Thursday, September 19, 2024

Guide to Betting on EuroLeague Basketball

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The EuroLeague is arguably the best European basketball competition, featuring all the top teams on the continent. Team face each other over a regular season, playoffs, and the Final Foul over the course of the year.

It’s a feast for the fans and a good opportunity to win money by betting on EuroLeague games and futures.

We have plenty of tips that can help you achieve that in this guide. We also provide a list of the best EuroLeague betting sites based on numerous factors like safety, odds, promotions, and more.

We pay special attention to EuroLeague Final Four betting for those of you targeting the decisive stage in the league.

Contents of Our Online EuroLeague Betting Guide

Best EuroLeague Betting Sites and Apps

These EuroLeague apps and betting sites are better than the competition in several key areas. They deliver the most opportunities to win money and a smooth experience overall.

Our team invests a lot of hours uncovering the top EuroLeague sportsbooks we maintain our rankings by constantly monitoring our recommendations and looking at other bookmakers that may deserve a place on the list.

Here are the main criteria we use to rate basketball sports betting apps and sites for EuroLeague gambling.

  • Safety and Integrity – All of the best sites for betting on the EuroLeague online have proven to be fair to their customers. They also use appropriate security measures designed to protect customers’ money and personal information.
  • EuroLeague Coverage – We expect to see plenty of EuroLeague betting markets for every single game from the regular season to the Final Four, as well as some futures and props for the event.
  • EuroLeague Betting Odds – You need to find the highest odds available to improve your chances to win money. The online sports betting sites we have selected are better than the industry average when it comes to odds for basketball and the EuroLeague.
  • EuroLeague Betting Promotions – If you are looking for bonuses and promotions, all the best EuroLeague betting apps and sites offer more than enough opportunities to earn extra cash.
  • In-Play Wagers – You can try your luck with EuroLeague live betting thanks as there’s a good number of in-play markets offered by our picks.
  • Mobile Betting Sites – Our recommended sportsbooks deliver the best apps for betting the EuroLeague online on all popular phones and tablets, including iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone.
  • Fast Payments – If your wagers are successful and you withdraw your profits, the money will reach you quickly.
  • Excellent Customer Service – You can always contact the support of the best sites to bet on the EuroLeague to request assistance.
  • Special Attention to the Final Four – Betting on the EuroLeague Final Four with real cash is an excellent way to add even more excitement to the culmination of the season. All the top sites offer plenty of markets for the deciding matches.

Only after going through all of the factors listed above can we confidently put a bookmaker on our list of the top sites and best apps to bet on the EuroLeague.

Picking any of our recommended options will result in a much better chance to win money from gambling on the biggest basketball competition in Europe.

What Every Bettor Needs to Know About the EuroLeague

Before you bet on the EuroLeague for real money, you should know the most important details about the competition and some basic tips that apply to pretty much all types of gambling related to the EuroLeague.

That’s why we have prepared a quick overview of the format and essential advice for building a EuroLeague betting strategy.

Format and Teams

Here is what you need to know about each stage and the contenders if you want to bet on the EuroLeague and win money.

Let’s begin with the teams that are part of the competition. A total of 18 clubs from Europe participate in the EuroLeague regular season and 11 of them are licensed clubs with a long-term license that receive an automatic spot. Here’s the full list.















Team Country
Barcelona Spain
Baskonia Spain
Real Madrid Spain
Olympiacos Greece
Panathinaikos Greece
Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel
Anadolu Efes Turkey
Fenerbahce Turkey
Olimpia Milano Italy
Zalgiris Lithuania
CSKA Moscow Russia

Another seven teams are added to the permanent lineup as follows.

  • One Spot for the Winner of the Euro Cup
  • Four Spots to Representatives of the ABA League, the VTB United League, the Basketball Bundesliga, and LIGA ACB
  • Two Wild Cards

That completes the list of competing teams. Note that the two wild cards are valid for two seasons.

The 18 teams then proceed to play in the EuroLeague regular season that includes a double round-robin with exchanged visits.

Each of the top eight teams from the regular season qualify for the EuroLeague Playoffs. They are paired based on their standings, as follows.

  • 1st vs. 8th
  • 2nd vs. 7th
  • 3rd vs. 6th
  • 4th vs. 5th

Playoff series are played in a best-of-five format and the four winning teams proceed to the EuroLeague Final Four. The culmination of the season is a straight knockout and takes place over three days.

The top EuroLeague gambling sites cover all games from the competition, from the regular season to the Final Four. This mean hundreds of opportunities to make money, even if we exclude EuroLeague futures and props.

