An NBA moneyline bet is the most straightforward wager in basketball — pick the team that wins the game outright, no point spread involved. Because NBA games don't end in ties, there's no draw option to complicate pricing. The favorite carries a negative number (e.g., -180), indicating how much a bettor must risk to win $100, while the underdog is expressed as a positive number (e.g., +155), showing the return on a $100 stake. Unlike NFL moneylines, where tight scoring margins keep prices relatively compressed, NBA moneylines on heavy favorites can balloon to -400 or beyond, making the cost of backing chalk significantly steeper.
Moneyline value in the NBA tends to emerge in specific spots: short underdogs in the +110 to +180 range, back-to-back scheduling disadvantages, and early-season games where public perception hasn't caught up to roster changes. Bettors should pay close attention to vig on this market, as it varies meaningfully across sportsbooks — particularly on lopsided matchups, where books widen margins knowing casual bettors gravitate toward favorites. Compared to point spreads, where standard vig sits near the -110/-110 baseline, moneyline juice is less transparent and often higher, making line shopping across books especially critical for consistent profitability.
Moneyline Vig Rankings
| # | Sportsbook | Vig | Grade | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LowVig.ag | 3.40% | B+ | 6 |
| 2 | BetOnline.ag | 3.81% | B | 6 |
| 3 | BetUS | 3.86% | B | 6 |
| 4 | ReBet | 3.93% | B | 6 |
| 5 | BetAnything | 4.01% | B | 6 |
| 6 | BetMGM | 4.26% | C+ | 6 |
| 7 | DraftKings | 4.27% | C+ | 6 |
| 8 | Fanatics | 4.27% | C+ | 6 |
| 9 | theScore Bet | 4.29% | C+ | 6 |
| 10 | FanDuel | 4.41% | C+ | 6 |
| 11 | Fliff | 4.46% | C+ | 6 |
| 12 | Caesars | 4.56% | B | 6 |
| 13 | Bovada | 4.66% | C+ | 6 |
| 14 | betPARX | 4.77% | C+ | 6 |
| 15 | Hard Rock Bet | 5.32% | C+ | 6 |
| 16 | MyBookie.ag | 5.40% | C | 6 |
| 17 | BetRivers | 5.57% | C | 6 |
| 18 | Bally Bet | 5.72% | C | 6 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a moneyline bet?
A moneyline bet is the simplest form of sports wagering — you're picking which team will win the game outright, with no point spread involved. The odds reflect each team's implied probability of winning. Favorites have negative odds (e.g., -150) and underdogs have positive odds (e.g., +130).
Why does moneyline vig vary by matchup?
Moneyline vig is lowest on evenly matched games and highest on lopsided matchups. When a heavy favorite is -500, the book needs a wide margin on the underdog side to balance risk. Close games near pick'em (-110/-110) will always have the tightest vig.
How does NBA vig compare to NFL?
NBA vig is generally 1–2% higher than NFL because per-game betting volume is lower despite the longer season. However, NBA still attracts enough action to keep vig competitive — especially for popular matchups and playoff games.
When is NBA season?
The NBA regular season runs from mid-October through mid-April, with playoffs extending through June. The All-Star break falls in mid-February. Off-season runs July through October, though futures markets may open earlier.
Does NBA vig differ between regular season and playoffs?
Yes. Playoff games, especially Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, attract significantly more betting volume. This increased liquidity pushes sportsbooks to compete harder on price, and playoff vig is typically 0.5–1.5% lower than regular season.
Which NBA market has the lowest vig?
NBA point spreads usually carry the lowest vig because they attract the most balanced action. Moneylines on lopsided matchups (heavy favorites) often have higher vig because books need wider margins to manage risk on one-sided games.
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.
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 exceptional and rare — these are typically sharp-friendly books. A (2–3%) is excellent. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard for most recreational sportsbooks. C (5–6%) is below average. D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets where bettors face a steep cost per wager.
- 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.