The following are the results of a 2026 bookmaker margins survey.
Selected Australian-licensed bookmakers plus the betting exchange Betfair were included. The odds were collected in May, 2026.
Table of Contents
This article is lengthy. Shortcuts are provided below for those who are only interested in certain sections.
- Quick results
- What are bookmaker margins?
- How to calculate bookmaker margins
- How to interpret bookmaker margins
- Bookmaker margin vs. vigorish (vig)
- The value of combined margins
- Sports margins survey results
- Racing margins survey results
- Summary
- Odds comparison tool
- Survey caveats
Quick Results
For those who are short on time, below are the primary survey results. The bookmakers are sorted by the sum of squares of their rankings in each category.
The racing survey was conducted using fixed odds win markets.
| Rank | Bookmaker | Sport Rank |
Racing Rank |
Freq Best Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bet Right | 4 | 1 | 26% |
| 2 | bet365 | 3 | 4 | 30% |
| 3 | NextBet | 5 | 3 | 27% |
| 4 | Havabet | 1 | 9 | 14% |
| 5 | Dabble | 8 | 6 | 11% |
| 6 | BetEstate | 6 | 8 | 10% |
| 7 | betr | 10 | 2 | 26% |
| 8 | Next2go | 9 | 7 | 13% |
| 9 | Betfair | 2 | 12 | 22% |
| 10 | Picklebet | 12 | 5 | 13% |
| 11 | Marantelli Bet | 7 | 11 | 7% |
| 12 | Betchamps | 11 | 10 | 4% |
Bet Right topped the overall standings for the best average odds across the surveyed sports and racing (thoroughbred, greyhounds and harness). Bet Right didn’t top any specific racing category, but they were rewarded for having no major weakness. NextBet had the lowest margins for thoroughbreds and greyhounds, while betr had the lowest margins for harness racing.
For those who wager only on sports, Havabet performed the best for our surveyed sports markets. It should be noted that Havabet’s margins are lower on the day of the game compared to days prior.
bet365 was a standout for providing the best or joint best available odds on 30% of the surveyed markets across racing and sports. The next best performer for best odds frequency was NextBet.
It should be noted that Betfair was hard done by in the racing survey. The betting exchange’s margins are often market-leading in the minutes leading up to each race, but our survey times were sometimes hours before the race jump.
Far more details about our survey results can be found by jumping to the shortcuts below.
What are Bookmaker Margins?
The bookmaker margin, also known as the overround, the cut or the take, is the hidden amount charged by a bookmaker for accepting a wager.
When a bookmaker sets the odds they first estimate the probability of each possible outcome. In a fair coin toss, for example, the probability of heads is 50%. When using the decimal/European odds system the fair odds, also known as the true odds, equal the reciprocal of the bookmaker’s estimated probability, in this case 1 / 50% = 2.00. To fund their service, the bookmaker adjusts these odds downward to create a profit margin. Typical odds on a selection with a 50% chance of winning are 1.91. The gap between the bookmaker’s odds (1.91) and the fair odds (2.00) is the bookmaker margin.
The bookmaker margin is a measure of the bookmaker’s profit margin for an event and is a hidden transaction cost for punters. This profit is how bookmakers finance their services but bookmakers vary in the margins they apply. From a punter’s perspective, the lower the margin, the better. The difference between 1.90 and 1.92 line odds may not seem significant for a single wager, but when betting repeatedly this difference has a compounding effect. This can make the difference between winning and losing money in the long-term.
How to Calculate Bookmaker Margins
When using decimal odds the bookmaker margin equals the sum of the reciprocals of the odds, minus 1. Below are calculation examples using two-outcome and three-outcome events.
The margin is amount by which the market exceeds 100%.
For a 100.0% market the margin is zero. If you compile the best available odds across a number of bookmakers and the combined market is below 100.0%, then the margin is negative, which means an arbitrage opportunity may exist.
How To Interpret Bookmaker Margins
The margin measures the bookmaker’s profit if they were to receive wagers on each outcome in proportion to the odds. Suppose a bookmaker offers decimal odds a on outcome A and odds b on outcome B. If proportion b/(a+b) is wagered on outcome A and a/(a+b) is wagered on outcome B, then the bookmaker will receive the same profit regardless of the result.
For example, recall that the bookmaker margin for the two-outcome event above was 3.5%. Suppose $100,000 in total is wagered on the market, with:
(1.64/(1.64 + 2.35)) x $100,000 = $41,102.76 wagered on Oklahoma City and
(2.35/(1.64 + 2.35)) x $100,000 = $58,897.24 wagered on Denver.
