Gambling terms, explained straight

Sports Betting

Moneyline odds explained

A US-style odds format that uses a positive or negative number to express the payout on a bet for the outright winner of a contest.

Also called
American odds12
Positive number
Profit on a $100 stake; e.g. +400 means $100 wins $40012
Negative number
Stake needed to win $100; e.g. −400 means $400 must be staked to win $10012

Key points

  • A positive moneyline (e.g. +400) shows the profit from a $100 bet; a negative moneyline (e.g. −400) shows the stake required to win $100.12
  • Bookmakers assign a positive number to an underdog and a negative number to a favourite.2
  • Moneyline odds apply to straight-up winner bets with no point spread, especially in US sports betting.23

Where this term is used

Sports betting Moneyline Explains the bet type on the outright winner. Sports betting Moneyline betting Covers how to place and read moneyline bets. Sports betting Moneyline vs spread Compares moneyline betting with point spread betting. Sports betting Moneyline UK Explains how moneyline odds are used in UK sports betting. Sports betting 3-way moneyline Covers moneyline betting with three possible outcomes. Sports betting Asian handicap betting explained Explains Asian handicap betting, an alternative to moneyline.

Sources

  1. Fixed-odds betting - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Defines moneyline odds and gives the positive/negative examples.
  2. Odds - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Provides the alternative name 'American odds' and the fair-price probability formulas.
  3. Sports betting - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Confirms that moneyline odds apply to straight-up winner bets in US sports.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.