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4 Reasons to Bet on NFL Preseason Football

by Robert Ferringo - 8/6/2025

4 reasons to bet on NFL Preseason Geno Smith Las Vegas Raiders

I know, I know.

“Only real degenerates bet on the NFL preseason.”

Well, are you still considered a degenerate gambler if you’ve turned a profit on the NFL preseason 12 of the last 16 years like I have? Or maybe if you’ve burned the books for August profit for eight straight preseasons like Strike Point Sports has?

A clear majority people think that betting on the NFL preseason is ridiculous. They don’t understand it. And they don’t know why anyone would bother with these meaningless exhibition games.

Well, like most things in sports betting, when a “clear majority” of people are of a singular opinion on something the opposite is usually the path to profit.

Let me be clear: obviously, you don’t want to bet the same amounts on exhibition games that you would during the “real” season.

However, there are several reasons why wagering on the preseason is an important first step for bettors heading into the fall campaign. I think that anyone that has the intention of betting on the regular season should get started in the preseason.

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Here are four reasons why:

1. There’s money to be made.

This one seems obvious, right?

The sportsbooks are really stuck in the NFL preseason. That’s because they don’t know any more than the general public about who is going to play, for how long, and how seriously guys are going to take it.

The books hate uncertainty. And because of that they can be exposed.

As to HOW you make money betting on the preseason, the reality is that there are several tips and tricks that pros use. There are specific indicators that we look for when betting on the preseason.

(And no, I’m not going to share those! I’m here to tell you WHY you should bet on the preseason. Not how.)

For instance, you can usually expect coaches that are in their first year with a team to perform well in their opening preseason game. Those new coaches want to send a message to the owner, the front office, the fan base and the players that they were the right choice for the job. Therefore, they may put some extra focus on winning that first game.

Motivation levels are all over the map in the NFL preseason. Once you understand and can decipher who cares and who doesn’t you will have an advantage over the market and can turn that into cash.

2. You’re expanding your opportunities.

There is a reason that good teams want to lengthen games and bad teams want to shorten them. It’s all about expanding your opportunities for your talent to shine through.

It’s the same idea here. If you are a good football handicapper than you want to expand that opportunity to make money. Ask top professional poker players. They will tell you that the number of hands per hour is one of the most important statistics. The more hands, the more opportunity to score.

Football has the shortest season of any major sport. There are only so many games out there. You are adding another month of potential moneymaking by adding the preseason.

3. You’re stretching your gambling muscles.

What have you been betting on over the last six months? Basketball? OK. Other than the WNBA that has been done for a couple months. Hockey? That’s a moneyline sport. Soccer? Moneyline sport. Baseball? Moneyline sport. It is a massive difference going from moneyline sports to spread-based betting.

To put it another way: the last football bet that you placed was probably six months ago in the Super Bowl. So, what is the plan? Are you just going to come out guns blazing in the first weekend of the NFL season? How do you think that’s going to go?

Bettors need to get back into the flow of reading football numbers, analyzing line movements, and studying outcomes. A sports bettor wagering on the NFL preseason is equivalent to an athlete stretching and warming up before they perform.

It’s not just that. It’s about getting back into the flow and mechanics of weekly football betting. It’s winning or losing a bet that you shouldn’t have. It’s waking up on Monday morning and mentally dealing with a winning or losing week. It’s getting back into the routine of looking at numbers early in the week and planning your attack for the weekend.

All of that is important to getting into a rhythm and a groove so that you are already in form when the “real” season starts.

4. It makes you pay attention more.

If you’re betting money on a game you are going to pay attention to the results and the outcomes more than if you don’t have money on the game. You’re a huge football fan. I get it. And you can tell yourself you are following the preseason closely. But unless you’re putting cash up you’re really not.

Yes, most of what happens in the preseason is irrelevant to the regular season. But some of what you see is very pertinent and does have a carryover into the regular season.

Which teams look more physical? How are teams with new coordinators adapting to new systems and schemes? Who looks organized and who looks discombobulated? Which teams suffer preseason injury issues; not necessarily to star players but to guys that contribute in intangible ways.

You’re going to pick up more information if you’re paying more attention. And you are going to pay more attention if you have money on these games, plain and simple.

So look, there are four reasons to bet the preseason:

1. There’s money to be made.

2. Expanding your opportunities.

3. It’s a warm up for bettors too.

4. To enhance your focus.

Still not convinced? Or still don’t have the time to put into it? That’s what you have me for.

Go here to get set up for a weekly or full preseason package. You will also have access to my college football picks for Week 0 as well.

Carpe diem. Good luck.  

Robert Ferringo has posted seven of 10 winning football seasons, including last year thanks to an astounding +10,830 three-month run. Robert banked nearly +40,000 in profit between 2010-2019 for a 10-year average profit of nearly +4,000. He has earned 11 of 16 overall winning years and 69 of 114 winning months while also going 23-9 with his football futures rated 5.0+ and earning 16 of 19 winning Super Bowls. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and he is set for another amazing football season. SIGN UP HERE TODAY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 3-FOR-1 FOOTBALL SPECIALS!

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