Basic EuroLeague Betting Tips

There are many ways to bet on the EuroLeague for money and find success. For the best chance of being profitable, there are some important “rules” to bear in mind.

The following essential tips should be included in every strategy you decide to adopt.

  • Bet Online – The top online sportsbooks offer better EuroLeague odds and lines, higher bonuses, and are easier to use than brick-and-mortar bookies.
  • Boost Your Returns with Promotions – You can find a ton of EuroLeague betting bonuses and promos that offer extra value.
  • Don’t Be Biased – If you watch a lot of basketball, chances are you have favorite teams in the competition. Don’t let your bias cloud your judgment when you place your EuroLeague wagers.
  • Bankroll Management – Set aside a budget for the competition and make sure to pick a staking plan that suits your bankroll.
  • Use Multiple Betting Sites – If you join several sites for EuroLeague online betting, you can grab higher odds and better lines.

If you need more help with your first steps in online sports betting, the following pages are all worth reading.

Differences Between EuroLeague Basketball and the NBA

If you have experience mostly with the NBA and you want to know how to bet on the EuroLeague, you should learn the rule differences between the two competitions when it comes to the individual games.

The following table highlights key areas that are not the same.









NBA EuroLeague
Playing Time 4 X 12 minutes 4 X 10 minutes
3-Point Line Distance from the Rim 7.24 meters and 6.70 meters on the baseline 6.75 meters and 6.60 meters on the baseline
Timeouts 6 regular ones + 1 short one per half 2 in the first half, 3 in the second half
Jump Ball “True jump ball” to start the game, alternating possessions for the rest of the quarters; All other jump balls are “true jump balls” One “true jump ball” to win possession at the start of the game, alternating possessions after that
Fouling out After 6 fouls After 5 fouls

As you can see, three-pointers are from a shorter distance, the games are shorter, and the coaches have fewer timeouts in EuroLeague basketball.

There are other minor rule differences that are explained well on the FIBA official site. Check them out before engaging in EuroLeague betting online.

Tips for Betting on the EuroLeague Regular Season

With hundreds of games available for betting every year, the EuroLeague regular season can be the most rewarding part of the league for sports gamblers.

If you have a working strategy for the games from this stage, you can truly crush the online betting sites for the EuroLeague.

Here’s our gambling advice for regular season matches.

Basic Tips for Basketball Games

The specifics of the EuroLeague are crucial for your success, but you can’t ignore the fundamentals of betting on basketball games.

Here’s what you need to consider while you’re working on your EuroLeague betting picks.

  • Analyze the Stats – There is plenty of information available for all teams and players in the EuroLeague. You can find data for their domestic tournaments, too. You should always check what the numbers tell you about each squad when you gamble on the EuroLeague with real cash.
  • Follow the Team News – Another relatively obvious tip is to follow the team news before you place your online bets for the EuroLeague.
  • Examine the Star Players – With only five players on the court for each team at any given moment, the superstars are extremely influential. You should pay special attention to them in your analysis of each game.
  • Evaluate the Depth of Each Team – Despite the shorter games compared to the NBA, all EuroLeague teams make rotations and the bench can be crucial. Always explore the second unit when you bet the EuroLeague online.
  • Home Advantage Is a Big Factor – You simply can’t ignore the home advantage in your EuroLeague betting predictions, especially when it comes to teams with passionate fans.

The tips above are also valid for gambling on the EuroLeague Final Four and playoffs, so make sure to carefully apply them every single time. They are simple, yet many people ignore them and suffer the consequences.

With that in mind, let’s move on to the unique traits of the regular season and how to make the best of them when gambling on the EuroLeague.

There’s Room for Error

The first stage of the EuroLeague season includes 34 games for every single team and that leaves enough room to make some errors.

Team don’t have to win every single clash to progress to the playoffs, so that’s something to consider when you place your wagers. Here’s how many defeats the best teams in the past campaigns had at the end of the regular season.









Season Regular Season Winner Regular Season Record
2020-21 Barcelona 24-10
2019-20 Anadolu Efes 24-4
2018-19 Fenerbahce 25-5
2017-18 CSKA Moscow 24-6
2016-17 Real Madrid 23-7

One of the reasons why the leaders lose so many games is that the competition is close at the top. The lack of pressure in the regular season plays a role, too.

The clubs might decide to rest players in certain situations or give minutes to developing youngsters. These things simply don’t happen when the knockouts are here. Make sure you’re aware of potential moves like that when you bet on EuroLeague games from this stage.

Don’t Ignore the Schedule

The EuroLeague might be the most important basketball competition in Europe, but the teams involved also have other goals for the season.

