How PointsBetting Works

Update: PointsBet has now been purchased by Fanatics Sportsbook and the platform will soon migrate over to there. You can keep reading to learn more about PointsBet, or check out our Fanatics Sportsbook review for more information on that brand.

PointsBet came to the US from down under in 2019. Since that time, PointsBet has become one of the fastest-rising online sportsbooks across the country.

Powerful partnerships with NBC Sports, various teams and leagues, and sports legends like Allen Iverson and Darrelle Revis have made PointsBet a household name. If your team plays on one of the dozens of NBC regional sports networks across the country, you’ve no doubt been inundated with tons of commercials and PointsBet-branded betting segments on your broadcasts.

But there’s more than just sizzle to this steak. PointsBet offers users the chance to use its proprietary PointsBetting system. This system is incredibly dynamic and a refreshing take on the traditional fixed-odds betting systems to which we've all grown accustomed over the years.

PointsBetting is the feather in PointsBet’s cap and most definitely worth testing out if you’re new to their site.

PointsBetting is a weighted sports betting system that multiplies your winnings or losses based on how right or wrong your bet was.

PointsBetting makes garbage time meaningful

In a traditional fixed-odds sports betting setup, you have lines. These lines are created to reflect who is favored in the match-up. If a team is favored to win a game by 5 points, they will have a -5 next to their name. If you bet on the favorite and they win by more than 5, your bet wins and if they don’t win by at least 5, you lose.

This makes basic sense, but there are obvious flaws. The main one being that you get no extra winnings for blowout victories. Your team just covering the spread or not determines whether you get a full payout or nothing.

There are degrees to which your decisions are right or wrong, but the run-of-the-mill betting system doesn’t allow for a ton of nuance.

PointsBetting attempts to address this flaw in the system, by weighing your wins or losses based on just how right or wrong your prediction was. If you bet $10 on a team to win by 5, and they end up winning by 10, your wager would pay out $50. But, if that game resulted in a tie, you’d be out $50.

So, let's say the New England Patriots were playing the New York Jets and oddsmakers projected the Pats to win by seven points. If you bet $200 on the Pats at -7 and they won by 8, you’d win $400. However, if you bet on them at the same rate and they won by 28, you’d win $4,400.

In the scenario where the Patriots only win by 8, your prediction was just barely correct. A nail-biter. However, in the scenario where the Pats win by 28, you were more than just a little correct - they more than easily covered the spread. And since you were using the PointsBetting system, your winnings more accurately reflect the degree to which your bet was correct.

Beware - losses are multiplied as well. So in the same vein, if the Jets won by 3, you’d lose $2,000.

It’s a high-risk, high-reward system that makes every play important, even in garbage time.

Of course, PointsBetting is also able to be utilized for over/unders, player props, and many other types of bets.

PointsBet came to America in 2019 and has made a huge media push to establish itself as a respected brand in the industry, so it may surprise you to learn that this sportsbook actually comes from down under. That’s right, Allen Iverson’s sportsbook of choice comes from Australia.

The innovative bookmaker was founded there in 2015 and established itself as a young standout in that mature market.

After a few years of solely operating in Australia, PointsBet chose the US as their first choice for expansion and established new headquarters in Denver, Colorado. It’s worked out well for them, as strategic, high-profile partnerships have boosted their brand. PointsBet has become an advertising fixture any time you put on a game with endorsements from former athletes, pro teams, and major leagues.

Specifically, their partnership with NBC Sports has led to plenty of branded content interwoven throughout NBC Sports game broadcasts on RSNs throughout the country.
PointsBet is unique in the industry because they create and own their technology. Most betting sites look to third parties for their tech infrastructure, but PointsBet is entirely self-reliant in this way. This has led to an innovative attitude behind the scenes that has made itself evident in the creative PointsBetting system.

Of course, if you aren’t very interested in branching out too far, PointsBet also features a phenomenal orthodox betting experience.

You can partake in traditional fixed-odds wagering and live betting for a more conventional gameday experience. If you’re thinking more long-term with your bets, there’s also an impressive suite of player props and futures bets at your disposal.

One feature that’s turned heads throughout the industry is the Same Game Parlay. Popularized by FanDuel Sportsbook, Same Game Parlays allow you to combine bets from one game into a single wager in order to maximize your payout. So if you think Kevin Durant is going to score over 30 points in a Nets’ win, you can go ahead and combine those two outcomes for the highest possible payout.

PointsBet Casino

For a long time, PointsBet was strictly a sports betting site. It executed its niche extremely well, but it lagged behind some of its competitors in the iGaming industry which offered users a more diverse suite of gambling options. That changed in 2021 when PointsBet finally launched its very own casino platform.

The PointsBet Casino is a new way to play on PointsBet. If you’re interested in taking your winnings from sports betting and playing slots, blackjack, and video poker, you can do that here. The shared wallet functionality of your PointsBet account means that you can bet directly from your sports betting account, making for a seamless online gambling experience.

As a new product line that will need approval from state to state, the PointsBet Casino only has limited availability at the moment. With more time, the online casino features will no doubt be readily available for users throughout the country.

PointsBet Name A Bet

Another type of bet that’s unique to PointsBet is the Name a Bet feature. This tool allows users to create their own bet and submit it to the sportsbook.

Thinking of a futures parlay, but there’s no way to combine the outcomes you believe in? Submit your bet to PointsBet. From there, they will evaluate your request and approve or deny your bet. If approved, they will even tabulate the odds for you and post it on the site for your betting pleasure,

By using Name a Bet, players can really get creative and make their bets their own.

If you’re a regular sports bettor, you know that one of the quickest, most convenient ways to gamble is a good sportsbook app. Over 80% of bets placed in the state of New Jersey are done through a mobile device.

The good news is that PointsBet has one of the best sports betting apps on the market. It’s expertly constructed to give you the smoothest betting experience possible, with an easy-to-navigate layout and easy access to features like the Quick Parlay and PointsBetting.

One of the best mobile sports betting apps on the market, the PointsBet App makes PointsBetting a wonderfully smooth experience.