Parlay offers you a great way to add an extra dimension to your sports betting by wagering across multiple events or even different occurrences in the same game. Here you’ll get to see the best ways of making these bets, and I’ll highlight some of the risks that you should be aware of.
It’s simply a kind of bet that combines two or more wagers into one. Each of the selections in your bet has to win in order for you to win. If just one selection in your parlay bet fails, you will lose your bet.
You can try betting on pretty much anything. I like to make parlay bets on things like the weekend’s NFL games, but it’s something that could apply to anything from NBA basketball through to soccer, tennis, boxing and much more.
Lots of different bets can go into this type of wager. Most people will make a parlay on the moneyline winners of a bunch of different games. For example, you could bet on whether the Bruins, Red Wings and Panthers all win their next hockey game.
However, you can also try same game parlays. This is where you bet on multiple statistics in the same game. An example of this could be a parlay featuring bets that the Chiefs would beat the Broncos, that Patrick Mahomes would throw two or more touchdowns, and that Travis Kelce also scores a touchdown. Again, each of these selections would have to win for you to win your bet.
Here are the key points of what a parlay in betting is:
Let’s imagine that you went to one of the best soccer sportsbooks, and looked to make a parlay bet on some big upcoming games in the MLS. Here you may see the following game lines for the four soccer matches that you wanted to include in your wager:
| MLS match result | Moneyline odds |
|---|---|
| Inter Miami to beat St Louis City SC | -240 |
| New York Red Bulls to beat Orlando City | -145 |
| DC United to beat Toronto FC | -145 |
| Minnesota United to beat Sporting KC | -135 |
So from the above table, the four moneyline odds that you are betting on would combine to provide overall odds of +604. This means that four simple bets on the favorites would combine to produce a parlay bet that looked much less likely to win.
Despite this, you decided to make this bet and wagered $10 that all four teams would win. If your bet won, you would get a total payout of $70.41. This shows that while parlay betting is very risky, the potential returns can be fairly significant.
Let’s take an example of how someone could take a parlay bet on some of the opening games on the NFL season:
Once you had done this, you can just check the latest football news to see what went down in these games. If each of the Chiefs, Ravens and Dolphins won, you would win your bet and could then withdraw whatever returns you’d made.
Not only is this type of betting a whole lot of fun, but many sportsbooks will put on deals that can be used for the next time that you make this kind of bet. Just remember to read the small print to make sure that they are actually applicable for parlay betting. Here are just some of the promos that could power your next parlay:
These deals will boost your profits for including more selections. For example, you could get a 1% profit boost for including three or more selections. However, this profit boost might go up to 5% if you include ten or more selections. Such a deal clearly rewards you for adding even more risk to your parlay, and therefore should be treated carefully.
Lots of sportsbooks have these deals and they will refund your stake if just one selection in your parlay lost. So if you had a bet that the Lions, Bears and Giants all win their next NFL games, and only the Bears and Lions won, you would get your stake refunded. Just note that this will probably come in the form of site credit rather than withdrawable cash.
I’ve come up with the following tips that can be used to at least minimize those rookie parlay betting errors:
This is pretty obvious but if you want to make a parlay on UFC fighting, you will need to use the UFC betting sites who give you the best odds and have the greatest variety of betting lines for the sport.
The odds can quickly add up to become almost impossible to win, so best keep the combined odds at a sensible level by only including the surefire favorites in your bet.
Following on from the above point, the more selections you include, the harder it becomes to win. As such, I’d recommend including no more than three selections in any parlay.
Lots of sportsbooks are pretty happy to put on deals that will refund your bet if just one selection lets you down. I’d suggest using these deals when possible, just make sure that you read the terms and conditions so that you don’t get caught out by any of the small print.
It’s hugely important to treat parlay betting just as a form of entertainment rather than being a way of making money. While it’s easy to get suckered into the huge returns that you could potentially make, your chances of landing that massive parlay are pretty slim.
Here are what I think are the key ingredients of any good parlay betting sportsbook:
Of course, one of the major factors for any bettor is their physical location. With over 20 states offering legalized online sports betting in 2026, there is plenty of choice about where to place your next wager, whether it’s a parlay or a straight moneyline pick. Keep in mind that the range of brands available to you will differ from state to state though. Arizona and Colorado have dozens of active sportsbooks whereas the choices may be more limited in Vermont, for example. Use our guides to select the best sportsbook for your next parlay.
Now you know what a parlay in betting is, you’ll be ready to give it a try. This guide has shown you how you can find some excellent sportsbooks who will give you a legal, safe and fun way to try a parlay bet on anything from the NFL and NBA to the NHL, MLB and beyond.
The key thing to remember is that this type of betting is hugely risky and so you should be ready for your wagers to fail more often than not. But as long as you remember that, then there is no reason why you can’t enjoy putting down some parlay bets at any of our recommended sportsbooks.
Yes, because parlay betting can make something like a weekend’s betting on the NFL a whole lot more interesting. However, it might not be worth it in terms of getting a return from your wagers because parlay betting is hugely risky by nature.
It depends where you are playing from as different sportsbook apps are available in some states and not others. The good news is that each of the apps featured in the banners of this page are automatically selected because they are legal in your state. Plus they should all be pretty good at parlay betting too.
Yes, it’s probably a smart idea because the odds in parlay bets can dramatically multiply to give you some significant potential returns. The good news is that there is this parlay calculator right here that you can use to balance risk and potential reward with this unique kind of bet.
Again, it depends where you are playing from. Sports betting is now available in over 30 states and this means that you should be legally allowed to enjoy parlay betting. Just note that you will usually have to be at least 21 years old to gamble online.
It can simply be described as combining two or more bets into a single bet. For example, you could bet that the 49ers and the Rams will both win their next NFL game, and they would both have to win for you to win your bet.
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