Depending on the outcome, the bookmaker will pay out one of the following two amounts:
If Oklahoma City wins: $41,102.75 x 2.35 = $96,591.48
If Denver wins: $58,897.24 x 1.64 = $96,591.48
The bookmaker accepts $100,000 in wagers but only pays out $96,591.48 to the winners. The profit margin is ($100,000 – $96,591.48)/$96,591.48 = 3.5%, as calculated by the margin earlier.
To provide perspective on how odds relate to margins, the table on the right compares equal line odds (bets with a 50% chance of winning) to their respective margins. Note that 2.00 line odds equate to a margin of 0%, where the bookmaker makes no profit on the market.
Bookmaker Margin vs. Vigorish (Vig)
Another popular term, particularly in the United States, for measuring the bookmaker profit margin is vigorish. It is often referred to as vig, for short, or juice. In the context of this article the term vigorish refers to a different calculation to bookmaker margin. In short, the bookmaker margin is the bookmaker’s profit margin relative to the total pay outs to the winners, while vigorish refers to the profit margin relative to turnover, i.e. the initial wagers. Because the total pay out is less than the total turnover, the bookmaker margin is greater than vigorish for positive margins.
Unfortunately there are conflicting definitions of bookmaker margin and vigorish. Even on Wikipedia the explanation of how to calculate vigorish depends on which article you visit. This survey uses the definition of bookmaker margin (overround) as used in the Mathematics of bookmaking Wikipedia article and the definition of vigorish as used in the Vigorish Wikipedia article.
Referring to the previous NBA example:
The bookmaker margin is 1/1.64 + 1/2.35 – 1 = 3.53%
while vigorish is (1 – 1.64*2.35/(1.64 + 2.35)) = 3.41%
Recall that with this example, if $41,102.76 is wagered on Oklahoma City and $58,897.24 is wagered on Denver, the bookmaker accepts $100,000 in wagers and pays out $96,591.48 to the winners, regardless of the result. The bookmaker margin is ($100,000 – $96,591.48)/$96,591.48 = 3.53%, while vigorish is ($100,000 – $96,591.48)/$100,000 = 3.41%.
Both of these measures of bookmaker profit margin are valid, providing you understand what each represents. You can think of bookmaker margin as metres and vigorish as yards.
Note that if the bookmaker margin is 0% then vigorish is also 0%. If one is negative then so is the other.
The choice of bookmaker margin over vigorish has no impact on this survey. If the bookmaker margin of one bookmaker is higher than another’s, then the same can be said for that bookmaker’s vigorish. The relative value between bookmakers is the focus of this survey, not the actual values.
To understand more about bookmaker margins and vigorish, check out our bookmaker margin / vigorish calculator.
The Value of Combined Margins
For each market a “combined” margin is calculated by sourcing the best available odds across the surveyed bookmakers. This combined margin represents the attainable margin that can be achieved through holding a portfolio of bookmaker memberships and shopping around for the highest odds.
The combined margin is always equal to or lower than the lowest bookmaker’s margin. The greater the disparity between the odds of two or more bookmakers, the lower the combined margin will be.
To illustrate, at the time of writing we can observe the following AFL head-to-head markets:
Dabble
Essendon: 5.50
Fremantle: 1.15
Bet Right:
Essendon: 7.00
Fremantle: 1.10
The bookmaker margin for Dabble is 5.1% while the margin for Bet Right is 5.2%.
If we combine the two markets by sourcing the best available odds we got:
Essendon: 7.00
Fremantle: 1.15
The combined margin for this market is 1/7.00 + 1/1.15 – 1 = 1.2%.
Combined margins are a crucial for beating bookmakers because they lower the hurdle rate that is required to achieve a profit. The equivalent line odds for the 5.1% margin at Dabble is 1.902. To make a profit on 1.902 odds you would have to win more than 52.6% of the time. In contrast, the equivalent line odds for the 1.2% combined margin is 1.975. To make a profit on 1.975 odds you would only need to win more than 50.6% of the time.
Note that if the combined margin is a negative number then an arbitrage opportunity exists.