They are usually fighting for the title in their domestic leagues, and there are also cup competitions to consider.

If the schedule gets tough at some point of the season, it might affect their performance in the EuroLeague.

Playing against multiple strong opponents within the same week can be draining for the players, so you should always check the games before and after any EuroLeague clash you’re about to target.

The top teams in the EuroLeague usually fight for their domestic titles.

Analyze the Bigger Picture

All EuroLeague teams enter the competition with the hope of fighting for the playoffs. They typically push as hard as possible in the early stages of the league.

Somewhere around the halfway point of the regular season, the situation starts to change. A few different groups start to develop and you need to consider where teams sit when betting on matches.

  • Favorites – The top teams likely to end up fighting for the EuroLeague Final Four and the trophy keep pushing hard for a better position in the knockouts.
  • Contenders – Clubs that have a shot at the playoffs will keep chasing a place in the next stage until the very end of the regular season.
  • Underdogs – Teams that are pretty much out of contention often focus on their domestic leagues or give more minutes to their younger players.

The teams that still have ambitions and goals are more likely to perform near their best, while the rest might be inconsistent. That’s an important factor when you bet money on the EuroLeague, so don’t ignore it.

Betting on the EuroLeague Playoffs

Once the regular season is over, the best eight teams in the EuroLeague proceed to the playoffs. These start with what are essentially the quarterfinals of the competition.

Each series is in the best-of-five format and that makes the stage unique because the fixtures of the Final Four are single-game eliminations.

With that in mind, here are our tips for betting the EuroLeague Playoffs.

Start with the Seeding

The best EuroLeague betting websites will likely favor the higher seeds and that’s only natural. They are the teams that had a better regular-season record and they enter the playoffs with more confidence and momentum.

There’s another big factor here, though, and that’s the home advantage if the series reaches the last clash. Just take a look at how such duels finished in recent seasons.









Season Series that Reached Game 5 Home Wins in Game 5
2020-21 3 3
2018-19 1 1
2017-18 0 0
2016-17 1 1
2015-16 1 1

The win rate of the home side in the deciding game is 100% from six attempts in these seasons. It’s not the largest sample size, but it’s still enough to suggest that the higher seed is a huge favorite in game five. That’s something to consider when you work on your EuroLeague predictions.

Regular Season Results

The teams that are paired for the EuroLeague Playoffs already played twice in the regular season of the competition. Those games make an excellent starting point of your analysis.

Make sure to carefully explore what happened in the previous meetings. They can tell you a lot about how the styles of both sides interact and if there are any obvious advantages for one of the teams.

You should also check all the circumstances around these games, so they don’t mislead you. If one of the teams had injury problems or decided to make more rotations in the starting lineup, you shouldn’t read too much into the results.

Look Out for Emerging Teams

Some teams start the regular season slowly and improve dramatically in the second half of the campaign. They might finish in the middle of the playoff spots as a result, but their league position doesn’t necessarily reflect their current form.

Momentum matters and any team that has a strong winning run at the end of the EuroLeague regular season can go all the way.

The latest trends are certainly a factor to consider when you evaluate all series from the playoff stage of the competition.

Leadership and Coaching

Two factors that the online betting apps and sites value more when the EuroLeague Playoffs arrive are leadership and coaching. The pressure is building in this stage and the sides are usually comparable in terms of overall quality.

Teams need to be consistent in every single game and have to adjust to the opposition. The former is mainly achieved thanks to strong leaders that can keep their teammates at the top of their game.

The coaching staff must help with the mental side, too, and also needs to recognize and exploit every opportunity to gain an edge.

Star players and the head coaches simply have more influence on the results at this stage of the competition. Take that into account when working on your EuroLeague picks for the playoffs.

Experienced coaches and star players are crucial in the EuroLeague Playoffs.

Key Info About the EuroLeague Final Four

The four winners of the playoff series proceed to the EuroLeague Final Four. This is the pinnacle of the season in European basketball.

It opens the door to different gambling opportunities, But before we proceed to our Final Four betting advice, let’s take a look at some key facts about the format and the wagers you can target.

Final Four Format

The EuroLeague Final Four is the most intense stage of the competition because of the single-game elimination format. There’s no room for error when the last four teams meet in a pre-determined location to decide who’s the best.

The semifinals take place on a Friday and feature the following pairs.

  • Semi-final 1 – The winner of the 1st seed against the 8th seed from the playoffs vs. the winner of 4th against 5th
  • Semi-final 2 – The winner of 2nd against 7th vs. the winner of 3rd against 6th

There’s a break on the Saturday and the teams return on Sunday. The two losing sides from the semifinals meet in a match for third place, while the two winners fight for the EuroLeague title

Naturally, all eyes are on the Final Four and the top basketball betting sites online offer many gambling options for the event.

