NFL betting: line, totals, ties and Super Bowl betting explained

Key facts

Under the 2026 NFL Rulebook, regular season overtime is one 10-minute period and a game still tied after it ends in a tie; in the postseason, 15-minute periods continue until there is a winner.
If an NFL game ties and the head to head offered no tie price, the TAB's Victorian rules halve the payout: $50 at $1.60 returns $40 instead of $80.
A line at $1.90 each way needs 52.63% winners to break even.
Super Bowl LXI is in February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The NFL listed its first regular season game in Australia, the 49ers against the Rams at the MCG, for Friday 11 September 2026 (Melbourne time).

NFL betting explained

NFL betting is fixed odds betting on American football games, players and the season with a licensed Australian bookmaker. The markets will be familiar from footy: head to head, line (the spread), total points and player props. The rule that makes the NFL different is overtime, because the regular season and the playoffs use different overtime rules, and only one of them can end in a tie. Settlement rules quoted here are from the TAB's published Victorian sports betting rules, which include an American football section; other bookmakers publish their own.

NFL overtime: the rule behind the bets

The 2026 NFL Rulebook sets out modified sudden-death overtime for any game tied at the end of regulation:

	Regular season	Postseason, including the Super Bowl
Overtime length	One 10-minute period	15-minute periods, as many as needed
Possession	Both teams get the chance to possess once, unless the kicking team scores a safety on the first possession	The same, at least once each
After both possessions	The team ahead wins; if level, next score wins	The same
Still level at the end	The game is a tie	Play continues until there is a winner

So a regular season game can finish level. A playoff game cannot.

NFL betting markets

Market	What you pick	Overtime counts?
Head to head	The winning team	Yes; a regular season tie triggers the tie rules
Line (spread)	A team after a points start	Yes, unless stated
Total points	Over or under the combined score	Yes, unless stated
Winning margin	Team and a points band	Yes, unless stated
Quarter and half markets	One period only	Only the period named
Player props	Passing yards, touchdowns and similar	Check the market rules
Futures	Super Bowl, conference, MVP	Settled when decided

The overtime column comes from rule 10.8 of the TAB's Victorian rules: results include extra time unless you were told otherwise when you bet.

What a tied game pays

If a regular season game ends in a tie, your head to head bet depends on whether the market had a tie option.

$50 on the favourite at $1.60	How it settles	Return
Favourite wins	Normal win	$80.00
Tie, no tie price offered	Dead heat: payout divided by 2 teams (rule 12.5)	$40.00
Tie, a tie price was offered	Bets on either team lose (rule 10.9)	$0

At any price under $2.00, the dead heat return is less than your stake. The dead heat calculator works out the return at any price.

The spread and the totals

Line betting is called the spread in the US. At -3.5, the favourite must win by 4 or more; at +3.5, the underdog covers if it wins or loses by 3 or fewer. The TAB's Victorian rules set points starts to half a point unless you are told otherwise, so there is no tie on a half-point line.

With both sides at $1.90 the market adds up to 105.26%, and you need to win 52.63% of your line bets to break even.

Totals count overtime unless the market says otherwise. A game at 21-21 after four quarters is 42 points. If the total is 45.5, a single overtime field goal (45) leaves it under, but an overtime touchdown pushes it over.

Reading American odds

US previews often quote American odds, so convert before you compare. A favourite at -150 means a $150 stake wins $100 (decimal $1.67, 60% implied). An underdog at +130 means a $100 stake wins $130 (decimal $2.30, 43.48% implied). The odds converter handles any price.

Postponed and abandoned games

American football has its own rules in the TAB's Victorian rules, stricter than the general 72-hour rule:

A game postponed by 24 hours or more before it starts is void, and bets are refunded.
If a game is interrupted after it starts and does not resume within 24 hours of the scheduled time and finish within 48 hours, undecided bets are refunded.
If an official result is declared within 24 hours of the start, result bets are settled on it.

Super Bowl betting

For most of the season, Super Bowl betting is futures betting: a price on a team months before the game, settled in February. The NFL says Super Bowl LXI will be played in February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Because it is a postseason game, the tie rules above do not come into play: overtime continues until someone wins.

Super Bowl markets also include player props and specials. Each is priced separately with its own margin, so convert the prices you care about into chances before you add them to a multi.

The NFL in Australia

The NFL has made a multiyear commitment to play regular season games in Melbourne from 2026, with the Los Angeles Rams as the designated team. Its Melbourne page lists the first game, the San Francisco 49ers against the Rams at the MCG, for Friday 11 September 2026 with a 10.35am local kick-off.

NFL betting and the law here

NFL betting is legal in Australia with a bookmaker licensed in a state or territory, and online only before kick-off. ACMA has enforced the in-play ban: in 2026 it reported that Tabcorp paid a $158,400 penalty for accepting 426 online in-play bets on tennis, and the same rule applies to every sport. The phone exception covers only bets placed wholly by phone. Licensed providers cannot accept credit cards or crypto.

Pundit tip: in the regular season, a heavy favourite in a two-way head to head carries a small tie risk that costs half your stake. If you would rather not carry it, look for a market that says how ties are settled before you bet.

For a sport where overtime always produces a winner, see our NBA betting guide. Read how to read odds for decimal prices from the start, and our bet types guide for every other bet.

Frequently asked questions

Can an NFL game end in a tie?

Yes, in the regular season. The 2026 NFL Rulebook allows one 10-minute overtime period, and if the score is still level at the end of it, the game is a tie. Postseason games, including the Super Bowl, keep playing 15-minute periods until someone wins.

What happens to a head to head bet if an NFL game is tied?

Under the TAB's Victorian sports rules, if no tie price was offered, the dead heat rule divides the payout by the number of teams tied, so you get half. If the market offered a tie price, bets on either team lose.

Does overtime count in NFL line and total bets?

Under the TAB's Victorian rules, final results include extra time unless the bookmaker says otherwise when you bet, so overtime points count for line and totals bets. Check the market title for regulation-only markets.

When is Super Bowl LXI?

The NFL says Super Bowl LXI will be played in February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Because it is a postseason game, it cannot end in a tie.

Can I bet on the Super Bowl live from Australia?

Not online. Online in-play betting on sport is prohibited in Australia, so app and website bets must be in before kick-off. A bet placed wholly by phone is the only exception.