College basketball is huge in the United States. From the start of the season in November, right up until March Madness, college basketball betting handle is significant. If you live in California and are interested in betting on college basketball online then you’re in the right place.
On this page I will recommend a betting site for California residents, touch on the progress towards regulated sports betting in the state, outline the three most popular college basketball wagers, and provide a simple three step guide you can follow to bet on college hoops online right now.
Best Sportsbook For California Residents
Bovada.lv is our recommended betting site for California residents interested in betting on college basketball games online. Bovada has served the US betting market since 2012, establishing themselves as a popular, trusted, and secure online sportsbook that is committed to providing a great betting experience to Americans, including bettors from California.
Bovada offers early and fair odds for all college basketball games, and they typically have 75+ betting markets for the high profile matchups.
Sports Betting in California
It is not currently legal to operate a sportsbook in the State of California.
That said, residents of California can still place bets on college basketball games through offshore betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the United States, while accepting American bettors. Bovada falls into this category as an offshore sportsbook licensed and regulated offshore, while accepting players from California and most other US States.
California had two ballot measures related to sports betting fail by significant margins in November of 2022. No progress has been made since those failed ballot measures and it looks like an uphill battle to regulate sports betting in the state in the near future.
Check out our California sports betting section for more details about the regulatory climate of sports betting in the state.
College Basketball Betting Options
The three most popular betting markets for college basketball games are the point spread, money line (to win), and total. Below I will use a past Arizona vs Duke game from last season as an example to help explain these three common wagers.
Point Spread
A point spread is meant to put the two teams on an even playing field. Bets on the favorite would win if they cover the spread (win by more than the spread amount), while bets on the underdog would win if they beat the spread (win the game outright or lose by fewer points than the spread).
In the above example Duke is a 5.5 point favorite (-5.5). A bet on Duke -5.5 would win if they win the game by 6 or more points. Arizona is a 5.5 point underdog (+5.5). A bet on Arizona +5.5 would win if Arizona wins the game outright or loses by 5 or fewer points.
Money Line (To Win)
A money line bet is a wager on which team will win the game outright. The odds dictate the risk vs reward of betting on either team.
In the above example, Duke is a -225 favorite to win the game. This means every $225 risked on Duke would win $100 if Duke earns the win. Arizona is a +185 underdog, so every $100 risked on Arizona would win $185 if they pulled off the upset.
Check out our sports betting odds section if you don’t understand the American Odds format used in the above example.
Total (Over/Under)
The oddsmaker will set a total and you can bet on whether the number of points scored by both teams combined will be over or under that amount.
In the above example the total is set at 154.5 points. Over bets would win if 155 or more points are scored in the game, while under bets would win if 154 or fewer points are scored.
These are the three most popular bets that take the majority of action on college basketball games.
How To Bet On College Basketball From California – 3 Step Guide
Follow these three steps to bet on college basketball online from anywhere in California.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link and complete the short registration form on the Bovada website to open your account.
Bovada is the most popular online sportsbook serving the US market and our top rated betting site for California residents.
Step 2. Deposit
Log into your Bovada account and click the ‘Deposit’ button in the top right corner of the screen. Choose your preferred deposit method and follow the instructions to fund your account.
Bovada accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrency deposits.
Step 3. Bet On College Basketball
Click ‘Sports’ from the top menu bar and ‘Basketball’ from the secondary sports menu. Then select ‘College Basketball’ from the Trending Competitions or Basketball A-Z menus.
Select the odds of the bet you want to make to add it to your Bet Slip. Enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip and click ‘Place Bet’ to make your wager.
Are you ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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