Although it was a bit later than other sports, NHL came back for their 104th season since January 13, 2021, but unlike before, the whole season will only consist of 56 games—26 less than what a regular season should have.
The good news is you can compensate for the reduced number of games by engaging in relevant activities, particularly NHL betting. However, hockey betting is quite different from your typical sports betting as it resolves more on the money line.
With such a unique system, you’ll often stumble upon several issues, but this guide aims to make it a lot easier by teaching you the basics of NHL from scratch.
What Does NHL Stand For?
NHL stands for National Hockey League—a professional ice hockey league hosted in North America and features 31 teams from Canada and the United States. Unfortunately, the number of players participating might be less than usual due to COVID-19 player testing protocols. As previously said, the 2020-21 season of NHL is its 104th season. Usually, it consists of 82 games, but the organizers decided to settle for just 56 games due to the pandemic.
Although NHL betting isn’t as popular as leagues such as NBA, MLB, or MMA, it still brings the same amount of thrill.
Is It Legal to Place Bets on NHL?
Placing bets on NHL is more legal than you think. Among the 50 states of United States, eight of them already support legal sports betting:
- Nevada (oldest)
- West Virginia
- Delaware
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- West Virginia
- Rhode Island
- Pennsylvania
Others also predict that other states will follow suit, so the number of states allowing NHL betting is bound to increase, especially now with the return of NHL. Aside from the legislation, NHL signed a partnership with MGM Resorts International, so gamblers can now officially place bets on NHL in casinos owned by MGM.
On the other hand, only five of these states allow online NHL betting, namely Nevada, West Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. However, you can place bets wherever you are, as long as the site you’re using is based in any of these five states.
Where Can You Bet on NHL?
Man is watching ice hockey and holds smartphone in hand with live score.
Traditionally, betters must go to a sportsbook to place their sports bets. A sportsbook is a venue where gamblers can wager on different sports events. These include basketball (NBA), martial arts (MMA), football (NFL), baseball (MLB), and more. The nature of betting on each sport is different.
If you’re looking to bet on NHL, Nevada would be the best place to go as it’s where you’ll see most sportsbooks in the United States, especially since it was the first state to legalize sports betting.
The beauty of NHL betting is that there’s no need to go to a local sportsbook or a casino to make a bet. Instead, you can use your browser and visit a trusted betting site. Of course, you can always choose the traditional method, and the choice is up to you.
What Bet Should You Place on NHL?
If you didn’t know, there are several types of NHL bets or hockey bets in general. Naturally, each type will have different rewards, complexity, and conditions. Here are the most common bets in hockey betting:
- Money Line: This is the most popular type of hockey bet where you simply select which team would win between the underdog and the favorite. Betting on the underdog will pay more than when you bet on the favorite.
- Puck Line Wager: This type of betting involves predicting whether a team can score a certain number of goals more than its competitor. For instance, you can wager that team A will win by more than two goals, and if that happens, you get the reward.
- Over/Under: As the name suggests, this bet is where you predict whether the total number of goals made by both teams is over or under a specific number. To illustrate, organizers can set the over/under wager on a game at 6. If the final score is 4-3, those who bet over will get a win since the total is 7. If the final score is 3-2, the total is five, so those who bet under will win instead, regardless of the winning team.
- Parlay Wager: One of the riskiest types of bet is parlay wager. This is pretty much like the money line bet, but instead of betting that one team will win, you’ll bet on multiple teams at once. So, if you bet on three teams, and they all win, you earn more than what you’ll get when you bet on them individually.
Regardless of which type of bet you choose, it’s essential to make sure you have fun while betting. After all, that should be the primary purpose of sports betting—to have fun.
Final Words
Everyone has their own reasons to learn about NHL betting. It can be that you don’t have anything else to do at home and you have spare money. Maybe your friends are getting into NHL betting, and you don’t want to be left behind. Regardless of your reason, make sure you practice moderation. After all, gambling can still be a bit addictive.
