Moneylines change the amount charged for bets on a team, while point spreads change the team scores that would count as a win. The information in moneyline markets may be more precise than that in point spread markets, according to some financial studies. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537), or visit 1800gamblerchat.org to chat with a helpline specialist. A moneyline bet is a wager on the outcome of an event. It is a bet on which team or competitor the bettor expects to win.
A +200 moneyline would mean that if you placed a $100 bet, you would win $200. It also tells you that the team is not expected to win, as it is the underdog in the game. To figure out how much you would make on a moneyline bet, you need to figure out how much your bet would pay out. Look at the integers next to the teams. Positive ones, next to the underdog, tell you how much you would rake in if you win with a bet of $100. Negative ones, next to the favorite, tell you how much you would need to be willing to risk to win $100. Moneyline bets are among the bet instant cash out betting apps most straightforward wagers. You’re betting only on who wins, with odds expressed as positive or negative numbers that determine your payout. While easy to understand, they still carry the risks inherent to gambling. If you're ready to start placing bets on football, horse racing, or rugby, getting familiar with the available betting markets is the best way to begin. The moneyline bet is one of the first markets you’ll come across because of its simplicity. It allows you to wager on the team or player to win a match. While it is a more common term in the U.S. betting space, it has become increasingly popular in the UK. Therefore, we’ve created this guide to show you how to place your first moneyline bet as a UK punter. We’ll provide real examples and tips to help you maximise this market. Now, let’s get straight into it! The moneyline bet is the simplest betting market you’ll come across in betting.
Gambling always involves a negative expected return—the house always has the advantage. Moneyline bets are wagers placed on a game’s outcome. In essence, they are bets on which team or competitor will win any given match. As the wager is on who will win, usually with two teams or competitors, moneyline bets have only a couple of possible outcomes. Either the team selected will win, in which case the bettor will receive a payout on the odds, or the team will lose, in which case the bettor chose unsuccessfully.
Some events, such as fights, may have a third possible bet option: a draw. Along with the point spread and the over/under, the moneylline is one of the more traditional available betting options and is considered one of the more basic forms of betting. There are also more complicated teaser bets, which are a type of parlay where the bettor can change the point spread. In betting terminology, the moneyline refers to the odds shown for each team. Bookmakers designate favorites with negative odds and underdogs with positive odds.
Underdogs have positive integers (+) that show how much profit you'd make on a $100 bet. Favored to win has negative integers (-) that show how much you'd need to bet to win $100. If, for example, a moneyline looked like this: Team A -150 vs. Team B +200, Team A is favored to win, and Team B is the underdog. If Team A wins, a $150 bet would pay the bettor $100 profit and return the $150 bet. You only need to wager on the team or player that will win a match.
| Factor | Description | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Acquisition | Attract new users with standout offers | High |
| Event Popularity | High-profile games drive maximum engagement | High |
| Risk Management | Odds must align with book's risk tolerance | Medium |
| Regulatory Compliance | Offers must meet state jurisdiction rules | High |
While the moneyline bet follows the same concept across the U.S. and the UK, the difference is in how the odds are displayed. In the U.S., moneyline odds are expressed using the “+” and “-” symbols. The U.K., on the other hand, shows moneyline odds in fractional format or decimal format.
| Sport | Frequency of Offers | Common Game Types | Typical Boost Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Daily (in season) | Primetime, Playoffs | High |
| NBA | Multiple per day | National TV Games | Medium-High |
| MLB | Daily | Weekend Series | Medium |
| UFC | Per Event | Main Event | High |
| Soccer | Weekly | Champions League | Low-Medium |
Consider a match between Arsenal F.C. With Arsenal as the favourite, the odds might look like this: For Crystal Palace, who are the underdogs, the odds could be as follows: If you want to bet on boxing, consider a match between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan. If Donovan is favoured to win, the odds might look like this: On the other hand, Crocker, who is the underdog, could look like Once you’re ready to place your moneyline bet, the first step is to understand how the odds work.
