# Examples of Betting Markets
This page includes examples of some of the betting markets covered by The Odds API.
# Head to Head / Moneyline Bets
These examples use American odds:
$250 is wagered on a team with odds of -250. If the team wins, the bettor receives a profit of $100, and a payout of $250 + $100 = $350
$100 is wagered on a team with odds of 300. If the team wins, the bettor receives a profit of $300, and a payout of $100 + $300 = $400
This example uses decimal odds:
$100 wagered on a team with odds of 2.5. If the team wins, the bettor receives a payout of 100 x 2.5 = $250, and a profit of $250 - $100 = $150
# Lay Bets for Head to Head / Moneyline
Laying a bet is like taking the position of a bookmaker. A bet is made against a winning outcome. This example uses decimal odds:
If you wager $100 on a team with decimal odds of 2 as a lay bet, you are betting the team will lose. Another bettor is backing your bet by wagering $100 on those same odds of 2. If the team wins, you lose your $100 to the backer (their profit, your loss). If the team loses, you keep the backer's wager of $100 (your profit, their loss), giving you a payout of $100 + $100 = $200
# Point Spread / Handicap Bets
Bet on the winning team after a handicap of points has been applied on each team. This example uses American odds:
A Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers game had point spread odds of Utah Jazz -112 (-3.5 points) and LA Clippers -109 (+3.5 points).
Utah Jazz is seen as the stronger team and is handicapped by 3.5 points. LA Clippers are given a bonus of +3.5 points.
If you bet on Utah Jazz, they will need to win by more than 3.5 points (i.e. at least 4 points) in order to win the bet at odds -112. If you bet on LA Clippers, they can either lose by less the 3.5 points (i.e. lose by 3 points or less), or win the game in order to win the bet at odds of -109.
# Totals / Over/Under Bets
Bet on the total score of the game being above or below a threshold. This example uses American odds:
A Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers game showed over/under odds as over 234.5 points at odds of -109, under 234.5 points at odds -112.
A bet on the over side will win if the total points of the game are 235 or more.
A bet on the under side will win if the total points of the game are 234 or less.
# Outrights / Futures Bets
Futures bets try to pick the final outcome of a tournament or a competition, usually amongst many possible outcomes. Examples include
- Betting on the winning team of this season's NFL Superbowl
- Betting on a player finishing in the top 3 of a golf tournament
- Betting on the next US President amongst the candidates
# Get Started
To discover the sports, bookmakers and markets that we cover, the first thing you will need is an API key
To get started with the JSON API, see
To bring bookmaker odds into your website with a simple HTML tag, and to monetize with bookmaker affiliate links, checkout the Odds Widget
To get sports odds in Excel or Google Sheets at the click of a button (no coding needed), see