Betting on NBA games is quite exciting. Perhaps even more exciting is betting on multiple NBA games at once. You can bet on single NBA games or you can bet on multiple games. When betting multiple games at one time, you can bet on each game individually or you can bet on them together. When you bet individual games, each outcome is independent of one another. However, when you bet more than one game together, you have to win every game that belongs to the group of bets. Betting basketball games in this manner is known as parlay betting.

When you bet a parlay, you are essentially rolling your winnings into the next bet. Thus, every bet must come in for you to receive payout. Because you are letting your winnings ride on the next match, the potential payout is higher than if you would be basketball games individually. Take the following sample basketball line as an example:

Minnesota Timberwolves +12

Atlanta Hawks -12

Memphis Grizzlies -1

Washington Wizards +1

New Orleans Hornets +6

Milwaukee Bucks -6

As you can see, there are three match ups in the sample betting line. Each bet by themselves pays out even money, so if you wagered $100 on each game and won, you would win $300. While the individual bets pay even money, parlay bets pay out at a higher rate. The more teams you include in the parlay, the higher the payout is if you win.

Supposing you decide you want to pick a two team parlay and you go with the underdogs. Thus, your teams in the parlay are the Hornets getting six points and the Timberwolves getting twelve points. You decide you want to wager $200 in this parlay bet. If you had bet these games individually and won, you would receive $200 on top of your wager, because the games pay out even money. However, by betting the games in a parlay style, both dogs winning results in a $300 win on your wager, as parlays pay around 2.5 to 1 when the parlay consists of 2 teams. It should be noted though, different basketball sportsbooks have different payout rates for parlay betting, so you can even shop around for better rates if you are looking to place a parlay bet. If you bet on three teams in your parlay, your winnings would be paid around 6 to 1. As you can see, parlay betting can return far more money than betting multiple basketball games individually, though it is more difficult to string together a parlay win.