Every bet you place has a price, and every price has a cut for the sportsbook built into it. That cut is the vig, also called juice or margin. Most bettors know a standard spread costs -110. Far fewer know how much more they pay on props, parlays and futures, or how much less they could pay by choosing the right market and the right book.
The short answer: reduced-juice spreads and totals carry the lowest vig, with a house edge of about 2.4%. Standard -110 spreads and totals cost about 4.5%, and moneylines at four major books cost between 3.5% and 4.8% in mid-October 2026. Player props usually cost 6.5% or more. Parlays and futures are the most expensive: a two-leg parlay carries an 8.9% house edge, a four-leg parlay 17.0% and a six-leg parlay 24.4%.
Below is the full ranking, the math behind each number and the simple changes that cut what you pay.
Every bet type ranked by house edge
The table ranks common bets from cheapest to most expensive. House edge is what a bettor with no edge loses on average for every dollar staked. The last column turns that into dollars: the expected cost of 100 bets of $100 each.
| Rank | Bet type | Example price | House edge | Expected cost, 100 bets of $100 |
| 1 | Reduced-juice spread or total | -105 / -105 | 2.4% | $238 |
| 2 | Moneyline (four-book average, Oct 8–14, 2026) | Varies | 3.5%–4.8% | $347–$476 |
| 3 | Standard spread or total | -110 / -110 | 4.5% | $455 |
| 4 | Player prop | -115 / -115 | 6.5% | $652 |
| 5 | Player prop, heavier juice | -120 / -120 | 8.3% | $833 |
| 6 | 2-leg parlay | -110 each leg (+264) | 8.9% | $888 |
| 7 | 3-leg parlay | -110 each leg (+596) | 13.0% | $1,303 |
| 8 | 4-leg parlay | -110 each leg (+1,228) | 17.0% | $1,698 |
| 9 | Futures (four-team example below) | +150 to +400 | 18.0% | $1,797 |
| 10 | 6-leg parlay | -110 each leg (+4,741) | 24.4% | $2,436 |
| – | Same-game parlay | Varies | Not published | Prop-level pricing, compounded |
House edge = what a bettor with no edge loses on average per dollar staked. Moneyline range from BettingPicks’ four-book comparison; all other rows calculated from the prices shown.
Two things stand out. First, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive bets is huge: the same $10,000 in action costs about $238 on reduced-juice spreads and about $2,436 on six-leg parlays. Second, the bets with the most vig are the ones built to look exciting: props, parlays and futures.
How to measure the vig on any bet
You only need the prices on both sides. Convert each price to an implied chance, add them up and compare the total with 100%.
- Favorites: price ÷ (price + 100). For -110, that is 110 ÷ 210 = 52.4%.
- Underdogs: 100 ÷ (price + 100). For +130, that is 100 ÷ 230 = 43.5%.
In a fair market, the two sides would add up to exactly 100%. Anything above that is the book’s cut. On a -110/-110 line, the sides add up to 104.8%, so the margin is 4.8%. Divide the extra by the total and you get the house edge: 4.5%.
You can see the same thing in dollars. If one bettor stakes $110 on each side, the book takes in $220, pays $210 to the winner and keeps $10. That is 4.5% of the money wagered.
| Line | Implied chance, each side | Total | Margin | House edge | Fair odds (vig removed) |
| -110 / -110 | 52.4% + 52.4% | 104.8% | 4.8% | 4.5% | +100 / +100 |
| -150 / +130 | 60.0% + 43.5% | 103.5% | 3.5% | 3.4% | -138 / +138 |
| -200 / +170 | 66.7% + 37.0% | 103.7% | 3.7% | 3.6% | -180 / +180 |
| -300 / +240 | 75.0% + 29.4% | 104.4% | 4.4% | 4.2% | -255 / +255 |
The last column shows the fair odds once the vig is stripped out, found by scaling each side’s implied chance so the two add up to 100%. Fair odds are a useful yardstick: the closer a price sits to fair, the less you are paying for it.
The cheapest bets: reduced-juice spreads and totals
Some books offer spreads and totals at -105 instead of -110, either on every game or as a promotion on big ones. That cuts the house edge almost in half, from 4.5% to 2.4%. It also lowers the win rate you need to break even, from 52.4% to 51.2%.
If you mostly bet spreads and totals, few changes save you more. A bettor who stakes $100 on 500 spreads in a season pays about $2,273 in expected vig at -110 and about $1,190 at -105.
Moneylines: the book matters more than the bet
Moneyline margins depend heavily on the sportsbook. From October 8 to 14, 2026, odds tracked by BettingPicks across NFL, college football, NHL and MLB games showed average moneyline margins ranging from 3.6% to 5.0% at four books.
| Sportsbook | Average margin | House edge | Best price on (moneyline sides) | Games priced | Expected cost per $10,000 staked |
| BetOnline | 3.6% | 3.5% | 210 of 396 (53%) | 198 | $347 |
| BetUS | 3.8% | 3.7% | 159 of 388 (41%) | 194 | $366 |
| Bovada | 4.2% | 4.0% | 141 of 424 (33%) | 218 | $403 |
| MyBookie | 5.0% | 4.8% | 88 of 418 (21%) | 210 | $476 |
NFL, college football, NHL and MLB moneylines. Source: BettingPicks odds comparison.
On the same games, the lowest-margin book had the best price on more than half of all moneyline sides, while the highest-margin book had it on about one in five. Over $10,000 in moneyline bets, the gap between them is worth about $129 in expected cost before you pick a single winner. Checking NFL odds across four sportsbooks before each bet is the simplest way to stay on the cheap side of that gap.
