↓ 7-day trend: Average vig has improved by 0.32 percentage points over the past week (from 4.98% to 4.66%). Sportsbooks are tightening their lines — a good sign for bettors.
The top 2 books are tightly clustered — only 0.16% separates them. The spread between #1 and #19 is 4.38% — book choice matters significantly for NHL. Vig is trending down 0.31% since yesterday.
NHL betting offers a distinct landscape compared to other major North American sports. The low-scoring nature of hockey — most games finish with combined totals between 5 and 7 goals — compresses the margins between favorites and underdogs on the moneyline, creating frequent plus-money opportunities on both sides. Puck lines (the NHL's version of a point spread, fixed at ±1.5 goals) add another layer of complexity, since a single empty-net goal can swing a cover. The sport's pace and physicality introduce significant variance on a nightly basis, which means sharp bettors often find edges that casual markets undervalue, particularly in live betting where momentum shifts can be dramatic and sudden.
Vig on NHL markets tends to fall in a middle range — tighter than sports like baseball parlays or player props but wider than high-liquidity NFL spreads. Moneyline margins typically sit between 4% and 6% at most major books, though totals and puck lines can carry slightly higher juice. Competition among sportsbooks has improved NHL margins over the past several years, but there's still meaningful variation from book to book on any given game. Comparing vig across operators before placing a wager can translate to significant savings over a full 82-game regular season slate, especially for bettors with high volume.
The NHL regular season runs from October through mid-April, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs extending into late June. Odds tend to be most competitive during the regular season's middle months — December through February — when books have the deepest data sets and handle the highest volume across a crowded nightly schedule. Early-season lines, particularly in October, can be softer as books and models adjust to roster changes, new coaching systems, and goaltender rotations. Speaking of goalies, the confirmed starting netminder is arguably the single most important factor affecting NHL odds. A backup goaltender can swing a line by 30 cents or more. Beyond goaltending, bettors should monitor back-to-back scheduling, road trip fatigue, home-ice advantages (which are more pronounced in the playoffs), and injury reports — though NHL teams are notoriously opaque about player availability, making information edges valuable when they exist.
NHL Sportsbook Vig Rankings
| # | Sportsbook | Avg Vig | Grade | 24h | Moneyline | Spreads | Totals | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) | 2.74% | A | ↓ 2.43% | 2.11% | 3.08% | 3.03% | 1 |
| 2 | Pinnacle | 2.90% | A | ↓ 0.50% | 2.56% | 3.26% | 2.89% | 1 |
| 3 | LowVig.ag | 3.60% | B+ | ↓ 0.09% | 3.27% | 3.95% | 3.57% | 1 |
| 4 | BetOnline.ag | 3.60% | B+ | ↓ 0.09% | 3.27% | 3.95% | 3.57% | 1 |
| 5 | BetUS | 4.24% | B | ↓ 0.05% | 4.71% | 3.47% | 4.55% | 1 |
| 6 | Caesars | 4.29% | B | ↓ 0.29% | 4.71% | 4.22% | 3.96% | 1 |
| 7 | DraftKings | 4.40% | B | ↑ 0.01% | 4.71% | 4.35% | 4.14% | 1 |
| 8 | Bovada | 4.42% | B | ↓ 0.07% | 4.55% | 3.97% | 4.75% | 1 |
| 9 | BetAnything | 4.58% | B | ↑ 0.03% | 4.71% | 4.48% | 4.55% | 1 |
| 10 | MyBookie.ag | 4.60% | B | ↑ 0.05% | 3.98% | 4.86% | 4.94% | 1 |
| 11 | Bally Bet | 4.68% | B | ↓ 0.35% | 4.13% | 4.76% | 5.14% | 1 |
| 12 | betPARX | 4.68% | B | ↓ 0.35% | 4.13% | 4.76% | 5.14% | 1 |
| 13 | BetMGM | 4.73% | B | — | 4.71% | 4.76% | 4.71% | 1 |
| 14 | Fanatics | 4.76% | B | — | 4.71% | 5.23% | 4.34% | 1 |
| 15 | FanDuel | 4.80% | B | ↓ 0.05% | 4.47% | 4.86% | 5.07% | 1 |
| 16 | BetRivers | 5.70% | C+ | ↑ 0.04% | 5.28% | 5.94% | 5.88% | 1 |
| 17 | Hard Rock Bet | 6.11% | C | — | 4.71% | 8.33% | 5.30% | 1 |
| 18 | Fliff | 6.57% | C | ↓ 0.18% | 5.76% | 7.15% | 6.80% | 1 |
| 19 | ReBet | 7.12% | D | ↓ 1.51% | 4.90% | 10.90% | 5.56% | 1 |
Best Line Leaders
Which sportsbook offers the best odds most often across 1 events:
| # | Sportsbook | Best Lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) | 2 |
| 2 | BetUS | 1 |
| 3 | Caesars | 1 |
| 4 | Fanatics | 1 |
| 5 | Bally Bet | 1 |
| 6 | LowVig.ag | 1 |
| 7 | Pinnacle | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which sportsbook has the lowest vig for NHL?
theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) currently has the lowest average vig for NHL at 2.74%, earning a grade of A.
How do sportsbook odds compare for NHL?
We compare 19 sportsbooks for NHL. The vig ranges from 2.74% (theScore Bet (ESPN Bet)) to 7.12% (ReBet).
When do small vig differences matter for NHL?
The top two books (theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) and Pinnacle) are separated by just 0.16%. While small, this adds up over volume — a bettor placing $1,000/week saves roughly $2 per week by choosing the lower-vig book.
Is NHL vig getting better or worse?
NHL vig is currently improving (decreasing). Average vig has shifted by 0.31 percentage points since yesterday. We track these changes daily to help bettors identify the best windows for placing wagers.
How does NHL vig compare to other major sports?
NHL vig sits between NFL and niche sports. Hockey attracts decent volume, especially during playoffs, but less than football or basketball. Expect NHL vig to be 1–3% higher than NFL on average, with puck lines (spreads) typically carrying more vig than moneylines.
When is NHL season?
The NHL regular season runs from October through mid-April, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs extending through June. The season offers consistent daily games from October to April, making it a steady option for bettors during football's off-season.
Why are NHL puck line vig margins wider?
The puck line (±1.5 goals) is harder for books to price efficiently because hockey is low-scoring. A single goal swings the market dramatically. This uncertainty leads to wider margins. Moneyline bets in NHL tend to offer better vig for that reason.
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.
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.