Line Moving

Line moving is a major part of the sports betting business. It is important to understand line moving in order to understand how this can affect an offshore sportsbook and their price per head agents.

When lines are first set, only players willing to put at least one thousand dollars on the game are allowed in. These players must be pre-registered and it is important to note that they are not allowed to bet on every game. Once the set number of players has bet, the lines are then adjusted before the public has access.

Lines begin moving based on respected betters’ bets. They typically move more based on the person betting and not the amount of money. A large bet from a less respected individual will generally not have much of an influence. As the game gets closer, say one to two hours prior, lines begin to see a lot more action. Sports books need to move lines in order to protect themselves. If they have an influx of people taking a particular side on a game, they need to hedge themselves and they do so by gradually moving the line in the opposite direction. It is generally obvious to see which side of the game the public is betting on from the way the line is moving. The sports betting business has been going on for a long time and price per head agents have learned through experience how lines will move.

Late line moves typically occur due to news of a player being injured. A player’s injury status is often times listed as questionable until the game is quite near. Once their status is released the line will normally adjust to this news. When lines move in a strange direction, it is generally due to insider information.

At our offshore sportsbook, we offer larger agents the ability to move a line themselves. This is a big advantage for them as they can better control their bookie business. They can do line moving using the online bookmaker software provided to them in our agent-package. We offer the most options to price per head agents in the sports betting business.