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What are Futures Bets?
Written by: Daniel Collins
Last Updated:
Read Time: 8 minutes
Betting on sporting events day-to-day may bring the most immediate return and excitement, but wherever you place your bets, there are no shortage of futures bets at your disposal.
What are futures bets? Futures allow you to bet on an outcome of some sort in the future.
There are many, many different types of futures bets. Let’s dive deeper into futures and look at some of the types of futures you can bet on.
What Are Futures Bets?
There are many types of futures bets you can place at most online sports betting sites.
Let’s start with one of the obvious, which is picking the team that will win a championship at the end of the season. This is a bet that you can make at any point of the season, but the best odds can usually be found at the beginning of the season.
Are you interested in betting on who will win the Super Bowl this season? You can place a futures bet on who the team you think will win.
As with moneyline bets on individual games, futures bets are straightforward as they are determined by the result of a particular outcome.
Say, you are betting on the NFL this week, and one of the games this week is a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. Those two teams are two of the top contenders to win the Super Bowl this season.
Just like you can place a bet on the Chiefs to win this week’s Bengals-Chiefs matchup, you can place a bet on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl this season.
Here’s an example of Super Bowl futures odds, using preseason odds for the 2024 NFL season from BetOnline:
Super Bowl Futures Odds
- Kansas City Chiefs +575
- San Francisco 49ers +650
- Philadelphia Eagles +1000
- Baltimore Ravens +1100
- Detroit Lions +1100
- Cincinnati Bengals +1200
- Green Bay Packers +1400
- Houston Texans +1400
Using a $100 betting stake as an example, if you place a $100 bet on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl, you will win $575 if Kansas City does win. And if you place a $100 bet on the Texans to win the Super Bowl, you will win $1400 if Houston does win.
Where Can You Make Futures Bets?
The types of futures bets offered can vary from sportsbook to sportsbook, but you can find futures odds at most reputable sports betting sites.
Here are some sportsbooks where you can place futures bets on a wide variety of sports, entertainment, and novelty options:
If you are on this page, you may already have an account at one or more of these betting sites.
However, if you do not and would like to learn more about them and other top U.S. betting sites, check out our sportsbook reviews to do so.
How Should You Approach Futures Bets?
With the potential to turn a small stake into a significant profit, there’s a lot to like about futures bets.
However, be realistic about the possibility that your futures bets will not win. That advice applies to any kind of bets, but it especially applies to futures bets.
Even when betting on individual games or events, there are countless variables that can affect the outcome. But those variables are magnified over the course of a season or with an outcome that has several possibilities.
In the NFL, there are 32 teams and 17 regular season games plus the playoffs. There are 30 MLB teams and 162 regular season games plus the playoffs. The NBA has 30 teams and 82 regular season games plus the playoffs. The NHL has 32 teams and 82 regular season games plus the playoffs. In the Premier League, 20 teams duke it out in a 38-game season.
Beware of Injuries and Surprises
Over the course of a long season, fortunes can change all too easily. In an instant, a team or player who appeared destined for success could see their hopes cruelly dashed.
For example, in the 2021 MLB season, pitcher Jacob deGrom was heavily favored to win the National League Cy Young Award and was poised to make a run at the National League Most Valuable Player award as well.
Then, due to injury, he didn’t pitch after July 7 of that season. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes went on to win the NL Cy Young Award, while Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper went on to be named 2021 NL MVP.
Also, the potential for surprises can never be discounted. As the saying goes, the cream often rises to the top. However, the path isn’t always straightforward.
Using the 2021 MLB season as an example again, through over 100 games of the season, the Atlanta Braves, who went into the season as one of the top contenders to win the World Series, did not have a winning record.
But they caught fire to win the NL East title, aided in part by a collapse by the Mets. They then went on to defeat the Houston Astros to win the World Series.
And sometimes, major surprises happen. Who would have predicted that Leicester City would win the Premier League in 2016?
Examples of Futures Bets
There are many different items on which you can make futures bets, including the following:
Winner of a season championship, tournament championship, or championship game in team sports
- Super Bowl
- World Series
- NBA Finals
- College Football Playoff
- English Premier League
- FIFA World Cup
Conference champion in team sports
- American League or National League pennant winner in MLB
- AFC or NFC Championship winner in the NFL
- Eastern Conference or Western Conference champion in the NBA
- regular season, championship game, or conference tournament championships in leagues like the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or SEC in college football or college basketball
Winner of a division in team sports
- The NFL has four divisions in each conference (AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, and NFC West)
- MLB has three divisions each in the American League (AL East, AL Central, and AL West) and National League (NL East, NL Central, and NL West)
- The NBA has three divisions in each conference (the Atlantic, Central, and Southeast in the Eastern Conference and the Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest in the Western Conference)
- The NHL has two divisions in each conference (the Atlantic and Metropolitan in the Eastern Conference and the Central and Pacific in the Western Conference)
Individual award winners
- Most Valuable Player or Rookie of the Year awards (in MLB, there are separate MVP and Rookie of the Year awards for the American League and National League)
- Heisman Trophy (college football)
- Wooden Award (college basketball)
- position or role-specific awards (Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL, Cy Young Award in MLB, or Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA)
Postseason award winners
- Super Bowl MVP (NFL)
- World Series MVP (MLB)
- NBA Finals MVP (NBA)
- Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the NHL playoffs)
Winner of individual events
- tennis tournaments like Wimbledon or the US Open
- golf tournaments like the Masters
- motorsports events (NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar, etc.)
- Tour de France
These bets range across many sports, and in the case of futures bets on events like golf and tennis tournaments, the results can take only days to come in, as opposed to months, if you are betting on an upcoming event instead of an event far into the future.
Also, many unregulated sportsbooks offer futures bets on non-sports events, like the Grammys, Academy Awards, or elections.
Why Should You Make Futures Bets?
An immediate return with your bets is always appealing, but playing the long game has its perks.
Betting on a team who is one of the best in its league may not have value week in, week out. Futures bets offer value on such teams without you needing to risk a significant amount of your bankroll.
Also, futures bets are a great way to enhance your knowledge of and interest in a particular league, team, or player. That knowledge can pay off with other bets.
Say you have placed a bet on Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to be named NBA MVP this season. If you decide to follow Doncic’s performances each game, that can provide you valuable knowledge to use on NBA player prop bets or bets on the Mavericks.
Or if you have bet on the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series, following the Dodgers’ results and performances can help you be able to make the most informed bets on their games.
Also, futures bets can be a fun way to keep up with your favorite team or player. Just be mindful that is a long season, and one game or stretch won’t necessarily make or break your bets.
Other Sports Betting Information
Did you find our guide to futures bets helpful? Along with the daily sports betting news and views we offer, we also provide many guides that break down the basics of sports betting. That includes how to bet on specific sports, leagues, and events, types of bets (such as futures bets), betting strategies and terms, and more.
Here are some of the other betting guides you can find at Betting News:
- NFL Betting Guide
- NBA Betting Guide
- MLB Betting Guide
- NHL Betting Guide
- College Football Betting Guide
- College Basketball Betting Guide
- WNBA Betting Guide
- NASCAR Betting Guide
- Super Bowl Betting Guide
- Over/Under Betting Explained
- When Should You Hedge Your Bets?
- How to Read Sports Betting Odds
Futures Bets FAQ
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