You can bet on a wide range of sports in many US states, and one sport that is getting plenty of new fans is lacrosse. Thanks to the popularity of competitions like the National Lacrosse League, you can find odds for lacrosse bets on many US sportsbooks.
The point spread has become a staple for major league sports bettors, but it may be a new concept for lacrosse fans. Read our guide to learn more about how point spreads work. You’ll also find guidance on which lacrosse competitions you can bet on in the US and where sports betting is legal.
What is a Point Spread Bet?
You may be familiar with a moneyline bet, which allows you to pick the winner of a game and profit if you are correct. However, a point spread applies an imaginary deficit to the favorite and an advantage to the underdog to even the playing field. This is particularly important for college lacrosse games, where games can be very unbalanced.
If you’re betting on the favorite with a point spread, you need your team to cover that point spread. It is not enough for the team to win. It also needs to score more points than set by the sportsbooks. However, you get a margin for error when betting on the underdog, where the team can lose by a particular number of points.
Most sportsbooks will offer point spreads as decimal numbers like 2.5, so you can only be right or wrong and not hit a tie. Betting sites will adjust point spreads in the buildup to games to encourage bettors to back both sides, so the spread available may change before you can bet.
Lacrosse Point Spread Betting
Along with the odds in point spread betting, you will also see a number with a (+) or (-) symbol. This is the point spread and tells you how your bet will work. Check out our lacrosse betting examples below to understand how a point spread functions.
Betting on the Favorite (-)
The favored team is the team with the (-) symbol next to the point spread. This differs slightly from standard betting, where the favorite is usually shown with (-) odds. This is what a favorite point spread on lacrosse might look like on a sportsbook:
- New York Riptide -2.5 (-110).
With this point spread, the New York Riptide must win by three points or more for your bet to win. If the team wins the game, but only by two points or less, your wager will lose. Betting $110 on this will return you a profit of $100.
Betting the Underdog (+)
As with the favorite, you can see the underdog in a game by the (+) symbol next to the point spread. It is very common for lacrosse point spread underdogs to have (-) odds. Here is an example of an underdog point spread.
- New York Riptide +2.5 (-115)
In this example, the team needs to lose by two points or less for you to win your bet. This means the underdog can win the game, and your wager will be successful. A $115 bet on this underdog will give you a profit of $100.
Point Spread Betting Push
While most point spreads use decimal numbers like 3.5 or 1.5 to avoid a tie, some sportsbooks offer exact point spreads. So what happens if there is a +3 point spread, and your team loses by exactly three points? Well, the betting site will give you a push, which means you will receive your bet back.
Best Lacrosse Competitions to Bet on in the US
As lacrosse becomes more popular in the US, new competitions and tournaments are launching. However, you can only bet on the competitions that state regulatory bodies permit to appear on sportsbooks. Check out the most popular lacrosse tournaments, which you can place point spreads on below.
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League launched in 1986 and brought professional North American box lacrosse teams together to compete. The league is split into two conferences, the East and West, with 15 teams. While ten of these teams come from the US, there are also five Canadian teams playing.
Every team plays 18 games in a season before the playoffs start. The four top teams in the East Conference make it to the playoffs, along with three teams from the West Conference. The final team is the one with the best record out of the remaining franchises, and this side is selected from either conference.
The teams play each other in elimination games until only one is left, crowned as the National Lacrosse League Champion.
NCAA Division I Lacrosse
You’ll find college lacrosse games all across the US, with many NCAA Division I schools providing a team. There are dozens of different conferences to accommodate all these teams, and you may find point spreads for games in these competitions. However, you are more likely to get betting lines for the NCAA Division Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
This tournament is played between 18 of the best teams in the country, with knockout rounds until an overall winner is chosen.
Legal US Lacrosse Spread Betting
Before you can bet on any lacrosse competition, you need to be in a state where sports betting is legal. In 2018, the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), allowing each state to create sports betting legislation. That means there are different rules to follow in each jurisdiction in the US.
In addition, every state has its own regulatory body which licenses online and retail sportsbooks. You can only use a sportsbook licensed in the state where you are playing. That means a betting site that is available in New York may not be an option in Colorado.
A point spread is one of the most exciting bets in US sports, even up the playing field in the most one-sided of contests. You can start placing point spread bets on lacrosse by signing up with legal US sportsbooks. You can claim a welcome bonus to boost your bankroll with many betting sites, so get started today!
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