance, including the small things like fatigue or travel lag.
- Understand playing styles and use something to track patterns and analyze profits and mistakes.
- Manage your bankroll by setting up a budget before placing bets.
- Avoid emotional betting and don’t place wagers on your favorite team just because you like them, as they might lose the game, while you lose your money.
Fans of footy can explore top Australian football betting sites for the latest odds, platforms, and AFL-specific markets.
Responsible Gambling
Even though basketball online sports betting is fun and strategic, it can be harmful if it is not controlled. Australian government takes strong measures for responsible gambling, but their programs don’t work on not on Betstop bookmakers, so controlling your gaming becomes your responsibility only.
Tips to Consider When Gambling
- Don’t bet under the influence of alcohol, stress, or even peers. Make decisions with a clear head and based on logic, not emotions.
- Most sportsbooks, including offshore ones, offer responsible gambling tools like setting your bet limits daily, weekly, or monthly, as well as self-exclusion tools similar to BetStop. You can take a break whenever you want to and see how you feel without betting.
Signs of Problematic Gambling
Sometimes it’s hard to realize that you might have an addiction, because people don’t like to see the truth. So, ask yourself these questions, and if your answer is yes, then seek help within the platforms you are betting on and free services by the government:
- Do I feel anxious or frustrated when I am betting?
- If I lose the one bet, am I betting a larger amount on the next one to compensate?
- When people ask me how often I am wagering on bookmakers, do I lie to them?
Answer honestly to these questions and analyze your situation. Thanks to the regulations, help is always available in many forms.
Support Services in Australia
- Gambling help online has 24/7 support and live chat.
- Call the national gambling helpline on this number: 1800 858 858. It’s free to use and is always available.
- The BetStop self-exclusion register will block you from betting on any Australian-licensed platforms.
FAQs
Is basketball sports betting legal in Australia?
Yes, basketball sports betting in Australia is legal when using licensed platforms. However, it’s essential to choose legal and safe bookmakers, especially if you are considering betting sites not on BetStop.
What are the best basketball betting sites in Australia?
The best basketball betting sites in Australia include licensed sportsbooks offering competitive odds, multiple bet types, and secure payment options. Some popular platforms include Mystake, Bet365, and Jackbit.
Can I bet on NBA games from Australia?
Absolutely. Many Australian sports betting sites allow you to place wagers on NBA games, including popular bet types like point spreads, over/under, player props, and live betting.
Are there any basketball betting sites not on BetStop?
Yes, there are several basketball betting sites not on BetStop that offer broader access, better bonuses, and more flexibility. However, use caution and always verify licensing and responsible gambling tools.
What types of basketball bets can I place online?
You can place various online basketball bets such as moneyline, handicaps, over/under totals, player props, futures, and live in-play betting, depending on the bookmaker.