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MARKETS

In sports betting, a market is a term for the type of outcome you’re going to bet on. The three main markets for PROLINE In-Store are: Moneyline, Point Spread and Over/Under. You can bet on these markets in new, more convenient ways, combining them into one bet for a simpler in-store transaction. Here’s how the markets work:

A team is shown above a slider, representing the assigned point margin.

POINT SPREAD

In Point Spreads, you choose who you think the winner will be, but not necessarily based on who has the winning score in the game. Instead, the winner is whoever beats or covers the Point Spread, a handicap which is added to the underdog team and deducted from the favourite team. Point Spreads are expressed as a plus (+) for the underdog and a minus (-) for the favourite.

HOW TO READ A POINT SPREAD

Point Spreads help even the “playing field” when it comes to betting. Since the favourite is expected to win, they need to win by more than a certain amount. Since the underdog is expected to lose, a bet on them could still win if they don’t lose by too much. Check out this example:

An event list table shows examples of different Markets odds and payouts where Team 1 is Toronto and Team 2 is Utah. The highlighted example in the middle is for Point Spread, where the assigned Point Spread is 9.5. Team 1 on the left has a Point Spread of +9.5 with the odds of 1.90. Team 2 on the right has a Point Spread of -9.5 with the odds of 1.88.

Utah is the favourite with a Point Spread of -9.5. This means they need to win by more than 10 points to beat the spread and win the bet. Toronto is the underdog with a positive Point Spread of +9.5. This means they need to win the game or lose by 9 points or less to cover the spread and win the bet.

TIP

Want a simple way to see whether a Point Spread bet has won? Simply add the Point Spread amount to the underdog’s final score and subtract it from the favourite’s final score.

Point Spreads are often set at half-point values to avoid ties, since most sports have no half-points. However, in some sports like football and basketball, you may see Point Spreads with whole numbers, indicating that ties are possible. If so, and a game results in a tie, then the result for your Point Spread bet is called a “Push”, which means you neither win nor lose, you simply get your money back.

POINT SPREAD ODDS & PAYOUTS

PROLINE odds are set using algorithms that are based on a range of factors including industry odds and overall betting action, and they’re monitored by a team of sports analysts. You bet with, or against those odds. The decimal odds you see in a Point Spread matchup give you each team’s likelihood of covering the spread and help calculate your potential payout by multiplying your wager amount by the decimal figure for each pick.

In the example above, a $10 bet on the underdog will return $19.00 (including the original bet) if they lose by less than 10 points or win the game outright. A $10 bet on the favourite will return $18.80 (including the original bet) if they win by more than 10 points.

TIP

For new markets available at PROLINE In-Store, check PROLINE.ca or the PROLINE App.

PROLINE.ca and the PROLINE App let you build bets for PROLINE in-store betting. They are different from PROLINE+, OLG’s online sports offering.

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