Sports Margins Survey Results
The following leagues and markets were included in the survey:
AFL: head-to-head, line, total score
A-League: head-to-head, over/under 2.5 goals
EPL: head-to-head, over/under 2.5 goals
FA Cup: head-to-head, over/under 2.5 goals
IPL: head-to-head
MLB: head-to-head, line, total score
NBA: head-to-head, line, total score
NHL: head-to-head, line, total score
NRL: head-to-head, line, total score
Super Rugby: head-to-head, line, total score
Tennis (ATP, WTA & Challenger): head-to-head
UEFA Champions League: head-to-head, over/under 2.5 goals
The odds were typically recorded within 24 hours of the events commencing.
The table below provides the average margins for the surveyed leagues. The “Equiv. Line” column shows the equivalent line odds for the respective margins. The “Freq. Best Odds” column shows the frequency with which the bookmaker offered either the best or the joint best available odds for any given selection.
Note that the actual margins are of less interest than the relative margins between the bookmakers. This is because margins will vary depending on the leagues and markets chosen.
Sports Margins
| Rank | Bookmaker | Margin | Equiv. Line |
Freq. Best Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Havabet | 4.7% | 1.91 | 20% |
| 2 | Betfair | 5.4% | 1.90 | 40% |
| 3 | bet365 | 5.4% | 1.90 | 15% |
| 4 | Bet Right | 5.7% | 1.89 | 5% |
| 5 | NextBet | 5.8% | 1.89 | 10% |
| 6 | BetEstate | 5.9% | 1.89 | 7% |
| 7 | Marantelli Bet | 5.9% | 1.89 | 7% |
| 8 | Dabble | 6.0% | 1.89 | 8% |
| 9 | Next2go *** | 6.1% | 1.89 | 7% |
| 10 | betr | 6.1% | 1.88 | 8% |
| 11 | Betchamps | 8.5% | 1.84 | 3% |
| 12 | Picklebet | 9.9% | 1.82 | 4% |
| Combined | 2.6% | 1.95 | ||
Havabet was the clear winner, with an average margin of just 4.7%. While their range of leagues supported and markets available weren’t as broad as the largest bookmakers, for the markets that they did provide, Havabet was incredibly competitive. We observed head-to-head margins as low as 2.8% for the NHL and 2.9% for the NBA. For three-outcome head-to-head markets we observed margins as low as 3.7% for the EPL and 3.8% for the FA Cup. Havabet topped the standings for all three markets covered: head-to-head, line and total score. Note that these margins were primarily observed on the day of the surveyed games. Havabet employs higher margins in the day prior to the event start.
The betting exchange Betfair dominated the survey for the frequency of providing the best or joint best available odds for the surveyed selections. Their frequency of 40% was double that of the next-best performer. The reason Betfair didn’t top the margins survey was because their margins were higher for less popular fixtures. When it comes to popular sports, such as the major football leagues and tennis, Betfair dominated. For the AFL and NRL, Betfair was excellent in the head-to-head markets, but was dragged down by lees competitive line and total score odds.
bet365 was another strong performer. They are well balanced by being consistently competitive across all sports. bet365 finished in the top three for eight out of the twelve surveyed leagues and they finished in the top three for every market type.
The combined margin of 2.6% highlights the benefit of holding multiple bookmaker memberships. This margin is considerably lower than 4.7% for Havabet and 6.3% for the survey average. A margin of 2.6% equates to wagering on a line market at 1.95 odds. The combined margin varied from sport to sport. The combined margin for the surveyed NRL head-to-head markets was just 1.6%. The combined margin was also 1.9% or below for the AFL, IPL, NBA, Super Rugby and UEFA Champions League head-to-head markets.
*** We observed identical sports odds for BetEstate, Marantelli Bet and Next2go. As an unfortunate quirk of the data, the reason Next2go finished lower in the standings is because it actually offered more markets than BetEstate and Marantelli Bet. Those markets were for higher-margin sports, which dragged up Next2go’s average margin.
Top Three Performers By League
Most punters only wager on a select range of sports, so for those looking for league-specific results, the table below lists the top three performers for each sport.
