If you’re placing bets through a Georgia sportsbook online—or at least accessing one while you’re in Georgia—you’re already facing an uphill battle. Not just in picking winners, but in beating the built-in tax that sportsbooks use to guarantee they profit long-term. That tax is the “vig.”
Vig, short for vigorish, is present whether you are betting spreads, totals, or moneylines. As a bettor, you will encounter both forms of betting the vig. Sometimes, it’s obvious. Other times, it’s baked in so smoothly that most bettors miss it entirely. But if you’re looking to make sharper bets, learning how to spot the vig—and how to pay the least amount of it possible—is a core skill.
The Vig: What It Is and Why It Exists
Every sportsbook is a business. The vig is how they make their money. It’s not about beating you on every bet—it’s about ensuring profit over volume.
The simplest case is a point spread with -110 odds on both sides. If two users nd two different people place bets of $110 each, the book is taking in $220. The loser also loses 110, while the winner receives $100 in profit. Adding to that, their stake is returned. That is a $10 profit on the book. That profit is also known as the vig.
That’s not the entire 10 dollars you keep. It means you are not receiving true 50/50 payouts. That also means losing half of the bets, not all of the bets. You’ll need to place at least 52.38% of standard -110 bets to simply break even at that point.
Spotting Hidden Vig in Moneyline Bets
Instead of spreads, where the vig is included and fixed at -110, moneyline markets differ greatly. This is the part where sportsbooks become resourceful—and where you need to be careful.
Say you see a line like this:
- Team A: -150
- Team B: +130
That pricing isn’t symmetrical. If this were a true 50/50 game, both teams would be around -110. But here, the book is telling you that Team A is more likely to win. The issue is that they’re penalizing the payout too much for the “juice” in the odds.
There are revenues that determine the implied probability for each line. Add those up and subtract 100%. The result? That’s the vig.
In the example above:
- Team A at -150 = 60% implied probability
- Team B at +130 = 43.48% implied probability
- Total = 103.48%
- Vig = 3.48%
The book has built in a 3.48% edge. The larger the disparity between the lines, the more vig there will be. It will be your task to identify lines with tighter margins—or to chase only those lines where the odds offer real value compared to your own projections.
How Books Adjust Vig Based on Action
Books don’t set lines solely to reflect true odds; they shift lines based on where the money goes. When more people wager on one side, the books may shift the line to balance exposure. Sometimes they change the point spread, and other times, they leave the spread untouched and change the juice instead.
A line that starts at -110 for both sides can shift to -115/-105 as more bets come in on one side. That shift translates to more vigor on one side and less on the other. Spotting when the market overreacts is where sharp bettors find their edge. If you’re patient and wait through the movement to hit the line, you not only get better odds, but you’re also paying less vig.
Reduced Juice Sportsbooks: Do They Matter?
Definitely makes an impact.
A reduced juice book may have lines such as -105 instead of -110. It might seem like a small difference, but it quickly adds up. You used to need to hit a breakeven point of over 52.38%, and now you only need 51.22% to breakeven.
That’s quite a difference from 1,000 bets. Most casual bettors won’t mind it, but for those who want to treat their betting like a long-term investment, reduced vig is the first step.
Even some Georgia sportsbook online options—particularly those operating offshore or via apps accessible in Georgia—offer reduced juice lines. They’re worth looking for.
Be Careful With Parlays and Prop Bets
Not only are props and parlays harder to hit, but they also come with inflated vig.
Each part of a parlay has its own vig. Compounding three to four of those takes a bigger bite out of the margins due to the bookmaker. Player props and other bets also tend to diverge from the traditional pricing of -110. Even bets that seem like “fun” with +700 odds can come with a probability of 10-15% worse value than it should.
Amateur bettors are drawn to these bets, and sportsbooks take advantage of them, pricing them worse than they should. It’s not that all bets are equally bad, but the value provided is much worse than expected.
Shopping Lines Is Your Best Tool
This one’s easy: don’t make a wager without comparing odds first, comparing odds first.
A few cents here, even half a point there—it all adds up, especially with the differing vig structures. And because each sportsbook has a different vig structure, the same event will have different pricing at different places.
The more sportsbooks, the better. Put in the work and track the odds to maximize your profits. It can be a bit time-consuming, like saving $5 on a single wager, but over 100, that’s $500 in unnecessary vig.
And yes, this can be done with Georgia mobile sportsbooks, as long as you stick to the legally permitted ones.
The Vig Is Toughest on Totals
Over/unders are often sharper than sides because public bias is minimal. That makes the lines tighter—and any edge harder to find. The vig on totals is usually standard (-110 both ways), but because outcomes are more efficient, the edge leans more heavily toward the book.
So if you’re betting totals, you’d better have a strong model or clear angle. Otherwise, you’re just paying juice for a near coin flip.
Live Betting: Higher Juice, Faster Mistakes
Live betting sounds exciting. It also sounds beatable because you’re reacting in real-time. But here’s the catch: the vig is usually worse.
Books crank up the juice on in-play markets because they know bettors are acting fast—often emotionally. That means more bad bets at higher margins.
If you’re going to bet live, slow down. Look for stalled drives, injury delays, or momentum swings the book hasn’t priced in yet. Don’t bet just because it’s fun. That’s exactly what they want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s a normal amount of vig on a bet?
A: Most straight bets have about 4.5–5% vig (at -110 lines). Moneylines, parlays, and props often carry more.
Q: Can you beat the vig long term?
A: Yes, but only by consistently finding value—either through market inefficiencies, strong predictive models, or by shopping for better lines.
Q: Is reduced juice worth it?
A: Absolutely. Even -105 instead of -110 cuts the vig by nearly half and lowers the break-even rate.
Q: Do Georgia offshore sportsbooks protect players like legal sites?
A: Not always. Georgia offshore sportsbooks aren’t regulated by U.S. agencies. Some are reliable, others aren’t. You’re taking on more risk.
Q: How does the vig change during live betting?
A: It usually increases. In-play odds shift quickly, and books boost the vig to protect against real-time risk.
Make the Juice Work for You
The vig isn’t going anywhere. You can’t eliminate it—but you can limit its damage. Understand how it’s priced. Compare odds across books. Avoid inflated markets. And don’t bet emotionally.
That’s how you tilt the long game in your favor. Not with hot picks or gut feelings—but by cutting your cost of doing business every chance you get.