Types of Bets

There are plenty of EuroLeague Final Four bets available online before and during the competition. You shouldn’t ignore any of them, so here’s more information about the different basketball markets for this stage of the EuroLeague.

  • Futures Betting – There are several EuroLeague futures around the Final Four. You can back any of the teams to win, and you can also target the MVP award and a few other options.
  • Betting in the matches – All of the traditional options such as moneyline, totals, and spreads are available. The top EuroLeague gambling websites add to that a bunch of other markets related to the teams, selected quarters, or selected halves.
  • Final Four Props – You won’t find many EuroLeague props in the earlier stages, but that changes around the Final Four. Real money betting apps and sites become increasingly creative and release many unusual markets for this phase.
  • Live Betting – Live EuroLeague betting is available before the Final Four, too, but the increased number of markets and stats offered make it potentially much more profitable at this stage.

With all the main markets explained, it’s time to move on to our tips for betting on EuroLeague Final Four matches.

Strategy for Betting on EuroLeague Final Four Matches

The EuroLeague Final Four is designed around the concept of wild entertainment. One could argue that single-game eliminations are not a fair way to determine the winner of the trophy, but it’s certainly thrilling for the fans.

Every team has a realistic shot at the title and the pressure is on. Anything is possible in one game and you should certainly consider that when you bet on the EuroLeague Final Four with real cash.

Here are some more helpful tips for this stage.

General Tips for Betting on the EuroLeague Final Four

Let’s begin with the fundamentals that apply to every game from the Final Four, with the possible exception of the third-place clash that we cover separately below.

  • More Physicality – Teams give it their all at both ends of the court during the Final Four. You will see a lot of physicality and the refs allow it most of the time.
  • Stronger Defense – Some of the star players can afford to rest on defense in the regular season, but that’s not the case during the Final Four. Everyone plays hard protecting the basket.
  • Late Free-Throws Are Crucial – Many games are decided by a team’s ability to convert free-throws in the late stages.
  • Coaching Is Essential – The teams are usually close in terms of both quality and depth at this stage, so the ability to get the best out of each player and adjust is key to success.
  • Watch Out for Young NBA Prospects – Young guys on their way to the NBA are dangerous because they are eager to prove their worth and help their European teams before they join the best league in the world. Just look at what Luka Doncic did in his last season before joining the NBA.
  • Experience Is Crucial – Players that have been at the top for a while often excel at the Final Four. Experience helps their performance when the pressure is on, and that’s another crucial factor to consider for EuroLeague Final Four gambling.

The tips above can help you determine which clubs should have the edge, but you should also use previously mentioned methods such as running the numbers, watching out for the latest team news, and similar.

Watch Out for Home Teams

It must be mentioned that one of the teams might have home advantage. The location of each EuroLeague Final Four is usually in one of the cities that have a representative in the league. If that team reaches the deciding stage, it has the upper hand.

In fact, history shows us that the host club is a major favorite on such occasions.

Real Madrid in 2015 and Fenerbahce in 2017 are the last two teams to play the EuroLeague Final Four at home. They both won the tournament, so you should watch out for that.

Real Madrid (2015) and Fenerbahce (2017) won the EuroLeague at home.

Strategy for Betting on the Match for Third Place

The match for third place at the EuroLeague Final Four is always different than the other games. That applies to betting on it, too.

Motivation is the key factor here because we’re talking about two sides that just lost the chance to win the title.

Both teams are usually devastated and have only a single day to pick themselves up and play again for a mostly meaningless achievement.

The team that cares more typically wins this one. For example, if a huge title favorite was just upset in the semis, it’s possible that the players are too disappointed to perform anywhere near their best and don’t really care about finishing third or fourth.

If an underdog reaches the Final Four, however, fighting for third place might mean more. Motivation could well be higher.

You should carefully try to figure out which team will want the victory more when you explore the odds of the best online EuroLeague betting sites.

More Advice for Basketball Betting

The best sites and top betting apps for the EuroLeague cover plenty of other basketball competitions from all over the globe, so you could also consider trying your luck on the likes of NBA, NCAA, and other events.

We offer plenty of useful resources that can help you prepare for your wagers. For a start, we have our basketball betting blog where we publish posts on various competitions. Here are the latest entries.

Finally, we have plenty of pages covering general concepts or offering strategy tips on specific basketball competitions. Feel free to check them out!

Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he’s a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects.

When it comes to the NFL, Kevin’s favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.

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