| Sport | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| AFL | Havabet | bet365 | BetEstate Marantelli Bet Next2go |
| 4.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% | |
| A-League | Betfair | Dabble | NextBet |
| 4.6% | 6.3% | 6.5% | |
| IPL | BetEstate | Marantelli Bet | Next2go |
| 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | |
| EPL | Betfair | Havabet | bet365 |
| 3.9% | 4.0% | 5.6% | |
| FA Cup | Betfair | Havabet | bet365 |
| 4.4% | 4.6% | 5.9% | |
| MLB | Havabet | bet365 | Bet Right |
| 3.7% | 4.7% | 5.0% | |
| NBA | Havabet | Betfair | Dabble |
| 3.8% | 4.3% | 4.9% | |
| NHL | Havabet | Bet Right | bet365 |
| 3.9% | 4.4% | 4.6% | |
| NRL | bet365 | Havabet | BetEstate Marantelli Bet Next2go |
| 4.8% | 5.0% | 5.2% | |
| Super Rugby | bet365 | NextBet | Bet Right |
| 5.2% | 5.7% | 5.8% | |
| Tennis | Betfair | Havabet | BetEstate Marantelli Bet Next2go |
| 3.4% | 5.1% | 5.7% | |
| UEFA CL | Betfair | bet365 | Havabet |
| 4.6% | 5.6% | 6.3% | |
Betfair finished first for five leagues, while Havabet finshed first for four.
Haveabet was the most consistent performer, with nine top-3 finishes. Betfair, in contrast, finished 10th or below for the AFL, NRL and MLB. This was primarily due to Betfair’s less competitive line and totals odds.
bet365 was a strongly balanced performer. They had two first-placed finishes and eight top-3 finishes.
Top Three Performers By Category
The table below lists the top three performers for each major sports category.
| Sport Category | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| AFL & NRL | Havabet | bet365 | BetEstate Marantelli Bet Next2go |
| 4.8% | 4.8% | 5.2% | |
| USA Sports | Havabet | bet365 | Bet Right |
| 3.8% | 4.8% | 4.8% | |
| Football | Betfair | Havabet | bet365 |
| 4.4% | 5.0% | 6.1% | |
| Other | Havabet | Next2go | NextBet |
| 5.3% | 5.6% | 5.6% | |
Havabet topped the standings for three of the four categories and they finished 2nd for the one they didn’t. Note again that these margins were observed on the day of the surveyed games. We have observed that Havabet employs higher margins in the days prior to the event start.
Betfair came out on top for football, while bet365 had three top-three finishes.
Interestingly, Next2go and NextBet came to the fore for the remaining sports (IPL, Super Rugby and tennis).
Note again that BetEstate, Marantelli Bet and Next2go had identical odds, however Next2go provided odds for a greater range of leagues. BetEstate and Marantelli Bet didn’t offer Super Rugby odds during the survey, which is why they didn’t feature in the “Other” top 3.
Racing Margins Survey Results
Fixed win odds were recorded for a random selection of Saturday thoroughbred, harness and greyhound races. The odds were recorded on the day of each race. Some were recorded before the first race of the racecard, while others were recorded with just one race left to run at the racecourse prior to the race jump.
The averages of the win margins are shown in the tables below, along with the frequency with with each bookmaker offered the best or equal best available odds for each runner.
The Overall Racing Margins table combines the averaged data across the three racing codes.
Note that the actual margins are of less interest than the relative margins between the bookmakers. This is because the margins will vary depending on the number of runners and the race prestige.
Thoroughbred Margins
| Rank | Bookmaker | Margin | Freq. Best Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NextBet | 25% | 56% |
| 2 | bet365 | 26% | 38% |
| 3 | Picklebet | 27% | 30% |
| 4 | betr | 27% | 33% |
| 5 | Bet Right | 27% | 44% |
| 6 | Dabble | 29% | 15% |
| 7 | BetEstate | 29% | 8% |
| 8 | Havabet | 31% | 15% |
| 9 | Betchamps | 31% | 13% |
| 10 | Marantelli Bet | 36% | 16% |
| 11 | Next2go | 40% | 11% |
| 12 | Betfair | 45% | 9% |
| Combined | 21% | ||
Little separated the top five bookmakers in terms of margins, however NextBet dominated for providing the best or joint-best available odds for 56% of the runners.
Note that Bet Right had only the 5th lowest margin, but they came second for providing the best available odds on 44% of the runners. This outcome highlights the fact that margins aren’t everything. A bookmaker that offers competitive markets on selected outcomes is just as useful in a portfolio of memberships as a bookmaker with the lowest margins. A low-margin bookmaker is useful for a punter who only wants one bookmaker membership, while a bookmaker that frequently offers the best odds on selected outcomes is useful within a portfolio of memberships for odds shopping.
The nature of the races surveyed played a large role in the odds competitiveness. NextBet offered margins as low as 21.0% for feature races and margins as high as 27.6% for less popular races. For Next2go, the margins ranged between 24% and 61%!
