What is moneyline in betting? Moneyline bets explained

If you’re new to sports wagering and still learning the ropes, one of the most common questions you may have asked yourself is, what does moneyline mean in sports betting?

Fear not, as everyone who has ever glanced at the range of sportsbooks’ wagering markets would have asked themselves this same question.

As a result, we’ve put together a guide where we answer all the key questions from “How does moneyline work?” and “What is the moneyline in gambling?”, as well as provide you with some handy examples of moneyline betting.

At the heart of a moneyline bet is the concept of betting on the team or player you believe will win a game or a matchup.

Here, there are no special conditions needed for your bet selection, as a moneyline bet depends purely on the result of the wagering market, unlike other variable markets such as over/ under or spread betting.

Ahead of a sporting fixture, sportsbooks will present you with the perceived moneyline odds featuring either a plus (+) or a minus (-) figure next to the team or player you wish to bet on.  Based on these, whichever result comes in, this figure will determine how much you can win based on your stake amount. If the team or player you’re betting on has a plus (+) symbol with their odds, then they’re the favorite to win, whereas a minus (-) symbol indicates that they’re the underdog heading into the event.

If you have ever wagered on a sporting event outside of the US, the moneyline betting meaning can also be termed the “head-to-head” or a “win bet” market. It’s worth noting that whilst the concept remains the same, UK and European bookmakers typically present these odds in fractional or decimal format rather than the American plus/minus system.

So, you’re probably wondering what is a moneyline bet and why does it use a plus and a minus symbol.

Essentially, the minus symbol signals that the sportsbook has determined this team to be the favorite to win, with the team identified with plus odds deemed to be the underdog.

Simply put, the favourite costs more to bet on, while the underdogs offer higher payouts, although they are considered riskier bets.

To help illustrate this, say you’re looking to make a bet on an NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. In the example below, the bookies have priced the Chiefs at -150, whereas the Eagles are +130, meaning the Chiefs are slight favourites.

As you can see from this example: 

Once you understand the moneyline in sports betting and its easy-to-follow odds format, you can see why it’s not only one of the most popular betting markets in every sport but is ideal for new bettors who are learning their way around the sports betting landscape.

Responsible Gambling Notice: Please gamble responsibly by setting clear limits, using licensed operators only, and seeking help if needed. Never wager money you cannot afford to lose. 

Among different types of bettors, what does moneyline mean in sports betting? Is this market solely for newcomers learning the basics, or do experienced professionals regularly include moneyline bets in their strategy?

You’ll be pleasantly surprised to know that moneyline betting is hugely popular with both beginners and more experienced bettors. This is largely due to how simple it is to place this type of betting market. 

For beginners, you’ll be forgiven for not knowing a considerable amount about what bets you can and can’t place on sporting events. However, moneyline betting couldn’t be easier to know what you need to occur to win your bet. Simply place a bet on the team or player that you think will win the game, and if they do, your bet will be settled as a winner. If they don’t win, then your bet will be settled as a loss, and you’ll lose the stake you placed on the bet. 

For bettors with more experience, moneyline bets can be popular when it comes to spotting mispriced bets which can provide them with much more value for their money compared to another sportsbook. These odds can be mispriced due to many different factors, which range from human error, as well as not considering injury news heading into the game, which could see a team or player’s chance of winning increase or decrease.

These value bets arise if a sportsbook incorrectly determines a team’s chances of winning, or pro betters can ‘fade the market’, which occurs when sportsbooks increase a team’s odds to counter the surge in wagering on the other team, often the favorite.

Due to the format of moneyline bets and their easy odds calculations, you can wager on any sporting event you can think of.

Whilst we used an NFL Chiefs-Eagles matchup earlier, other examples of moneyline betting in sports include betting on the MLB or NBA, which also create high-value betting scenarios. We’ll take a look at some examples of moneyline betting from the NBA, MLB, and EPL. 

For those asking how does moneyline work in Major League Baseball, we only have to look at the final game of the World Series, where the New York Yankees (-140) were at home looking to prevent the Los Angeles Dodgers (+120) from securing their seventh World Series title. You’d have been a brave punter to bet on the Dodgers in that one, but for those that did, they came out with some excellent value for their money, as the Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-1 in that World Series.

Another good example of moneyline bets is on the NBA, where there are plenty of one-sided matches. An example of this would be if the Boston Celtics came up against the Charlotte Hornets.

Here, the sportsbooks correctly predicted the Celtics would win easily and listed their odds as -2000 against the Hornets at +1400. So, while the returns weren’t sizeable (depending on your stake), it was a relatively low-risk bet for those confident in Boston’s firepower against Charlotte.  

In the EPL (English Premier League), moneyline bets are certainly popular. Heavyweights such as Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea are often tough to beat, and have the odds weighted in their favor. 

An example of an EPL moneyline bet would be if Manchester City were -1000 to win against Leeds United, who were priced at +1200 to win the match themselves. Obviously, Manchester City’s attacking firepower should prove too strong for Leeds, who will struggle to contain the threat posed from their opponents.

Aside from popular American-based sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, and MLB, you’ll be pleased to hear that moneyline betting is also hugely popular on other sporting events. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the additional sports that use moneyline betting frequently. 

So, what does moneyline mean in sports betting? It’s one of the most straightforward betting markets to understand, as you’re simply picking the winner of the game you’re looking to place a bet on. One of the standout positives about moneyline bets is that you can look to spot early value, which can then lead to strong closing line value. If you do this on a consistent basis, then you can spot value bets, which can open up a betting strategy that you can follow for moneyline bets moving forward.