Line Shopping For The Best Sportsbook Payouts
If you are an online sports bettor in the United States and you do not belong to more than one sportsbook site, you are confining yourself to only one set of wagering odds and not allowing the room to take advantage of line shopping for the best sportsbook payouts.
Whether betting on the NFL, placing a wager on College Football, NCAAB, political election outcomes, or entertainment odds, it pays to shop the odds and secure an extra point or two of variance in the point spread, over/under, and moneylines for major pro and college sports.
If you could grant yourself a betting edge each and every time you place a wager on sports, why wouldn’t you? Read on to learn how.
The Best Online Sportsbooks
| Site Name | Current Bonus | Age | U.S. | Visit Site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | 50% Max $1,000 | 18+ |  | Visit Site Review |
| 2 |  | 125% Max $3,125 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 3 |  | 50% Max $250 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 4 |  | 25% Max $500 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 5 |  | 50% Max $500 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 6 |  | 100% Max $1,000 | 21+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 7 |  | 50% Max $200 | 21+ | | Visit Site Review |
Why Is Line Shopping Essential To Securing The Easiest Path To A Payout?
Bettors that only do business with one sportsbook will severely limit their wagering options and lock them in to only the betting odds provided by that lone sportsbook site.
Shopping lines across multiple sportsbook sites allow for bettors to locate the path of least resistance in regard to the odds, and we’ve provided several examples below to illustrate this point.
How To Shop The Odds
The brands that we list in the table above are perfect candidates for line shopping the odds for major pro and college sports in the United States and around the globe.
We invite anyone reading this page to search through the betting lines offered at each of the online sportsbooks above and investigate the point spreads, moneyline odds, and the over/under. Our guide on understanding how to calculate betting odds is another resource for bettors looking to find the best betting lines.
You’ll quickly ascertain that there are slightly different odds offered at each online sportsbook. Line shopping at each online book allows bettors to take advantage of the differentials so that an easier path to a win can be secured. All the bettors featured in our Sports Betting Hall of Fame list use these techniques to get the best odds for their epic bets.
Simply stated, if you are willing to bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers to defeat the New England Patriots by 7 or more points, wouldn’t it make sense to extend that spread by a point or two at another NFL sportsbook site?
Shopping lines at online sportsbook sites is all about granting the bettor additional room to achieve the same or better outcome, and the following sections will provide examples on how to make that happen. Our guide to understanding betting odds details the different betting lines and explains how to find value with sportsbook odds.
Advantages Of NFL Line Shopping
Take the following three NFL game lines from Bovada, BetOnline, and Mybookie that allow for betting on the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
BetOnline - Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
- Point Spread: Buccaneers -6, Cowboys +6
- Moneyline: Buccaneers -285, Cowboys +240
- Over/Under: 51.5
MyBookie - Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
- Point Spread: Buccaneers -5.5, Cowboys +5.5
- Moneyline: Buccaneers -290, Cowboys +235
- Over/Under: 51.5
Bovada - Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
- Point Spread: Buccaneers -6.5, Cowboys +6.5
- Moneyline: Buccaneers -290, Cowboys +240
- Over/Under: 51.5
Depending on which of these NFL sportsbooks the bettor visits, up to a one-point variance in the point spread can be achieved and directed toward the member’s liking.
The most favorable point spread for the Buccaneers is posted by MyBookie, as they are only requiring that Tampa Bay win by 6 points or more based on the spread of 5.5.
Alternatively, the best point spread available through line shopping for the Cowboys is offered by Bovada, as a loss by 6 or less will cover, whereas a loss by 5 or less is required at MyBookie.
The same can be said for the NFL moneyline odds offered on each NFL team and their chances of victory, Bovada and BetOnline offer the best moneyline odds on the Cowboys to win at +240, while BetOnline features the most advantageous odds for the Patriots to win.
All three of these betting lines feature the same over/under, and therefore, there is no advantage offered by shopping these particular totals odds – but that is not typically the case.
Line Shopping At NBA Betting Sites
In the realm of NBA betting, shopping the odds can secure an extra point or two of variance in the point spreads, moneylines, and over/under totals.
The following three game lines for betting on the NBA Playoffs serve as an example of how to optimize the odds by line shopping.
MyBookie - Phoenix Suns @ LA Clippers
- Point Spread: Suns +1, Clippers -1
- Moneyline: Suns -118, Clippers -102
- Over/Under: 221
Bovada - Phoenix Suns @ LA Clippers
- Point Spread: Suns -1.5, Clippers +1.5
- Moneyline: Suns -120, Clippers EVEN
- Over/Under: 221.5
BetOnline - Phoenix Suns @ LA Clippers
- Point Spread: Suns -1.5, Clippers +1.5
- Moneyline: Suns -120, Clippers EVEN
- Over/Under: 221.5
MyBookie is the online NBA sportsbooks that provides the most variance in the odds for this particular basketball game, as both BetOnline and Bovada feature the exact same game lines.
A half point of variance is granted in both directions of the spread, the moneyline is slightly more profitable on the Suns winning the game, and there is a half point of differential on the over/under if basketball gamblers choose MyBookie.
Line Shopping The Political Betting Odds
The realm of betting on elections and their outcomes almost exclusively involves moneyline odds placed next to the chances of each candidate in a given race. In this arena, the odds can vary wildly from book to book, and each political betting site can decide whether or not to include a potential candidate.
Many 2024 Presidential Candidates feature differing moneyline odds at each gambling site. Selecting the higher payout is a no-brainer and an opportunity that should not be ignored.
Whether betting on President Biden to attain a second term or wagering on Kamala Harris to unseat Joe Cool in 2024, you’ll earn a higher payout by looking around to see what the best odds are.
Within the past year, a wager of $1 on AOC’s odds of becoming the next POTUS had the potential to earn $66 at Bovada, while the same one-dollar bet made on Rep. Ocasio-Cortez at BetOnline rewards at $30 - less than half!