It should be noted that the nature of the survey didn’t benefit Betfair. Betfair’s racing margins are incredibly time-dependant. Their margins just before the race jump are often the best in the industry. They were hurt in this survey by the fact that many of the odds were surveyed hours before the race jump.
Combining bookmakers and shopping around for the best odds lowered the effective margin to 21%.
Greyhound Margins
| Rank | Bookmaker | Margin | Freq. Best Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | betr | 32% | 74% |
| 2 | bet365 | 32% | 70% |
| 3 | Bet Right | 34% | 46% |
| 4 | Next2go | 35% | 31% |
| 5 | NextBet | 38% | 15% |
| 6 | Dabble | 43% | 11% |
| 7 | Picklebet | 47% | 2% |
| 8 | Betchamps | 55% | 0% |
| 9 | BetEstate | 59% | 16% |
| 10 | Havabet | 60% | 0% |
| 11 | Marantelli Bet | 73% | 0% |
| 12 | Betfair | 74% | 0% |
| Combined | 30% | ||
betr and bet365 came out on top for greyhounds, while NextBet dropped to 5th.
bet365 finished a consistent second for both thoroughbreds and greyhounds.
The frequency of offering the best or joint best odds was dominated by betr (74%) and bet365 (70%).
Much like in previous surveys we have conducted, bookmakers recorded higher greyhounds margins than they did for thoroughbreds.
The best performing bookmakers, with a 32% margin, were only beaten by the combined margin of 30% by a small amount. This suggests that casual punters could simply use betr or bet365 for all of their greyhounds wagering.
Harness Margins
| Rank | Bookmaker | Margin | Freq. Best Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NextBet | 28% | 66% |
| 2 | Bet Right | 29% | 57% |
| 3 | Picklebet | 30% | 43% |
| 4 | betr | 31% | 14% |
| 5 | BetEstate | 31% | 14% |
| 6 | Next2go | 31% | 14% |
| 7 | Dabble | 32% | 11% |
| 8 | bet365 | 34% | 14% |
| 9 | Havabet | 43% | 0% |
| 10 | Marantelli Bet | 57% | 0% |
| 11 | Betchamps | 61% | 0% |
| 12 | Betfair | 94% | 3% |
| Combined | 25% | ||
NextBet finished on top again, with Bet Right second. NextBet offered the best or joint best available odds on almost two-thirds of the runners.
Picklebet finished with the third best margins to go with their third place for thoroughbreds.
Betfair finished poorly, but the betting exchange is far more competitive in the minutes leading up to each race.
NextBet‘s 28% average margin wasn’t much more than the 25% combined average. This suggests that casual punters could use NextBet for all of their harness wagering.
Overall Racing Margins
| Rank | Bookmaker | Margin | Freq. Best Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bet Right | 30% | 47% |
| 2 | betr | 30% | 43% |
| 3 | NextBet | 30% | 43% |
| 4 | bet365 | 31% | 45% |
| 5 | Picklebet | 35% | 23% |
| 6 | Dabble | 35% | 13% |
| 7 | Next2go | 36% | 19% |
| 8 | BetEstate | 40% | 12% |
| 9 | Havabet | 45% | 7% |
| 10 | Betchamps | 49% | 6% |
| 11 | Marantelli Bet | 55% | 7% |
| 12 | Betfair | 71% | 5% |
| Combined | 25% | ||
Despite not finishing first for any individual category, Bet Right finished on top for average racing performance across thoroughbreds, greyhounds and harness. This because they were only 1% to 2% behind the leader for each category. In other words, Bet Right had no weakness, while the rest of the bookmakers each had one category in which they were well behind the best performer.
The table indicates a clear top four: Bet Right, betr, NextBet and bet365 would make an excellent combination of bookmaker memberships for those who enjoy wagering on all three racing codes.
Once again, Betfair finished poorly, but the betting exchange is far more competitive in the minutes leading up to each race.
Because no bookmaker topped the standings for every category, the benefit of shopping around for the best odds becomes more pronounced when you wager across all three racing codes. For this survey the combined racing margin was 25%, compared to 30% for the best bookmaker.
Summary
Sports Survey
Havabet was the dominant winner in the sports odds survey. They offered the best odds for four of the twelve surveyed sports and they finished in the top two for eight of the twelve leagues. Note again that the majority of these margins were recorded on the day of the surveyed games. We have observed that Havabet employs higher margins in the day prior to the event start.
