Pennsylvania sportsbooks are always on the leading edge of what they can offer to customers within the confines of regulations and laws in the state. This NFL season, that means more opportunities to create same-game parlays than ever.
By extension, the result of that is myriad more ways to diversify your plays on Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers games than ever. It’s important to note which PA sports betting apps give you these options, and which are most rewarding in doing so.
What are same-game parlays?
The name pretty much explains it all. These are parlay wagers where all the legs of the bet are contained in the same sporting event. Traditional parlays involve at least two separate sporting events.
For example, suppose you wanted to bet on all of the following items for Sunday’s San Francisco 49ers at Eagles game.
- Jalen Hurts to record a passing touchdown
- Eagles over 13.5 points in the first half
- Will there be a safety in the game? No
You could wager on all of those events individually. You might not get a very good return on them, however. Alternatively, you could combine all those bets as legs into one parlay wager. That could greatly improve your payout should the contest play out the way you want.
At the same time, your trade-off for that improved payout is higher risk. If Hurts doesn’t throw for a TD in the game, for example, it won’t matter if you guessed right on the other two items. The sportsbook would still grade your bet as a loss.
While these wagers function the same at the PA sportsbooks that offer them, there are some nuances in how to place them between apps. That includes some who offer incentives to try out the bet type.
One-game parlays at BetMGM PA Sportsbook
If you browse the Week 2 NFL lines on the BetMGM Sportsbook app, you’ll see orange text that reads “One-Game Parlay.” This is your invitation to craft your wager using your legs of choice. All you need to do is tap on the game you want to bet, then tap on the One-Game Parlay tab.
Within that tab, the options for inclusion in your parlay will appear. This will include a variety of the moneyline for the game, props, spreads, and totals. As you add legs and depending on which legs you add, your quoted odds will go up and down.
As soon as you are satisfied, decide how much you want to bet. Then finalize your wager. BetMGM is also currently offering NFL One-Game Parlay Insurance for its users. Place a parlay of at least four legs from any single NFL game. If you hit on all but one of your legs, BetMGM will give you the lesser of $25 or the value of your wager back in site credit.
BetMGM isn’t the only app offering easy navigation and a bonus for NFL same-game parlays, though. Make sure to compare the odds on your wager from multiple sports betting apps, like the next one on this list.
DraftKings’ new same-game parlay feature
DraftKings PA Sportsbook rolled this out just in time for football season and is making sure its customers are aware of the option. Again, navigate to the NFL weekly lines then tap on the game of your choice, perhaps the Las Vegas Raiders at Steelers. You’ll see an “SGP” icon on your screen. That’s your gateway.
Again, add however many and whichever legs from the game you like. Once you’ve gotten to the numbers you want, finish the bet and watch to see if you will cash out or if you’ve essentially just paid for the price of admission.
While DraftKings does have a special promo for same-game parlays on another kind of football (men’s UEFA Champions League soccer matches), there’s no deal especially for NFL bettors who place a same-game parlay right now. If you get better odds on your bet with DraftKings than on other apps, though, this might still be the way to go.
The next sportsbook on the list is offering a special for NFL same-game parlays. It doesn’t come with as much of a guarantee as BetMGM’s promo, though. There is less risk involved, however.
FanDuel loves parlays on NFL games
If it means a big return on a small wager, why would apps like FanDuel Sportsbook want to incentivize you to place parlays? It’s pretty simple math. For every one of these wagers that produces a big payout on a $5 bet, there are hundreds if not thousands of similar wagers that didn’t hit.
In the long run, FanDuel is going to win in the overwhelming majority of these bets. Does that mean they are sucker bets? Actually, no. If you are confident that every leg of your bet will hit based on your handicapping, why not get a better payout?
If you want to try out FanDuel’s same-game parlay feature for Thursday night’s New York Giants at Washington Football Team contest, navigate your app to that game, and then you’ll see a Same-Game Parlay tab. Create your bet, set your wager, and hope for the best.
Before doing so, though, you might want to check out FanDuel’s NFL Risk-Free Same-Game Parlay promo. This deal works very similarly to BetMGM’s. After opting into the promotion, place your parlay bet with real money with final odds of +400 or greater. Your wager only has to have three legs at minimum to qualify here.
If your bet loses, FanDuel will credit your account equal to the amount of your bet up to $10. That applies no matter how many legs fail. So, in theory, you could place a $10 same-game parlay, whiff on the entire thing, and get every “dollar” back.
It’s important to note that site credit isn’t real money you can withdraw, though. You’ll have to wager that credit to withdraw it and it expires seven days after issuance. The final app on the list here is the newest addition when it comes to PA operators with this option.
Penn National-Genius Sports deal clears way for same-gamers
Earlier this year, Genius Sports made waves in the sports betting industry by acquiring the coveted license to distribute official NFL data. In the US, access to that data is a must for any serious sportsbook contender. On Sept. 9, Penn National secured that access.
With the new data in hand, Penn’s Barstool Sportsbook has rolled out a new Parlay+ feature. In that tab on the app, you can opt to combine multiple legs from the same game and/or add in legs from other events, too.
As long as you’re sticking to your bankroll and placing wagers your research says are winners, same-game parlays are a fun way to enjoy NFL games even more. Because of the promos, now might be the best time to try out this bet type at PA sportsbooks.
Lead image by Charlie Riedel/AP