Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice) is the American term for the commission embedded in betting odds. It is the bookmaker's guarantee that regardless of the outcome of an event, they retain a percentage of all money wagered. The vig is the mechanism that makes sports betting profitable for bookmakers even when they pay out to winners.
How vig works: in a perfectly balanced two-outcome market, both sides would be priced at 2.0 (50% each, summing to 100%). A bookmaker adds vig by pricing both sides at 1.909 (52.4% each, summing to 104.8%). The 4.8% excess is the vig. For every £100 bet on each side, the bookmaker collects £200 but pays £190.90 to winners — keeping £9.10 regardless of the result.
Standard US vig: most US point spread bets are priced at -110 on both sides. To win $100, you must risk $110. If two bettors take opposite sides at -110, the sportsbook collects $220 and pays out $210 — retaining $10. This represents approximately 4.5% vig on the total action.
Finding low-vig opportunities:
- Bet at Pinnacle or Betfair Exchange (2-3% vig)
- Compare prices across multiple bookmakers to find the best available price
- Focus on markets with natural two-sided action rather than exotic markets
- Use free bet bonuses, which effectively reduce the vig on qualifying bets
Example
Two NFL spread bets at -110 each. You place $110 to win $100 on Team A, and $110 to win $100 on Team B with two different bettors at the same book. One bettor wins $100, the other loses $110. The sportsbook pays out $210 (winner's $100 + their own $110 stake back) but collected $220. Net retained: $10 — the vig.