With American odds, a negative(-) sign indicates the favourite team, while the positive(+) sign depicts the underdogs. Let's examine a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, with the following odds. The positive symbol shows how much you win on a £100 bet, while the negative indicates the amount you need to stake to win £100. So, if you wager £156 on the Lakers, you will payout £256 (£156 stake + £100 profit). On the other hand, a £100 wager on the Warriors will see you win £133 for a total payout of £233.
For fractional odds of 1/3, for the Lakers, if you bet £90, you will receive £30 as your profit for a total payout of £120. On the other hand, if you wager £50 on the Warriors with decimal odds of 2.33, your total payout will be £116.5 (£50 stake + £66.5 returns). Bookmakers in the UK usually display moneyline bets using fractional odds. However, some operators like bet365 provide the option of selecting odds in decimal and American formats. While the moneyline betting market is common for sports like the NFL, NBA, and UFC, most UK bookies label moneyline bets differently.
It’s more commonly known as “Match Winner” for sports like football, basketball, and tennis.
The underdog team, in comparison, doesn’t have to win; it only has to lose by less than the spread. To manage risk, bookmakers use point spreads to evenly distribute bettors on both sides of a bet. Moneylines and point spreads use the same information when they’re calculated, and both of their payouts are tied to the odds of a team winning or losing. In fact, both try to account for the relative strength of each team. However, they do this in different ways. Some may label it as “Match Betting” for American football and “Fight Winner” or “To Win the Bout” for UFC and boxing. It follows the same concept in all cases. You need to predict which team or player will win the match.
Missouri is the latest bet betting bonus website state to legalize sports betting. A ballot measure narrowly passed in November 2024, with legal Missouri sportsbooks expected to launch on Dec. 1, 2025. A point spread bet considers not only which team wins but also how much. In this sort of bet, the favorite has to win by a set amount of points or more. If you want to bet predominantly on sports with moneyline markets, you should focus on American sports like the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA.
| Trigger Event | Example Promotion | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|
| New User Sign-up | "First Bet Boost: Get +500 odds on any game" | Acquisition |
| Major Championship | "Super Bowl Winner Boosted to +400" | All Users |
| Player Milestone | "LeBron 40k points boost: +300" | Casual Fans |
| App Download Push | "Mobile Exclusive: 3-Leg Parlay +400%" | Mobile Users |
You may also switch your odds to American formats if you find it more comfortable. Most players prefer moneyline bets for several reasons.
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A moneyline bet is a type of wager where the focus is solely on choosing the winner of a game or event without any additional point spread considerations. Moneyline bets are bets placed on a game’s conclusion. The term “moneyline” represents the payouts for winning the bet, with a negative integer for the positive and a negative one for the favorite. A moneyline bet is considered to be the least complicated kind of bet because what is at stake is so straightforward: who will win. Payouts still take into account the odds of a game, with the teams split into two neatly organized categories: favorite and underdog. Here are the pros of this market.
If Team B wins, a $100 bet would pay the bettor $200 profit and return the $100 bet. Moneylines are good betting options for times when you want to pick the winner and not the margin. They work well for low-scoring sports like hockey, baseball, soccer, or tennis, or when injuries, weather, likely shootouts, or overtime may affect the spread. With the rise of online gambling, the industry is becoming more profitable, more permissible, and more popular, advocates say. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting since the U.S.
Supreme Court threw out a federal ban on it in 2018. Prior to that, it was already legal in Nevada, which had been exempted from the law due to the legacy of legal gambling in that state. According to the gambling advocacy nonprofit American Gaming Association, recent data suggests that a majority of Americans see gambling as acceptable entertainment, with many also suggesting that it has an overall positive impact, especially economically. Others worry that gambling addiction and “problem gaming” are becoming more common. Despite this, projections show that gambling, especially online, will continue to grow.
And moneyline bets are considered a comparatively easy way for newbies to bet. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court permitted states to legalize sports betting if they wished to do so. As of October 2025, it is legal in 39 states and the District of Columbia. It is still illegal in 11 states, including Texas and California. Simplicity: It is very easy to understand and ideal for beginners.
