Futures betting markets are a fun way to get a lot of excitement out of a single bet throughout an entire season. Instead of your wager affording you three hours of action during a game, a future bet can give you some skin in the game all year long.
This guide will walk you through what a futures bet is, how they work, and the different futures sports betting markets. If you keep scrolling you'll also learn some of the advantages and disadvantages of futures bets along with some guidance on hedging your futures tickets.
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What Are Futures Odds?
Where most bets are just concerned with what happens during a single game, futures betting focuses on a long-term outcome. Whether you’re betting on the Stanley Cup Finals or who will win the MVP in your favorite sport, you’re selecting the final result of a given event.
While that kind of prediction is no easy feat, unpredictability and high potential payouts make betting on futures an entertaining and accessible option for any bettor.
How Futures Betting Works
The option to bet on futures will usually be available months (even years!) before an event takes place and it's also typically available during a season. You’ll see that news concerning player injuries, trades, draft picks and overall in-season performance affect these lines. While odds at the start of the season are fairly loose, they’ll tighten up as sportsbooks get a better look at who’s leading the charge.
Let’s take the upcoming 2026 Super Bowl Odds from the best sportsbooks in the U.S. as an example. This photo below was taken in the summer before the Super Bowl prior to training camp and the Bills have the shortest odds at most books. If Bills quarterback Josh Allen were to get hurt (knock on wood), then Buffalo's odds would get longer. If the Bills start the season 10-0 and look unstoppable, we'd likely see the odds decrease even further.
How To Read A Futures Bet
Much like the typical format of betting odds, a list of futures will have the shortest odds (AKA theoretically more likely to happen) at the top, with the more unlikely, ‘worse’ odds near the bottom. This makes it easy to analyze your options at a glance – think of it almost as a “power ranking” of how sportsbooks are predicting the market to play out.
Above is a screen shot of the DraftKings app from August of 2025 and you'll see numbers next to each player. This guide will break down in more detail exactly how to read odds like this.
The +550 next to Lamar Jackson's name means that a winning $100 bet would net you $550 in return (plus your original $100 stake back). Or, a $1,000 wager would win you $5,500 with (and your $1,000 stake back). Caleb Williams +2800 means 28-to-1 and a $100 wager would net you $2800 in return. Of course, these odds will update throughout the season in relation to the performance of these players. If Williams tosses five touchdowns in Week 1, we might see his odds move to +2000.
What Futures Bets You Can Wager On
For the most part, you’ll be able to find futures bets for most major league sports you’re already betting on. These include mainstays like the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, College Football, College Basketball, and the CFL.
Some of the most popular futures are on who will win the championship in each of those leagues -- the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, March Madness, etc. These are highly accessible options that you can place before or during the season. Below you can see additional examples of NFL and MLB futures bets from FanDuel.
You can also get granular by laying wagers on divisional winners, player stats (Will Patrick Mahomes throw for Over/Under 4,000 yards) and YES/NO bets on if a team will make the playoff.
If your jurisdiction allow it, you can also even find odds for entertainment and politics. You can bet on the Oscars, the Emmys, or the next presidential election. In short, if you can imagine it, there’s probably a futures market for it.
While pick service providers specialize in straight bets, you can occasionally find a lucrative futures betting options from others that you can vet with your own research and make a decision for yourself.
Can you parlay together Futures Bets?
The answer to this question depends on the sportsbook as some oddsmakers are more flexible than others. Some of the top sportsbooks in the U.S. will allow you to combine the next Super Bowl winner with the next World Series winner and Stanley Cup Champion, but there are many that won't allow it.
If your book does allow it, one effective strategy is to correlated your futures bets together like with Joe Burrow winning the MVP and the Bengals winning the Super Bowl.
Why do People Bet on Futures?
Professional bettors place wagers in the futures markets because they see value. Perhaps after shopping around there is a sportsbook with a stray number they can take advantage of. The season win total and alt season win total markets are very popular for sharp bettors.
Recreational bettors will often place championship bets on their winning team. It's pretty sweet to watch your team hoist a trophy while cashing +3000 odds and that entices a lot of bettors. The opportunity to bet a little bit of money to potentially win a lot makes futures bets popular and entertaining. Also, futures bets give you a full season's worth of excitement rather than just one day of action.
Advantages of Futures Bets
Unless you’re making some outrageous single game predictions, moneylines and other straight bets rarely earn you a payday like futures bets potentially can. You can be rewarded handsomely for a correct choice and receive a nice ego boost to boot.
Thanks to their unpredictability, there’s usually some notable discrepancies in how sportsbooks evaluate futures odds. That's why we recommend downloading all of the best sportsbook apps in your state and betting at the one with the best price. If you do get a new sportsbook, check out our promotions and welcome bonus page to make sure you get hooked up.
The advent of sportsbooks offering ‘cash out’ options give bettors the freedom to cash out on a good prediction. If your selection is trending in the right direction but you’re having a few doubts, you can settle your bet for a profit and leave the risk behind.
Disadvantages of Futures Bets
A glaring issue with futures betting is that it’ll likely take months for the bet to pay off. Depending on your bankroll, this could mean less in-season betting options. Plain and simple, they’re just tough to hit. There are so many factors that come into play regardless of what you choose – even a well-researched and thoughtful pick can wind up fruitless if the injury bug hits.
Hedging Futures Bets
Hedging is the act of making a secondary wager to offset losses from your initial bet. Because of the wide variety of options and odds changes within futures, it's a fantastic option to give your long-shot bets a safe cushion.
When the season is coming to a close, the odds for a given contest will tighten up to reflect the updated value of each option. If your selection is the current favorite, it’d do you well to research other options and hedge your bet with an opposing team.
This becomes especially useful when your team is close to a championship. Let’s say you made a $100 bet on the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl at +8000 odds. If they’re facing the Kansas City Chiefs, who are -250 in that matchup, you’d want to place a wager on the Chiefs of $250 or more. This ensures you’ll at least break even, while going over $250 guarantees a profit.
