Moneyline is the simplest bet in sports betting — you pick which team or individual will win a contest, with no point spread or handicap. The odds reflect the relative quality of the two sides: the favourite carries negative American odds (indicating how much you must stake to win $100), while the underdog carries positive odds (showing profit on a $100 stake).
The moneyline is the dominant bet type in North American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and increasingly popular globally. In football (soccer) outside North America, the equivalent is Draw No Bet (two outcomes) or the 1X2 (three outcomes including the draw).
Juice on the moneyline (the margin) is visible in the gap between the two lines. A typical moneyline might show -110 on both sides in a theoretically even match — each side requires $110 to win $100, producing a 4.5% margin. The more lopsided the favourite, the larger the difference between the positive and negative lines.
Moneyline vs spread: in high-scoring sports like basketball and American football, the point spread is often more useful because it creates a closer-to-even market. The moneyline on a heavy NFL favourite might be -400 (requiring $400 to win $100) — very unattractive. The spread (e.g. -7.5 points at -110) is more balanced and provides better value.
Example
NBA game: Los Angeles Lakers at -160, Boston Celtics at +140. A $100 bet on the Celtics returns $240 if they win (+$140 profit). A $160 bet on the Lakers returns $260 if they win (+$100 profit). The $20 gap between the -160 and +140 lines reflects the bookmaker's margin on this market.