This would cost you £30 (£10 x3) and you would be guaranteed to get your £30 back. £10 x 2/1 = £30 (£20 winnings + £10 stake). This is what is sometimes referred to as a 100% book as, if you stake the market correctly, you’ll always get back 100% of what you. The implied percentage chances for any given set of outcomes will not add up to 100% exactly with the bookies, they build in their edge by setting prices that total more than that.

• Bookies Odds On Us Election
• How To Read Bookie Odds
• How To Bookies Set Odds

Pointspreads Explained

Spread betting was invented by Charles K. McNeil, a math teacher from Connecticut who became a bookmaker in Chicago in the 1940s. The bettor bets that the difference in the scores of two teams will be less than or greater than a value specified by the bookmaker.

For example, if a bettor places a bet on an underdog in an American football game when the spread is 3.5 points, he is said to take the points; he will win his bet if the underdog's score plus 3.5 points is greater than the favourite's score. If he had taken the favourite, he would have been giving the points and would win if the favourite's score minus 3.5 points was greater than the underdog's score.

As you all know, when you place a straight wager on the pointspread of a football or basketball game, you need to risk $110 to win $100. The $10 difference between risk and payout is known as the juice, or the vigorish, or “vig” and is the reason sportsbooks are in business. Sportsbooks essentially act as a broker between you and another player who wants to bet on the other team and collects the small commission as compensation for brokering the deal and handling the transfer of funds between the two of you. This is important to understand, because it leads me to the biggest misconception in sports wagering. The pointspread is not the handicapper’s predicted margin-of-victory, but it is in fact the handicapper’s prediction of what number will be required to split the wagering evenly on both teams. Understanding that little tid-bit is the first step towards taking advantage of the numbers.

'Linemakers,' says former BoDog chief Rob Gillespie, 'are divided into two groups, oddsmakers and bookmakers'.

Oddsmakers deal in a theoretical world because they don't actually take bets on the lines that they publish. Oddsmakers make their money by selling their lines to media outlets, sportsbooks, etc. These are the lines you see in your local newspaper or hear on the radio. The line from Las Vegas Sports Consultants is a good example of one of these. The LVSC line is the one distributed to Las Vegas Sportsbooks. The lines don't change very much from day to day, because there are no direct wagers placed on these lines, and as such, there are no line moves required to try and balance action.

On the other hand, bookmakers deal very much in the real world, as they take bets on the lines they publish. These lines then move as a result of wagering, because the books seek to balance action in an effort to minimize risk and maximize the vig collected. This fundamental difference is one of the main reasons that the lines you see in your newspaper are not the same lines you get when you deal with a sportsbook. It is worth mentioning that time is also a factor. The lines in your paper were probably accurate when they were submitted to the editor, but in the amount of time that passes from pre-production to when you read the paper, injuries, weather and other factors can dramatically shift the spread.

Linemakers use a variety of methods to calculate their idea of the pointspread. Some use complicated computer programs that factor in recent performance, injuries, player match-ups, etc. Others simply have a feel for the games and produce a number out of thin air. However, most line makers use power ratings or some derivation.

Power ratings involve assigning each team a numerical value based on performance and than comparing the ratings to generate a pointspread. For example, one set of ratings I saw this week had Miami rated 57 at home and Indianapolis rated 53 on the road, so the difference results in a 4 point line. Another set has Miami rated 77, Indianapolis rated 75, and gave a 3.5 point advantage to the home team so it predicted an opening line of 5. The actual line opened at 6 at some books, and was bet down quickly to 4.5, so it appears that 6 was too high. There are no standards for how to derive these ratings, and predicting actual outcomes with better accuracy than the majority of the betting public is your key to success.

Some sportsbooks base all their lines on their own internal linemaking, but the majority of books rely either solely on oddsmaking services or a combination of external service and their own handicapping. BoDog Bookmakers handicap the games themselves, compare these results to the opening lines out of Vegas and then adjusts for the historical action of their own player base before coming up with a consensus opening number for each game. From there, the numbers are moved only to balance action or to account for special circumstances such as weather, injuries or the like.

The key advantage bettors have is that they do not have to wager on every game, but can pick and choose wagering opportunities. The bookmaker however, puts up a number on hundreds of events each and every week. In a typical NFL week, there are 14 to 15 games for you to choose from and there are even multiple betting opportunities on each game. You may not have a good feel for every game, but you most likely see several games where you are confident that one team will cover with better than 53% probability. This is what handicappers refer to as an 'overlay' or 'getting value', which is the starting point of every handicap.

by: Winning Inc. - SpreadExperts.com - Email Us

More Sports Betting Coverage from theSpread.com

- Sports Betting top stories
- Real-time live betting odds
- Parlay calculator
- Betting downloads
- Sports Betting glossary
- Sports book reviews
- Online betting guide
- Expert picks
- Comments and discussion
- Signup for theSpread.com daily newsletter
- Sports Betting Home

Betting on sports has gone mainstream. But many, including sportsbook operators and players, don’t know much about how sports betting works. Understanding sports betting means understanding odds creation. So precisely, how do bookies set odds?

