Overall Vig
C+ · Rank #10 of 20
↓ 7-day trend: theScore Bet (ESPN Bet)'s average vig has improved by 0.17 percentage points over the past week (from 5.85% to 5.68%).
ESPN Bet, which evolved from theScore Bet after Penn Entertainment's landmark deal with ESPN in 2023, operates as a fully regulated sportsbook across multiple U.S. states. The rebrand brought one of the most recognizable names in sports media into the betting space, leveraging ESPN's massive audience and brand trust. It runs on Penn's licensed infrastructure, meaning bettors are dealing with a legally compliant, state-regulated operator — not an offshore book with murky oversight.
The platform's greatest strength is its integration with the ESPN ecosystem. Bettors can access odds, place wagers, and follow game updates within an environment that already serves as a daily hub for sports consumption. Promotional offers have been aggressive since launch, with ESPN Bet investing heavily to capture market share. However, the book has notable weaknesses. Odds competitiveness has been a frequent point of criticism — lines often lag behind sharper books like Pinnacle or even major competitors like DraftKings and FanDuel. The platform's bet variety and live betting experience, while improving, still trail the depth offered by more established operators. Limits on winning accounts have also drawn complaints, suggesting the book leans toward a recreational model rather than welcoming sharp action.
ESPN Bet is best suited for casual and recreational bettors who value convenience and brand familiarity over getting the absolute best number on every wager. Fans who already live inside the ESPN app will find the integration seamless and the user experience intuitive. High-volume or professional bettors, however, will likely find the odds and limits insufficient for their needs. The book's long-term viability is solid given Penn's regulatory standing and ESPN's financial backing, but it still has ground to cover before it competes at the top tier on product quality alone.
Vig by Sport
| Sport | Avg Vig | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Boxing | 5.47% | C+ |
| Brazil Série B | 8.93% | D- |
| CFL | 6.43% | C |
| FIFA World Cup | 6.27% | C |
| MiLB | 6.30% | C |
| MLB | 4.76% | B |
| NCAA Baseball | 6.88% | C |
| NFL | 4.54% | B |
| NHL | 2.74% | A |
| PLL | 5.56% | C+ |
| WNBA | 4.55% | B |
theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) Odds by Sport
Frequently Asked Questions
How good are theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) odds?
theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) has an average vig of 5.68%, earning a grade of C+. They rank #10 out of 20 tracked sportsbooks.
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 three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM 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 a letter scale based on average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exceptional, A (2–3%) is excellent, B+ (3–4%) is above average, B (4–5%) is the industry standard, C (5–6%) is below average, and D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets.
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, BetAnySports). 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 three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM 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.