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We’re weeks away from the start of college football. Once again, Alabama is one of the college football betting favorites to win the national championship.
Depending on what top betting app you use, the Crimson Tide are around +1000 to win the title. Only a few programs — rival Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State — have better odds than Bama. Oddsmakers are overlooking Kalen DeBoer’s rough first season in which Alabama failed to win at least 10 games, something uncanny during the Nick Saban era. Still, this Alabama and they have one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. So the expectations remain the same: title or bust.
Naturally, Bama fans are riled up about Year 2 of the DeBoer era. Riled up and ready to bet. One issue: if you live in the state where the Tide play, well, you can’t legally bet on ‘em. That’s right, Alabama is still one of 11 states without a legal sports betting market.
Though, there are ways to bet the team, and the rest of the college football season. You’ll just have to go out of your way to do it. Keep reading and we’ll explain three options for Alabama sports betting for locals. After all, we wouldn’t want you to miss out on this coming football season.
Option 1: Cross The Border To Bet
Alabama may be holding out on sports betting, but its neighbors aren’t. If you’re up north — say, Huntsville or anywhere close to the Tennessee line — that’s your best shot. Tennessee has full-blown mobile sports betting with BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and others all legally available.
All you need to do is cross the state line, and your sportsbook app unlocks. You can sign up, fund your account, and bet right there from your phone. Then you can drive back to Bama and sweat it out from home.
The Tennessee option is convenient if you live near the border. If not, the price of gas isn’t going to do you any favors. At that point, you almost HAVE to win your bet to make the trip and cost worthwhile. Do you trust yourself enough to bet Bama like that? That’s for you to decide.
Now if you’re further west or down south around Mississippi — and that’s where things get a little less convenient. Mississippi technically has legal sports betting, but it’s retail only (not mobile). That means if you want to bet, you have to step inside a casino. There’s no mobile app you can fire up from your hotel room or your car. You’re physically putting in tickets at a sportsbook counter.
Live near Georgia? Well, that will do you no good. Georgia also has sports betting outlawed within its borders so don’t waste your time there.
Option 2: Bet Offshore (What We Recommend)
Then there’s the offshore route. If crossing borders feels like a hassle, welcome to a way easier way to bet (that won’t cost you gas money and driving time).
Offshore sportsbooks like Bovada, BetOnline, MyBookie, and XBet have been serving US players forever, including those in Alabama. They’re not regulated by any US state, but they are by their home jurisdictions — places like Costa Rica or Antigua. And because Alabama doesn’t have a state law banning the use of offshore sportsbooks, using them is perfectly fine for individual bettors. You’re not breaking any state law.
Are they as safe? If you stick to these sites we recommend (listed below), then yeah. We’ve personally tried out the underneath bookies, and they’re trustworthy as can be.
More than just safe to use, these books are legit good. College props, player specials, live betting — all of it is there, not just Alabama, but for all schools. And if you’re into crypto, a lot of these sites will even give you extra bonus cash for depositing in Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Offshore sites are akin to using DraftKings or another licensed bookie. They work exactly the same, but since they’re not completely regulated, they work anywhere and everywhere, including non-legal places like Alabama. The convenience of being able to bet while chilling at home just can’t be topped.
Option 3: Waiting On Alabama Lawmakers (Good Luck)
And then there’s option three — wait around for Alabama to get its act together. Except, you’d probably have better luck waiting for Auburn to win another national title (sorry, we had to get that dog in, Tigers fans).
Alabama has been flirting with legalized betting for years now. Every legislative session, someone introduces a sports betting or gambling expansion bill. Every session, the same thing happens: nothing passes. It either gets buried in committee, or it dies on the floor because lawmakers can’t agree — or simply don’t want to.
At this point, most insiders don’t expect anything to pass anytime soon. The state’s political climate just isn’t friendly to gambling, even if polls show most Alabamians would vote yes to legalized betting if given the chance.
So here’s where that leaves you: if you want to bet football this season — and let’s be honest, who doesn’t when Alabama or Auburn are playing — you’ll need to either drive to Tennessee or Mississippi, or fire up an offshore book. That’s it. So what’s it going to be?
Best Betting Sites 