Margins also vary from game to game. Marquee matchups draw the most competition between books, so their prices tend to be the tightest. Smaller games, where less money is bet, often carry more.
Player props: the vig most bettors never notice
Props are often priced at -115 or worse on both sides. That looks like a small step from -110, but it raises the house edge from 4.5% to 6.5% at -115 and to 8.3% at -120.
| Over / under price | Break-even win rate (over / under) | Margin | House edge | Expected cost, 100 bets of $100 |
| -110 / -110 | 52.4% / 52.4% | 4.8% | 4.5% | $455 |
| -115 / -115 | 53.5% / 53.5% | 7.0% | 6.5% | $652 |
| -120 / -120 | 54.5% / 54.5% | 9.1% | 8.3% | $833 |
| -130 / Even | 56.5% / 50.0% | 6.5% | 6.1% | $612 |
| -140 / +110 | 58.3% / 47.6% | 6.0% | 5.6% | $562 |
Lopsided prop prices hide the vig even better. An over at -130 with the under at even money looks like a lean toward the over, but the two sides still add up to 106.5%, a bigger margin than a standard spread. Before betting a prop, check both sides and add them up.
Props carry more vig because they are harder to price and attract less money than sides and totals. Books cover that uncertainty with a bigger cushion, and bettors pay for it.
Parlays: the vig compounds with every leg
A parlay multiplies the prices of every leg, and that multiplies the vig too. Each -110 leg pays 1.909 times your stake instead of a fair 2.0 on a coin flip, and those shortfalls stack.
| Legs | Parlay pays | Fair price (coin-flip legs) | House edge | Expected cost, 100 parlays of $100 |
| 1 | -110 | +100 | 4.5% | $455 |
| 2 | +264 | +300 | 8.9% | $888 |
| 3 | +596 | +700 | 13.0% | $1,303 |
| 4 | +1,228 | +1,500 | 17.0% | $1,698 |
| 5 | +2,436 | +3,100 | 20.8% | $2,075 |
| 6 | +4,741 | +6,300 | 24.4% | $2,436 |
A two-leg parlay at -110 pays +264. If each leg were a true coin flip, the fair price would be +300. By four legs, the house edge reaches 17.0%, almost four times the cost of a straight bet. By six legs, it is 24.4%.
Same-game parlays usually cost more again. They are typically built from prop prices, which already carry extra vig, and the book then adjusts the payout for how the legs relate to each other. Books don’t publish the margin on a same-game parlay, so the best check is to compare the payout for the same combination at more than one book.
Futures: the biggest margins in sports betting
Futures markets, such as who will win the Super Bowl or a conference title, have many possible outcomes. Each price only needs a small cushion, and across every team in the market those cushions add up.
Here is how to check a futures market, using a four-team market as an example:
| Team | Price | Implied chance | Fair chance (vig removed) | Fair price |
| Team A | +150 | 40.0% | 32.8% | +205 |
| Team B | +200 | 33.3% | 27.3% | +266 |
| Team C | +250 | 28.6% | 23.4% | +327 |
| Team D | +400 | 20.0% | 16.4% | +510 |
| Total | 121.9% | 100.0% |
The four implied chances add up to 121.9%, which is a 21.9% margin and an 18.0% house edge. In a market with 30 or more teams, like the Super Bowl, a small cushion on each price is enough to push the total well above 100%. To check any futures market, add up the implied chance of every team. The further the total sits above 100%, the more you are paying.
How to pay less vig
- Bet the cheapest markets your strategy allows. If you can find an edge on spreads and totals, you start at 4.5% or less instead of 6.5% to 24%.
- Look for reduced juice. A -105 price nearly halves the cost of a spread or total.
- Use more than one book. Average moneyline margins differed by more than a full point between books, and no book had the best price on every game.
- Check both sides of every prop. Add up the implied chances before you bet, and be wary of props that total far more than a standard -110 line.
- Keep parlays short. Each extra -110 leg adds roughly another four points of house edge.
- Price futures before you bet them. Add up the whole market first, then compare the same team’s price at several books.
Whether you follow SGPN’s daily NFL picks or your own numbers, the same pick at a lower margin is worth more. Price is the one part of a bet you control completely.
Vig FAQ
What is vig in sports betting?
Vig, short for vigorish, is the fee a sportsbook builds into its odds. It is also called juice or margin. It is why both sides of an even game are priced at -110 instead of even money.
How much vig is normal?
On a standard -110 spread or total, the margin is 4.8% and the house edge is 4.5%. Anything lower is a good price. Props, parlays and futures normally carry more.
Which bets have the lowest vig?
Reduced-juice spreads and totals at -105, followed by moneylines at the lowest-margin books and standard -110 spreads and totals.
Why do parlays have so much vig?
Because the vig on each leg is multiplied together. A two-leg parlay at -110 carries an 8.9% house edge, and a six-leg parlay carries 24.4%.
Is vig the same as hold?
They are related but not the same. The vig, or theoretical hold, is the margin built into the prices, as calculated in this article. Actual hold is the share of all money wagered that a sportsbook keeps once bets are settled, which many state regulators report every month. Actual hold can be higher or lower than the theoretical margin, depending on results and on which bets customers place.
Does vig matter if I only bet for fun?
Yes. The vig is the price of the entertainment. Knowing it lets you choose bets where your money lasts longer.
The bottom line
Not all bets cost the same. Per dollar wagered, a reduced-juice spread costs about a tenth as much as a six-leg parlay. Before you bet, know which market you are in, work out what the price implies and compare books. The vig is the one cost in sports betting you can see in advance.
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