Futures Betting

Now that Indiana has legal online sports betting, you can put your money where your mouth is on your favorite team in the futures markets — one of the most popular ways to bet on sports. Futures bets are mostly about betting on the team(s) you think will win a championship this season. But futures betting also extends to:

  • Division of conference titles
  • One-off tournaments or events
  • Regular-season wins
  • Records
  • Player awards for individual athletes

Season-long bets of this type make for mostly long odds. That means small futures bets offer big potential payouts; a big part of why futures betting is so popular. Should you bet on futures? Which sports should you bet futures in? Are futures worth the risk? Can you minimize that risk? Here's your guide to futures betting at Indiana online sportsbooks.

Live Futures Odds at Indiana Online Sportsbooks

See below for the latest futures markets at Indiana’s top online sportsbooks for the:

  • NFL
  • NBA
  • MLB
  • NHL
  • NCAA basketball
  • NCAA football
  • Golf

Click on any bet to go to the sportsbook's website, where you can register for a new account, claim your bonus, make a deposit and place the bet.

What is a Futures Bet?

As the name suggests, a futures bet is a bet on an event, series, award, or accomplishment that will finish sometime in the future. It’s not a single game wager expected to wrap up today but a bet on a future event that might take an entire season before it’s completed. The most common futures wager is betting on a particular team to win a league championship. However, futures also include bets on teams or athletes winning various titles, tournaments, and events or posting several regular-season wins and achieving various statistical milestones.

Indiana online sportsbooks host futures markets for all major sports and leagues with various betting opportunities available in each one.

That means you can bet on who you think will win the next Super Bowl or The Masters anytime you like, at odds that are released well ahead of upcoming events. These odds are adjusted alongside each team’s or athlete’s realistic chances of achieving that goal. Of course, you lock in the odds anytime you put your money down and place a futures bet, and most of the time, the earlier you can get a futures bet down, the better the odds will be.

How are Futures Bets Paid Out?

Futures markets list the teams or athletes who still maintain a chance of achieving the specific goal you are betting on with varying odds.

NFL ball ready for kick-offFor example, if you’re betting in the Super Bowl futures market, you won’t see odds for the teams eliminated from playoff contention in the regular season or the NFL Playoffs (once they start). In other words, only the teams who have a chance to win the Super Bowl will still be listed.

The odds are almost always positive for each until one team or athlete becomes a prohibitive favorite. Positive odds represent how much you stand to win, plus your bet back for every $100 you bet on the winner. Once a team becomes a clear and obvious favorite in a futures market, you may see negative odds. Negative odds represent how much you need to lay to be in a position to win $100, plus your bet back.

In other words, the odds posted beside each team or athlete in a futures market represent how much a winning bet on that team or athlete will pay.

For example, take a look at the NBA futures market, and you'll probably find odds on the Indiana Pacers at +5500 to win the NBA title in 2021. That means a $100 bet on the Pacers to win it all would pay $5,500, plus your $100 back if they somehow go all the way.

Sports Futures Betting Markets

Here’s a quick look at the types of futures markets available for each major US sports league:

NFL futures bets

The NFL futures market is a big one that includes bets on:

  • Super Bowl winner
  • Division title winner
  • Conference title winner
  • Regular season win totals
  • Teams to make the playoffs
  • NFL MVP
  • Various player season stats (O/U)

MLB futures bets

The options vary in the MLB futures market and include bets on:

  • World Series winner
  • League championship winners
  • Best regular-season record
  • Regular season win totals
  • Cy Young award
  • Various player season stats (O/U)

NBA basketball on courtNBA futures bets

Betting on the NBA also includes a wide variety of futures odds and includes bets on:

  • NBA Finals winner
  • Division title winner
  • Conference title winner
  • Regular season win totals
  • Teams to make the playoffs
  • NBA MVP
  • Rookie of the Year
  • Various player season stats (O/U)

NHL futures bets

The NHL is similar to the NBA, including the big variety of futures betting opportunities. It includes bets on:

  • Stanley Cup winner
  • Division title winner
  • Conference title winner
  • Regular season win totals
  • Teams to make the playoffs
  • Hart Trophy winner (NHL MVP)
  • Various player season stats (O/U)

NCAA football futures bets

Common NCAA football futures include bets on the following:

  • College Football Playoff National Championship winner
  • Team win totals
  • Conference title winner
  • Heisman Trophy

NCAA basketball futures bets

Common NCAA basketball futures include bets on the following:

  • NCAA Tournament winner
  • Round by round March Madness (To make the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, etc.)
  • Conference tournament winners
  • Team win totals
  • Naismith Award (National Player of the Year)

PGA Tour futures bets

Golf futures involve betting on individual golfers, not teams. Common PGA futures include bets on a golfer to win a major, which includes:

  • The Masters
  • US Open
  • PGA Championship
  • British Open

International futures

Other common international futures markets may also include:

  • Betting on players to win a tennis major (Australian, French, Wimbledon, US)
  • Fighters to win an MMA title (UFC, etc.)
  • Soccer teams to win a league title, cup, or International competition (Premier League, MLS, etc.)

