The Six Nations Championship, running annually from late January through mid-March, offers a compact but intensely compelling betting window. With only 15 matches across five rounds, each fixture carries enormous weight — there are no throwaway games. Rugby union's scoring complexity, where tries, conversions, penalties, and drop goals create variable scorelines, makes handicap and totals markets particularly interesting. The sport's physicality also means momentum can shift dramatically within a match, and bettors who understand the tactical nuances of set-piece dominance, territorial kicking, and defensive structures hold a genuine edge over the casual market.
Margins on Six Nations markets tend to be tighter than in most rugby competitions, largely because the tournament attracts significant betting volume concentrated into a small number of high-profile fixtures. Sportsbooks compete aggressively for market share during the championship, particularly on match result and handicap lines for marquee matchups like England-France or Ireland-Scotland. That said, vig can widen considerably on derivative markets such as first tryscorer, winning margins, and tournament specials like Grand Slam or top tryscorer outrights, where bookmaker models diverge more and liquidity is thinner. Comparing margins across books on these secondary markets is where informed bettors often find the most value.
Several factors reliably move Six Nations lines. Home advantage remains significant — historically teams win roughly 60% of home fixtures, and venues like Cardiff's Principality Stadium with its closed roof create distinct conditions. Weather is a genuine variable at European venues in February and March, often suppressing scoring and favoring forward-dominant teams. Injury news drops throughout the week, with official team announcements typically arriving on Thursday or Friday, which can trigger sharp line movement. Bettors who monitor squad selections closely and act quickly after team announcements often capture the best available numbers before the market corrects.
Cross-Sport Vig Comparison
Six Nations averages 9.72% vig across 1 sportsbooks. Here's how that compares to other active sports:
| Sport | Avg Vig | vs Six Nations |
|---|---|---|
| Six Nations | 9.72% | — |
| NCAAF | 4.65% | 5.07% higher |
| UFL | 5.26% | 4.46% higher |
| AFL | 6.42% | 3.30% higher |
| KBO | 6.33% | 3.39% higher |
Vig Rankings
| # | Sportsbook | Avg Vig | Grade | ML | Spreads | Totals | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BetRivers | 9.72% | D- | — | — | 9.72% | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which sportsbook has the lowest Six Nations vig?
BetRivers currently has the lowest vig at 9.72%, earning a grade of D-.
What is the Six Nations?
The Six Nations Championship is an annual rugby union tournament between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Played in February and March, it's one of the oldest and most prestigious rugby competitions. Betting volume is high during the tournament, keeping vig relatively competitive.
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.