New sportsbook operators in the US are offering new types of wagers to American bettors. An Odds Boost is a popular term for sports bettors that neither legal sportsbooks nor illegal bookies in America have used before.
The term Odds Boost was introduced to the US market by multiple New Jersey sportsbooks shortly after sports betting became legal. An Odds Boost promotion is exactly what it sounds like: odds for a game or prop bet are increased on certain wagering opportunities.
How Odds Boost works
Some sportsbooks will regularly offer customers better (boosted) odds on a few different wagers. An Odds Boost opportunity could be a sportsbook increasing the payout for a moneyline, point spread, or totals (over/under) bet on a certain game. Additionally, sportsbook operators may also offer increased odds to customers on a certain player or team prop.
All sportsbooks build in a house edge for each wager to help ensure they make a profit (it doesn’t always go that way, but that’s another story). This built-in advantage for the casino is often called the vig (or vigorish).
An Odds Boost always moves the odds in the favor of the bettor. The sportsbook operator will give up some or all of the vig for these specific wagers. There are times where the odds are boosted enough that the sportsbook operator will actually forgo their entire house edge for a specific event.
Get the Best Current Odds Boosts at Online Sportsbooks
Where and when to find an odds boost
Odds boost promotions are limited-time offers. They tend to be a platform for sportsbook operators to highlight games happening on the day or night of the Odds Boost. These opportunities are usually geared toward the most popular game(s) of the day.
DraftKings, FanDuel, and bet365 each offer daily Odds Boost promotions. Bettors can find special wagering opportunities on Twitter and the websites or apps of each sportsbook operator.
Sports bettors looking for an edge might want to compile a special Twitter list just for sportsbooks who offer daily odds boosts. This will be an easy way to get reminders for the daily odds boost and other random promotions.
Is an Odd Boost a good bet?
Sportsbooks and casinos aren’t in the business of giving the gambler an advantage. Odds Boost may or may not present a good bet for the gambler. While some wagering opportunities might offer 0% vig, others might only reduce the house edge for the sportsbook.
Sports bettors are always looking for a fair bet. The lower the vig, the better the opportunity can be. Odds Boost can provide sports bettors with the fairest wagering opportunities. That said, not every Odds Boost opportunity is a good bet for everyone.
Complex multi-event proposition wagers might reduce the house edge but increase variance making the bet more difficult to win. Better odds might lessen the edge but the different parameters might not make the bet a good one.
A sportsbook might offer Odds Boost for prop bet that has a basketball player scoring at least a number of point AND their team winning. An example might be a prop bet of LeBron James scoring 40 AND the Los Angeles Lakers winning the game.
You won’t get rich on any single Odds Boost bet. The wagering limits on these opportunities might be low since these opportunities are geared towards recreational gamblers.