What is Handle in Sports Betting?

Handle Explained in Detail

Handle is the raw volume of money bet. If 1,000 bettors each wager $100 on a game, the handle is $100,000. The handle does not tell you how much the sportsbook actually kept in profit, which is a separate metric called the hold or the revenue. A sportsbook might have a $1 million handle on a game but only earn $50,000 in revenue from the vig.

Handle numbers are often reported by state gaming commissions as a measure of overall betting activity. When you see headlines like 'Nevada sportsbooks took in $1.2 billion in November,' that figure is the handle. The actual revenue (hold) is typically 5-8% of the handle, depending on the sports and events available that month.

Super Bowl handle consistently sets records and is the single largest betting event in the United States each year. March Madness generates the most cumulative handle over its multi-week tournament format. The NFL regular season generates the most handle of any regular season in professional sports.

For individual bettors, understanding handle is less about the total market and more about how their individual volume impacts their results. A bettor with a 55% win rate needs a large enough handle to let the edge play out. Betting too little means variance can overwhelm the edge. Betting too much can lead to bankroll management issues. The right handle depends on your edge, bankroll, and risk tolerance.