In sports betting, the point spread is the handicap line itself. This is different from spread betting in finance, where the payout varies with the size of the result.
Sports Betting
Point spread meaning betting
A point spread is the handicap number a bookmaker sets so a bet is decided by the margin of victory rather than simply which team wins.
Key points
- The favorite must win by more than the spread; the underdog can win outright or lose by fewer points than the spread.16
- If the final margin exactly equals the spread, the bet is refunded as a push.2
Common questions
What is a push in NFL betting?
A push in NFL betting happens when the final margin of victory exactly matches the point spread. For example, if the favorite is -3 and wins by exactly 3, all bets on that spread are refunded.2
Where this term is used
Not the same as
- Point spread meaning NBA — the same mechanism applied to basketball games, e.g. Philadelphia -6.51
Related terms
Sources
- Implications in Betting Markets | Journal of Quantitative Analysis in ... users.nber.org Provides the definition and examples of point spread in sports betting.
- How Do Markets Function? An Empirical Analysis of ... nber.org Explains how the spread is used as a handicap and what happens on a push.
- Sports betting en.wikipedia.org Confirms the term 'against the spread' and its usage.
- Charles K. McNeil - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Supports that point spreads apply especially to football and basketball.
- Handicapping - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Provides the alternative name 'handicapping' for point spread betting.
- Converting College Football Point Spread Differentials to ... arxiv.org Supports the rule that the underdog can lose by fewer than the spread.
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.