Benefits of a Futures Bet

Futures represent an easy entry into the world of sports betting. Even beginners can easily pick their favorite team to win the title, make a small bet, and get paid handsomely if the team comes through. It’s the perfect bet for fans who are already going to sweat the team’s results all season long. Plus, the long odds on most teams make the futures market one where you can turn a little into a lot. There’s also a deeper dive for those who want it. You can bet on a variety of different futures and if you follow the markets throughout the year, bet when the odds are best in your favor. Add it all up, and futures are a fun way to bet on sports that anyone can do.

How Much Should You Bet On a Futures Bet?

As long as you’re betting within your means and using the money you can afford to lose, how much you wager on any futures bet is really up to you. Proper bankroll management principles dictate that you set up a betting bankroll and never bet more than 1% to 5% of that bankroll on any bet. If you’re going to make several bets in various futures markets, it’s a good idea to stick to that. Set up a unit amount of 1% of your bankroll and bet one to five units on each futures bet, based on your confidence.

However, if you’re taking a preseason or early-season flyer on your favorite team to win a title or your personal favorite to win the title, a single futures bet you are going to place just once can exist outside proper bankroll management principles. Just make sure you bet an amount you can afford to lose because, as you’ll be able to tell from the odds, most futures are a longshot.

What is the Most Popular Sport for Futures Betting?

Futures are available for most sports and no more suitable for one over another. That said, NFL futures, particularly Super Bowl futures, are the most popular futures bets in the US. Of course, NBA, MLB, and NHL championship futures are almost as popular, as almost everybody has a favorite or hometown team in the Big Four major US sports, or at the very least, an opinion on who will win the title this season.

Cashing Out a Futures Bet Early

Indiana online sportsbooks may offer you the chance to cash out a futures bet early, as long as it is still live. It might be a good option when your team is in contention in a tight race for the title and you’re not 100% confident they’ll win it. Taking the cash out option means locking in some profit, or at the very least, making sure you don’t walk away empty-handed.

This feature is only around on Indiana online sportsbooks. You’ll be able to see the potential cash-out amount in the list of your active bets, and if you like the price, cashing out is just a click away. Of course, you might get better value hedging the bet yourself, which involves betting against your futures bet to cover other possible outcomes, thereby locking in a profit. It depends on the offered cash-out price and current odds in the futures market.

Betting on Team and Player Futures

Team title props are the most popular around. These are simple bets to understand and easy to place, making them appealing to even casual sports fans. Fans with a little more interest might want to play around in other futures markets like team win totals, where you can bet over/unders on total game win lines set by oddsmakers. Of course, you might want to do a little more research on the teams you’re betting on and against in this market first.

More dedicated fans might want to dive into player futures, where you can bet over/unders on specific season stat lines set by oddsmakers. This might involve betting on an NFL running back’s total rushing yards, an MLB pitcher’s personal win total, an NBA player’s season scoring average, or an NHL player’s total goals. Once again, good research is the key to success here and paramount when betting on such specific player futures markets.

3 Biggest Futures Betting Mistakes

Futures bets are often the kind of bet you place and forget. You throw down a few bucks on your favorite team to win it all, have more than one reason to celebrate if they do, and worry very little about the bet if they don’t. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with betting futures this way, or diving even deeper into the futures markets for the sports you follow closely, making multiple bets when the odds are right, hedging and manipulating the markets to your benefit. Either way, you’ll want to avoid making any of the following futures sports betting mistakes:

1. Betting too big

Most futures are longshots by nature, so don’t make the mistake of betting too big on them. After all, the odds are usually big enough that you don’t need to bet big to set yourself up for a big payday.

2. Betting too many

Longshot odds on most futures make it so you can make more than one pick and still make a profit if one comes in. Don’t make the mistake of making too many picks in the same market and guaranteeing yourself a loss no matter what happens.

3. Not hedging

When a futures bet you make is close to winning, you may have the opportunity to hedge, which means betting against yourself to lock up some guaranteed winnings. Don’t let the size of your potential payday blind you from the reality that it might not come in. Not hedging is a mistake you’ll regret if you end up with nothing when you could have at least had something.