The percentage of total money wagered that the sportsbook or casino keeps as profit.
Hold percentage is the actual profit a gambling operator makes as a percentage of the total handle (money wagered). For sportsbooks, hold percentage on a specific market depends on the vig and how the action is distributed between sides.
Theoretical hold (the expected hold based on the vig) is different from actual hold (what really happened). If a sportsbook takes equal action on both sides of a -110/-110 line, the theoretical hold is about 4.5%. But if all the money comes in on the winning side, the actual hold can be negative.
For casinos, hold percentage is closely tied to the house edge and player behavior. A game with a 1% house edge might have a much higher hold percentage if players make suboptimal decisions.
A sportsbook’s hold percentage measures how much of the money wagered the book keeps after paying winners. If DraftKings takes in $1M in NFL spread action over a weekend and pays out $940K to winners, the hold is 6.0%.
Industry averages vary sharply by product: straight NFL spreads run 4.5–5%, MLB moneylines 3–4%, player props 7–12%, and same-game parlays can exceed 20%. That is why books pour marketing dollars into SGP promos — every recreational parlay is nearly 4x more profitable per dollar than a straight bet. Bettors minimize the effective hold by line-shopping across 5+ books on every wager.
<p>A sportsbook’s <strong>hold percentage</strong> measures how much of the money wagered the book keeps after paying winners. If DraftKings takes in <strong>$1M in NFL spread action</strong> over a weekend and pays out <strong>$940K</strong> to winners, the hold is <strong>6.0%</strong>.</p><p>Industry averages vary sharply by product: straight NFL spreads run <strong>4.5–5%</strong>, MLB moneylines <strong>3–4%</strong>, player props <strong>7–12%</strong>, and same-game parlays can exceed <strong>20%</strong>. That is why books pour marketing dollars into SGP promos — every recreational parlay is nearly 4x more profitable per dollar than a straight bet. Bettors minimize the effective hold by line-shopping across 5+ books on every wager.</p>
Measure market hold so you can spot tighter prices and weaker boards.
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Continue learningThe percentage of total money wagered that the sportsbook or casino keeps as profit.
<p>A sportsbook’s <strong>hold percentage</strong> measures how much of the money wagered the book keeps after paying winners. If DraftKings takes in <strong>$1M in NFL spread action</strong> over a weekend and pays out <strong>$940K</strong> to winners, the hold is <strong>6.0%</strong>.</p><p>Industry averages vary sharply by product: straight NFL spreads run <strong>4.5–5%</strong>, MLB moneylines <strong>3–4%</strong>, player props <strong>7–12%</strong>, and same-game parlays can exceed <strong>20%</strong>. That is why books pour marketing dollars into SGP promos — every recreational parlay is nearly 4x more profitable per dollar than a straight bet. Bettors minimize the effective hold by line-shopping across 5+ books on every wager.</p>
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