What Is the Vig (Juice) in Sports Betting?
The vig — short for vigorish, also called juice — is the fee baked into every betting line. It's how sportsbooks guarantee themselves a profit regardless of which side wins. Understanding it is fundamental to understanding why long-term winning is hard, and what you can do about it.
How the vig works
When you see a spread priced at −110 on both sides, the vig is that extra $10 over the $100 baseline. The sportsbook is collecting $110 from each side of the bet. It pays the winner $210 (stake back plus $100 profit) and keeps the other $110. Net result: the book earns $10 on every $220 wagered — about 4.5% — without caring which team covers.
The book doesn't need to predict outcomes. It just needs balanced action on both sides and the vig does the rest.
How to calculate the vig
You can find the vig by calculating the implied probability of each side and adding them together. The amount over 100% is the book's margin.
At −110 / −110:
- Side A implied probability: 110 ÷ (110 + 100) = 52.38%
- Side B implied probability: 110 ÷ (110 + 100) = 52.38%
- Total: 104.76% — the book's margin is 4.76%
A fair market with no vig would add up to exactly 100%. Every percentage point over that is the sportsbook's cut.
| Line (both sides) | Break-even % | Book margin |
|---|---|---|
| −105 / −105 | 51.2% | 2.4% |
| −110 / −110 | 52.4% | 4.8% |
| −115 / −115 | 53.5% | 7.0% |
| −120 / −120 | 54.5% | 9.1% |
Vig on moneylines
On a moneyline, the vig is less visible but still there. A true coin-flip game would be +100 / +100. A sportsbook prices it −110 / −110 (or −108 / −108 at a sharper book). The more lopsided the matchup, the more complex the vig calculation — but the principle is the same: both sides add up to more than 100%.
Why the vig matters for your results
At −110, you need to win 52.4% of your bets to break even. That's not a typo — you can win more than half your bets and still lose money. Over hundreds of bets, the vig compounds into a significant drag on your bankroll. A bettor winning 50% of spreads at −110 loses about 2.4% of their total action per bet on average.
How to reduce the vig
You can't eliminate the vig, but you can minimize it:
- Shop lines. Different books price the same game differently. Getting −105 instead of −110 on a side lowers your break-even from 52.4% to 51.2% — a meaningful long-term edge.
- Use reduced-juice books. Some sportsbooks offer standard lines at −105 rather than −110 as a competitive advantage.
- Track line movement. Catching a line before it moves in your favor gives you better value than the closing price — which is where the sharpest money has already pushed it.
See vig in real lines on LineScout
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