What is Juice in Sports Betting?

Juice Explained in Detail

The juice is the sportsbook's edge on every wager. In a perfectly balanced market, both sides of a bet would be priced at +100, meaning you risk $100 to win $100. Instead, sportsbooks typically price both sides at -110, meaning you risk $110 to win $100. The extra $10 per $100 wagered is the juice.

When both sides are -110, the sportsbook collects $220 in wagers for every $210 they pay out to winners. That $10 difference is their profit margin, representing about 4.5% of the total handle. This is why you need to win more than 50% of your bets to be profitable. At -110 juice, the breakeven win rate is 52.4%.

Not all sportsbooks charge the same juice. Some offer reduced juice at -105, which lowers the breakeven rate to 51.2%. Over thousands of bets, the difference between -110 and -105 juice is enormous. A bettor who wins 55% of their bets at -110 earns a 4.5% ROI, but the same bettor at -105 juice earns a 7.4% ROI, a 64% increase in profit.

Finding the best juice is one of the simplest ways to improve your bottom line as a sports bettor. Shopping for odds across multiple sportsbooks, known as line shopping, ensures you always get the best available price. Even a half-point of juice savings on every bet compounds significantly over a season.