What Is The Spread In Sports Betting 2025

Spread betting is an important tool for any sports bettor, and anyone who doesn’t understand it is missing out. For that reason, we have created this short guide to fill in any gaps in your knowledge.

While the principle is quite simple, to have spread betting explained properly you need additional information about how sportsbooks work. This way, not only will you have a better grasp of spread betting, but you will also know when it is best to use it for your own betting style.

What is the spread in sports betting?

The spread is an additional factor created by sportsbooks to make some betting markets more appealing to bettors. For instance, in a football game, if the sides were so mismatched that the odds for the favorite were -400, most of the money would be going there. This is not the ideal situation for sportsbooks as they prefer to have money on both sides of the game. To even things up a little, they might calculate what the difference in the score might be – for instance 15 points in a football match or three goals in a hockey game.

This difference is called the spread and will be presented as an additional market with a new set of odds based on that. This means in the above example, if you were betting against the spread, the favorite would have to win by at least 15 points for your wager to be a winner.

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What affects the spread?

The spread is calculated by the sportsbook, but there are many things that go into that calculation. The first and most obvious factor is the relative ability of the two teams, but of course, it goes much further than that. They would also look at a range of other factors like recent form – for instance where one team was, on paper, much better than another, but had lost the last few games against poorer opposition.

Head-to-head records would also come into it, as every side has a ‘bogey’ team, one they can’t seem to beat no matter what. There can also be ‘grudge’ matches against long term or local opposition, which are also occasions where the game might not go to form.

When should you choose spread betting?

Once betting the spread is explained, you will have a better idea of whether or not betting against the spread is the right move for you instead of just taking the moneyline option when placing your wager. In the example above with the favorite sitting at -400, you would be risking $400 to win $100. If you like to keep risk to a minimum, you might well pass that one by. On the other hand, if there was a wager with a negative point spread of -15 with odds of -110, you might be tempted, as you would only be risking $110 to win that same $100 should the favorite cover the spread.

On the other hand, you have another option to bet on the underdog. By betting the spread, you can back the underdog to lose by less than those 15 points, which again might be a less risky option than backing them on the moneyline market. As most sportsbooks like to find a spread where both options have odds of around -110, you would again be wagering $110 to win $100.

There can also be opportunities for bettors if they feel the best betting sites have got the spread slightly wrong. You might, for instance, feel that -15 is too much and while the favorite should win, it is unlikely that they will win by that much. Alternatively, you might feel this is nowhere near enough and the favorite should win by a much greater margin. Both of these instances could also provide much better value than the moneyline option, but as always the choice is ultimately yours.

Conclusion - learn what you need to know about spread betting with this guide

Having spread betting explained can help you look for other options when the odds of a contest do not fit in with your betting style. They can provide an alternative to moneyline betting, which when added to parlay bets or wagering on the under-over markets will give you a larger set of tools to improve your betting experience.

If however, you are unaware of what parlay betting is or don’t know your way around the under-over markets, you will find the best betting guides elsewhere on this site that will tell you what you need to know.

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Spread betting explained FAQ