Market Prices & Execution
What Is Vig or Juice in Sports Betting?
Vig, juice and sportsbook margin describe the cost built into quoted odds. Here is how to read it without confusing price with the point spread.
Direct answer
Vig, also called juice or vigorish, is the margin built into sportsbook prices. It appears in the attached American odds, not in the point spread itself.
Show me
Team A -3 (-110)
Team B +3 (-110)
Each -110 price represents about 52.38% implied probability. Together they total about 104.76%. The amount above 100% is the market’s overround before adjusting for the two sides’ relative chances.
BOOK A
+3 (-102)
Risk $102 to win $100
BOOK B
+3 (-115)
Risk $115 to win $100
Same spread. Different cost.
Why it matters
A spread tells you the scoring handicap. The attached price tells you the cost. Two sportsbooks can post the same +3 while one shows -105 and another shows -115. The settlement threshold is the same, but the amount at risk is different.
Common mistake
Do not call every -110 price a 10% sportsbook hold. Risking $110 to win $100 describes the ticket. Measuring a two-way market’s margin requires both sides of the market.
Learn next
Start with What Does -110 Mean in Betting? for the ticket math, then compare complete quotes in Why Sportsbook Prices Differ.