How much does the sportsbook's cut really cost you?
Published · Updated
Every sportsbook price has the book's cut built in. You never see it on a bet slip, but it decides how much of what you bet comes back over a season. Here's how to work it out, what it adds up to, and how much of it you can avoid.
Where the cut hides
Take a game priced -110 on both sides. Each price implies a 52.38% chance (110 / 210). Both sides together add up to 104.76%, not 100%. The extra 4.76% is the book's: over many bets on markets like this, it keeps about 4.5 cents of every dollar, whoever wins. The vig calculator does this for any market.
What it adds up to
A balanced market returns 1 / (1 + cut) of what's bet on it, so the expected cost of betting is roughly the cut divided by one plus the cut:
| Book's cut | $100 a week for a year | $500 a week |
|---|---|---|
| 3% | $151 | $757 |
| 4.76% (-110 / -110) | $236 | $1,181 |
| 6% | $294 | $1,472 |
| 8% | $385 | $1,926 |
That's the average cost of betting at a fair-looking price for a year, before any skill or luck. A difference of two points between books is real money for anyone betting every week.
The real range, measured
From Oct 28, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 we measured 12 sportsbooks on every game we cover. BetOnline kept the least, 3.95% on main lines; LeoVegas the most, 6.05%. On $100 a week that gap is about $99 a year.
How to pay less of it
- Bet where the cut is lowest. The same game is priced differently at each book, and some books keep less than others on average. Every book's cut, measured.
- Take the best price on each bet. No book is cheapest on every game. Comparing books before each bet captures the best of all of them; that's what the board does.
- Avoid the high-cut markets. Parlays and many player props carry a much bigger cut than a game's main moneyline, spread or total.
Related
Converge isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any sportsbook named here. Names identify the books measured; each is a trademark of its owner.