Quick answer: Vig, short for vigorish (also called juice), is the commission a sportsbook charges on every bet. It’s what allows the book to make money regardless of the outcome. The most common vig structure is -110 on both sides of a 50/50 market, which means you risk $110 to win $100. The book’s hold on a -110 to -110 line is approximately 4.8%. Most NFL and NBA spread markets run -110 vig. Player props typically run higher: 6 to 10%.
How Vig Hides in the Numbers
If a coin flip were fairly priced, both sides would be at +100 (50% implied probability each). Sportsbooks shift the line to -110 each side, which makes the implied probabilities sum to 104.8% (52.4% × 2). That extra 4.8% is the vig. To break even on -110 bets, you need to win 52.38% of them. Win rates below that lose money to vig over time, even on a coin-flip system. The mid-tier sharp threshold is 53-54%; full-time pros hit 55-57% on filtered samples.
Why Vig Varies by Market
Game spreads run the lowest vig (4.8%) because volume is high and the book wants the action. Live betting runs 8-12% because pricing is harder and volume is lower. Player props sit in the middle at 6-10%. Longshot futures (Super Bowl winner odds) often have 25-40% effective vig because the book has to balance dozens of outcomes. The general rule: the more uncertain the outcome and the lower the volume, the higher the vig.
Why Vig Is the Real Bottom Line
Most public bettors lose money on -110 vig because they win at 50% rate (no edge) and lose 4.8% to vig. Sharps overcome vig by finding lines where their probability estimate exceeds the no-vig probability. PropsBot’s MLB High ROI Signal posts 31.7% verified ROI on 101,881 graded props by isolating exactly these mispricings. The Brier score (0.1903 vs Vegas 0.1947) confirms the model is more accurate than the market average. Without that calibration edge, no amount of bet selection beats the vig.
How to Reduce Vig You Pay
Line shopping across multiple books is the single biggest lever. The same bet might be -110 at FanDuel and -105 at DraftKings. Over a 1,000-bet sample, that 5-cent gap saves $500 on $11,000 of action. Reduced-juice books (BetOnline, Pinnacle for international users) regularly offer -105 instead of -110. Shopping for -105 reduced juice instead of -110 standard is the simplest way to add 1-2% to long-term ROI without any additional skill requirement. The PropsBot odds-comparison feature surfaces these gaps automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does vig mean in sports betting?
Vig (vigorish) is the commission the sportsbook charges on every bet. It’s how books make money regardless of which side wins. Standard vig on a spread bet is 4.8% (priced as -110 on both sides).
How do I calculate vig on a market?
Convert both sides of a market to implied probability and sum them. The amount over 100% is the vig. So -110 implied 52.4% on both sides totals 104.8%, meaning 4.8% vig.
What’s a typical NBA prop vig?
Player props typically run 6-10% vig. NBA points props are usually -115 each side (about 7%). Rebound and assist props often run -120 each side or higher (about 9%).
How can I reduce the vig I pay?
Line shop across multiple books, look for reduced-juice promotions, and avoid live-betting markets which carry the highest vig. PropsBot’s multi-book odds comparison surfaces the lowest-vig prices automatically.
What’s the lowest vig you can find?
Pinnacle (international users) often runs 2-3% vig on major markets. US books rarely go below 4.5%. DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM cluster around 4.8-5.5% on standard spreads.
Part of the PropsBot.AI Sports Betting Glossary. Updated 2026-05-04.
