Glossary of sports betting terms
Betting has its own vocabulary. This glossary brings together the terms you will come across most often, explained in plain language so you can understand any market or promotion.
Essential terms
- Odds: how much a winning bet pays. In decimal format, what you receive for every $1.
- Stake: the amount you bet.
- Rollover (wagering requirement): how many times you must bet a bonus before withdrawing it.
- Handicap: a goal advantage or disadvantage given to a team.
- Cash out: the option to settle a bet before the event ends, collecting part of it.
- Value: when the odds are higher than the true probability of the outcome.
- Overround (margin): the profit the sportsbook builds into its odds.
- Line: the threshold of a market (for example, 2.5 goals).
- Accumulator (parlay): several selections combined; all of them must win.
- Bankroll: the total amount of money you set aside for betting.
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