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Odds boosts are sportsbook promotions that feature better odds on specific markets to engage bettors to spend more time on their platforms. But that doesn’t mean that they are just another marketing trick.
Odds boosts can be a great way to make money sports betting if you use them in the right way.
This guide goes over how odds boosts work, if they're worth it, how to use arbitrage betting with odds boosts to guarantee yourself a profit, and more.
How Odds Boosts Work
Odds boosts allow bettors to win more money with the same amount of risk involved. They will usually relate to only a single market on a single game and can be anything from a simple side bet (spread or moneyline) or total bet to various props and parlays.
They are among the most potentially profitable sports betting promotions, as they create a scenario in which using them in the right way may result in positive expected value (+EV), often eliminating the vig—or the amount that sportsbooks charge to take your bet.
Depending on the sportsbook and the deal on offer, you will typically find odds increased by anywhere from 10% to 40%, although you may even stumble upon odds boosts that are as much as double the standard odds.
Of course, sportsbooks have rules in place for using these often-profitable promotions.
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First off, you can only take one side of the bet. So if Patrick Mahomes to rush for a TD is boosted from +500 to +800, you won’t have the option to take him not to rush for a TD at special odds.
Also, there are typically lower wagering limits, such as $30 to $100, as sportsbooks don’t want to risk being exposed by massively large bets on positive expected value bets.
Finally, many sportsbooks only boost the odds on longshot bets—such as parlays with many legs or prop bets that are unlikely to hit. While these odds are technically better than you would receive at other sportsbooks, they are still often difficult to hit.
While all odds boosts may seem great, some of them are simply not worth your stake. It’s important to compare the boosted odds at the sportsbook offering them with other sportsbooks to see how much of a deal you are getting compared to the entire market, not just the book offering the boost.
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Are Odds Boosts Worth It?
Whether or not odds boosts are worth the risk depends on several things.
To start with, as mentioned above, you need to compare the special odds with the standard odds, as sportsbooks might deliberately lower their standard odds to make their odds boost seem better.
That’s why you also must figure out the true odds of winning and put them side to side with the increased odds to see whether the numbers line up.
Arbitrage Betting With Odds Boosts
A common tactic many sharps use in combination with boosted odds is arbitrage betting. For instance, you can bet on one side with extended odds on DraftKings and put another bet on the other side on FanDuel. If the odds are long enough on either side, you will guarantee yourself a small profit.
To know if there is an arbitrage opportunity, the sum of the odds of each bet should be positive. So if you can get the Eagles to win boosted to +200 at DraftKings, but the Chiefs to win (against the Eagles) is -180 at FanDuel, you can guarantee yourself money by betting both sides.
Coming up with a surefire arbitrage betting scenario is not easy, as it rarely occurs. Still, you can use our Arbitrage Betting Calculator to figure out how much you need to wager and what kind of profit you stand to make.
Odds Boosts Can be Profitable but You Need to Do Your Research
There’s no doubt that odds boosts can work to your advantage, although that doesn’t mean that you should blindly take every one of these deals—especially considering most books offer 10+ every day.
Sportsbooks fully understand how favorable odds boosts are, and they won’t offer them just because they’re feeling generous.
That’s why you’ll often find odds boosts on longshot bets, not to mention the rules that you must abide by to use the promotion in the first place. While it’s still just a theory, many believe that sportsbooks deliberately offer boosted odds on markets they know are unlikely to hit.
Where to Find Odds Boosts
Boosted odds are a fairly standard sports betting promotion these days, and you can find them in almost all major sports betting sites in the U.S.
The process of finding and using odds boosts is pretty much the same regardless of where you decide to play.
The first thing you need to do is open the sportsbook and look for the “Odds Boosts” button in one of the menus or on the homepage. Sportsbooks typically make them very prominent so it shouldn’t be hard to find.
Note that not every sportsbook has the same name for this promotion, though “Odds Boosts” is the most common. For example, BetMGM calls it “Lion Boosts.” Don’t let these different names confuse you, as they all refer to the same thing.
Before you rush in to bet boosted markets, make sure to understand all the rules surrounding it, namely the stake limits and any other fine print.
Where to Find FanDuel Sportsbook Odds Boosts
FanDuel is one of the most popular U.S. sportsbooks that commonly offers odds boosts. Here’s how to find this promotion in the FanDuel Sportsbook mobile app or website:
- Download/open the FanDuel Sportsbook app on your iOS or Android device or go on the website.
- Register or log in to your account and make sure to have some money in your balance.
- Select the yellow “Boosts” icon at the top of the screen.
- Browse through all boosted markets and tap the one you’d like to add to your bet slip.
- Place your wager on the odds boost like you would any other wager. Enter the amount you want to bet, review how much you would win if it hits, and click “Place Bet.”
Where to Find DraftKings Sportsbook Odds Boosts
DraftKings Sportsbook is one of FanDuel’s main competitors, and it keeps up by also offering favorable odds boosts every day. Here’s how to play with boosted odds on the DraftKings Sportsbook:
- Download or open the DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app or go to the website.
- Register or log in to your account and make sure to have some money in your balance.
- From the homepage, look through the top horizontally scroll menu for the “Odds Boosts” button.
- Review the boosted markets and, if you like one you see, select it to add it to your betslip.
- Enter the amount you want to wager, review the payout, and click “Place Bet.”
