In AFL, spread betting — also known as line betting — requires a team to win by more than a specified margin or lose by fewer points than the line suggests. Because AFL is a high-scoring sport where final margins can swing dramatically in the last quarter, spreads tend to be wider and more volatile than in lower-scoring sports like soccer or baseball. A typical AFL spread might sit anywhere from 5.5 to 40.5 points, and the difference between covering and missing often comes down to a single late-game goal.
The spreads market is most valuable when bettors can identify mismatches that the line hasn't fully accounted for — key personnel changes announced after the line opens, weather conditions at exposed grounds like GMHBA Stadium, or teams with strong fourth-quarter scoring trends that tend to blow out or collapse late. Compared to head-to-head markets, AFL spreads typically carry slightly higher vig because bookmakers need to manage risk around the uncertainty of exact margins. However, the vig variance between sportsbooks on AFL lines can be significant, making it one of the markets where shopping for the best price delivers the most tangible edge over time.
Analysis updated September 13, 2026. Odds data above refreshes hourly.
Spreads Vig Rankings
| # | Sportsbook | Vig | Grade | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pinnacle | 5.41% | C+ | 1 |
| 2 | DraftKings | 6.98% | C | 2 |
Upcoming Spreads Lines
| Matchup | Time | DraftKings | Pinnacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremantle Dockers @ Sydney Swans | Sep 18, 9:40 AM | +11.5 (-115) | +10.5 (-101) |
| Brisbane Lions @ Hawthorn Hawks | Sep 19, 7:15 AM | +2.5 (-115) | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a point spread bet?
A point spread bet levels the playing field by giving the underdog a head start. If the spread is Patriots -7, they must win by more than 7 points for a spread bet to pay. Spreads are the most popular market in football and basketball, which means they attract the most volume and typically have the lowest vig.
Why do spreads usually have lower vig than moneylines?
Spreads attract the highest betting volume because they create a roughly 50/50 proposition regardless of team quality. This balanced action means sportsbooks don't need wide margins to manage risk, resulting in tighter vig — often the best value available.
What is AFL and when is it played?
AFL (Australian Football League) is the top professional Australian rules football league. The season runs from March through September, with finals in September-October. AFL is the most popular sport in Australia and attracts significant international betting interest.
How does AFL vig compare to US sports?
AFL vig tends to be moderate — comparable to NBA. Australian bookmakers offer the tightest lines due to local market depth, while US-facing books typically carry wider margins since AFL is a niche sport for their customer base.
What is vig (vigorish) in sports betting?
Vig — short for vigorish, also called juice or overround — is the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. It's the difference between the true probability of an outcome and what the odds imply. Lower vig means you keep more of your winnings on every bet. For example, a standard -110/-110 line has about 4.76% vig.
How often is this data updated?
We pull fresh odds from The Odds API every hour, on the hour (UTC). Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds. The timestamp at the top of the page shows the most recent refresh.
How is the vig grade calculated?
Each sportsbook is graded on average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exchange-level pricing, A (2–3%) very competitive, B+ (3–4%) above average, B (4–5%) the industry standard, C+ (5–6%) slightly below average, C (6–7%) below average, D (7–8%) high vig, D− (8–10%) very high, F (10%+) predatory.
Why does lower vig matter for bettors?
Lower vig directly impacts your long-term returns. A bettor placing $1,000 per week at a book with 4% vig loses roughly $40/week to the house edge. At 2% vig, that drops to $20/week — a $1,040 difference over a year. For serious bettors, shopping for lower vig is one of the most reliable ways to improve profitability.
What sportsbooks do you track?
We track both regulated US sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars) and offshore books (Bovada, BetOnline, MyBookie, BetUS, LowVig.ag, BetAnything). Data comes from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed sources.
How We Calculate These Numbers
- Data Source
- All odds on this page come from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed US and offshore sportsbooks. We track moneyline, spread, and totals markets across every sport with active betting lines.
- Update Frequency
- We pull a fresh snapshot of every tracked market every hour, on the hour (UTC). Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds for a given event. The timestamp at the top of each page tells you exactly when the data was last refreshed.
- Vig Calculation
- Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice or overround) measures the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. We calculate it by converting the odds on each side of a market to implied probabilities, summing those probabilities, and subtracting 100%. For example, a market priced at -110/-110 implies 52.38% on each side — a total of 104.76%, meaning a vig of 4.76%. Lower vig means better value for bettors because you keep more of your winnings.
- Per-Market Breakdown
- We compute vig separately for each market type: moneyline (h2h), point spreads, and totals (over/under). The "average vig" shown for each sportsbook is the mean across all market types weighted by the number of events sampled in each market.
- Grading Scale
- Every sportsbook receives a letter grade based on its average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exchange-level pricing. A (2–3%) is very competitive. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard — a -110/-110 line is 4.76%. C+ (5–6%) is slightly below average. C (6–7%) is below average. D (7–8%) is high vig. D− (8–10%) is very high vig. F (10%+) is predatory pricing. See the full Vig Index Methodology for formulas, worked examples, and known limitations.
- Trend Tracking
- We store daily snapshots for 30 days, allowing us to show 24-hour and 7-day vig trends. A downward trend (improving) means sportsbooks are tightening their lines — often in response to increased competition or higher betting volume as a season heats up.