Betfair was highly competitive for football as well as for head-to-head markets, but the betting exchange was less competitive for line and over/under markets.
bet365 was another strong performer. What sets bet365 apart from a lot of other bookmakers is how early it provides markets for upcoming events. The service also dominates for offering the greatest selection of markets per fixture – something that wasn’t covered in this year’s survey. bet365 recorded a top-3 finish for eight of the twelve surveyed sports and leagues.
The sports and leagues you primarily wager on will determine the best bookmaker for you. Betfair dominated football in our survey, while Havabet was the strongest for the American and Australian codes.
Racing Survey
NextBet topped the thoroughbred and harness surveys, while betr topped the greyhounds survey.
Despite failing to top any category, Bet Right topped the overall standings due to its consistency. Bet Right was the only bookmaker that didn’t have a notable weakness across the three racing codes.
Betfair was hard done by in our racing survey. The betting exchange’s margins are often market leading in the minutes leading up to the race, but our survey times were sometimes hours before the race jump. Nevertheless, the results highlight the fact that Betfair isn’t a strong option for those who like to wager at the prevailing (exchangeable) back odds in the hours or days before a race jump.
Overall Survey
Note once again that the actual margins are of less interest than the relative margins between the bookmakers. This is because margins will vary depending on the leagues and markets chosen.
Bet Right topped the overall standings due to its consistency. Bet Right finished 4th in the sports survey and it was the only bookmaker that didn’t have a notable weakness across the three racing codes.
For those who are sports-focused, the three standout performers were Havabet, Betfair and bet365.
For those who wager on all three racing codes, Bet Right is a good option for those who just want one bookmaker membership, however those who like to shop around would be better served by combining NextBet, betr and bet365.
For those who wager on a broad range of sports as well as all racing codes, Bet Right, bet365 and NextBet are the top three contenders for those who want to wager with just one bookmaker.
Combining Odds
Shopping around for the best odds lowers the effective bookmaker margin substantially, particularly for sports.
For the sports survey we achieved an average margin of 2.6% by shopping around. This is substantially lower than the best performing bookmaker at 4.7%, not to mention the survey average of 6.3%.
For racing the benefits were greater for thoroughbreds than for greyhounds and harness. For thoroughbred racing the combined margin was 21%, compared to 25% for NextBet. For greyhounds the combined margin was 30%, compared to 32% for betr, and for harness racing the combined margin was 25%, compared to 28% for NextBet.
Because no bookmaker dominated all three racing codes, the combined margins across all three codes were notably lower than the best performing individual. The combined margin was 25%, compared to 30% for Bet Right.
Frequency of Offering the Best Odds
While a low-margin bookmaker is useful for a punter who only wants one bookmaker membership, a bookmaker that frequently offers the best odds on selected outcomes is incredibly useful within a portfolio of memberships for the sake of odds shopping.
Betfair offered the best available odds for 40% of the market selections in the sports survey. This is double the next best performer. For this reason, a Betfair membership is a must for those who wager on sport.
Other strong performers for frequency of best odds were NextBet (56% for thoroughbreds and 66% for harness), betr (74% for greyhounds) and bet365 (70% for greyhounds).
Across both sports and racing, bet365 led the survey by offering the best available odds on 30% of the surveyed selections. Other notable strong performers across sports and racing were NextBet (27%), Bet Right (26%) and betr (26%).
Odds Comparison Tool
You can compare bookmaker odds for upcoming fixtures in the Bookmaker Odds Comparison section.
Survey Caveats
The surveyed margins were heavily dependent on the sample of sporting events chosen. Comparative margin levels may change over time and they will differ for sports and leagues not covered in the survey.
This survey focused on the margins shortly before the event start. Bookmakers vary in their approach to margins and markets in the days leading up to a fixture. It is commons for the margins to be higher on Monday for a Saturday fixture than on Friday. Some bookmakers offer a strong selection of markets soon before the event, but they are slow to provide those markets. Other bookmakers don’t provide any markets for an event until the day before it commences. It’s the same for racing. Some bookmakers like bet365 and betr offer fixed odds on Wednesday afternoon for Saturday metro racing, while many other bookmakers don’t offer fixed odds until the race day.
Betting limits are ignored in this survey. Furthermore, some bookmakers offer higher limits but may limit your account if you regularly win with high-stakes wagers.
The betting exchange Betfair was included in the survey (adjusted for commissions), but the liquidity of each market was not factored in. The survey didn’t distinguish between a market depth of $3 versus $30,000.
Some bookmakers offer frequent promotions in lieu of lower odds, and this is not factored into these results.