Sports betting popularity has increased ever since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a law that gave Nevada a monopoly on allowing bets on sports. Since then, gambling websites have popped up all over the internet.

Towards the end of 2020, over thirty states have legislation either on the books or in the works legalizing sports wagering. The move towards legalization shows us how mainstream backing teams against the spread or on moneylines has become.

Although some individual sportsbook owners may fear state legalization, we mustn’t forget that sports wagering is a historical U.S. past time. If anything, bookies should increase their profit and revenue by signing up clients who in the past didn’t want to wager on sports because they were afraid of doing something wrong.

Legalization will bring more acceptance. Acceptance lifts all boats, including individual pay per head bookmakers. If you currently run a white label sportsbook that offers free betting software, consider this blog a refresher.

If you’re considering starting a bookmaking operation and want information, this blog is essential. To understand how to run a successful sportsbook, you must first understand how do bookies set odds.

Sportsbook gambling business operators make money via ATS fees

Most everyone knows that bookmakers provide a service. Your sportsbook allows your clients to wager on sports events, casino games, and horse races in a racebook, but you don’t run a team in any sports event.

You don’t own the virtual slot machines or tables. You don’t own the racetrack that runs the horse races. Your ownership is in providing bookie software platforms that allow your clients to make bets on various wagering options.

Because you run a service-based business, you make most of your money on service fees. In the sports betting world, we call those fees “juice”.

Below is an example.

• Las Vegas -6 (-105)
• Los Angeles +6 (-120)

The above wager between Las Vegas and Los Angeles says that for every $100 bet on Las Vegas, the bookie makes 5% in fees. For every $100 bet on Los Angeles, the bookmaker pockets $20 in fees.

If a player bets $300 on Las Vegas, the fees associated are $15. If a different player bets $300 on Los Angeles, the sportsbook operator charges amounts to $60.

Juice, in most cases, is 10%, which means you are charging 10% on every against the spread wager that a player makes. 10% is a massive fee for providing a service.

How do bookies set odds? In a way that ensures a balance on both sides

All companies that offer services want to do one thing; keep as much of the fees they charge as possible. Sportsbooks are no different.

With against the spread wagers, your goal is to balance action on both sides. Our pph sportsbook agents use their layoff account to accomplish this. If you run a smaller book, make sure not to overuse your layoff account.

Take risks where appropriate. Sometimes, it’s wise to let betting money on one side of a spread ride without balancing the action.

Other gambling types you offer require a different point-of-view

The fee-based principle for running a profitable sportsbook only applies to against the spread wagers. Per head agents don’t charge fees on moneyline, racebook, or casino bets.

PayPerHead.com provides sportsbook software tools for bookies to handle any bet type. It doesn’t matter if it’s a wager in the live dealer casino, the digital casino, the racebook, or if it’s a future or moneyline sports bet. When you become a PayPerHead agent, you have tools that allow you to manage money on all bet types.

• Moneyline / future sports bets – Use your layoff account or take risky bets off the board. Also, set max betting limits and max payouts for all moneyline and future sports bets like who wins the Super Bowl.

Bookies Odds On Us Election

• Horse racing wagers – Set max payout and max betting limits on all horse races. Horse races offer higher odds than any other betting options you provide.

• Some agents turn on their racebook for Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont, and the Breeders’ Cup. The racebook remains closed for the rest of the year.

• Casino bets – Use player management tools to set max betting and max payout limits. When you add a Premium Casino and Premium Live Dealer, you decide which platform, the standard or the prime, you want your players to access.

So that you know, the Premium Casino and Premium Live Dealer are more attractive and encourage more betting and longer wagering sessions. Many of our agents have shown an up to 15% revenue rise after adding premium platforms.

How To Read Bookie Odds

Provide top gambling software at a reduced rate

Now that you know how bookies set odds, there’s another thing you must know. You require a way to pay players and for players to pay you. Our Agent Payment Solution (APS) is the only one in the industry that allows for online collections and payments. Your players can even use it to fund their accounts. The APS accepts multiple banking methods, so make sure to check it out.

How To Bookies Set Odds

2020 was difficult for everyone, which is why at PayPerHead we’re offering a $3 per head for $3 promo from when you sign-up until Super Bowl LV on February 7. Contact customer service or sign-up on the site.