Maryland basketball fans may not have a hometown NBA team, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be paying attention during Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
They can also wager on it, as betting on the NBA Draft is available at Maryland online sportsbooks. Not only is it available, but it comes without the time restrictions that have been in place in other legal gambling states.
What can you bet on during the NBA Draft in Maryland?
Draft betting is fairly straightforward, and while the NBA Draft isn’t as big as of an event as its NFL counterpart, the available markets are similar.
On the night of, there are four basic types of bets Maryland NBA Draft betting has to offer:
- Player to be drafted
- Player to be drafted first
- Player to be drafted X overall
- Team to draft player X
Some states have put in place restrictions on the timing of draft bets, such as none the day of, or none within a certain timeframe of the pick being made. Not Maryland, as it has not put in place time restrictions.
Now, don’t expect a sportsbook to leave a market up after Shams or Woj spoil the pick on Twitter. But you can’t blame the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency for a market disappearing at your favorite book.
While not in play this week, Maryland also allows Maryland NBA Draft Lottery betting. That includes which team will get the No. 1 pick, whether a team will get a top 3 or top 5 pick, or even picking the top 3 in order.
NBA Draft odds at Maryland sportsbooks
When looking at NBA Draft odds this year, it’s probably best to skip to the second pick — or later.
International star Victor Wembanyama is going to go No. 1 to the San Antonio Spurs, and everyone knows it. That’s why FanDuel Sportsbook has him listed at -50000. A $10 bet on that would win you $0.02.
Frankly, even the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 picks don’t have very favorable odds for bettors. Brandon Miller of Alabama is -470 to go No. 2, Scoot Henderson of G League Ignite is -370 to No. 3, and Amen Thompson from Overtime Elite is -250 to go No. 4
Here are the favorites to go Nos. 5-10 at FanDuel as of Wednesday morning.
- No. 5: Jarace Walker, Houston, +160
- No. 6: Ausar Thompson, Overtime Elite, +170
- No. 7: Taylor Hendricks, UCF, +200
- No. 8 (Washington Wizards pick): Anthony Black, Arkansas, +170
- No. 9: Taylor Hendricks, UCF, +350
- No. 10: Dereck Lively II, Duke, +270
