VigWatch compares available sportsbook prices to find two outcomes that can be covered for less than the amount they return. When that happens, the gap is an arbitrage opportunity: a matched pair of bets where the displayed return is the same whichever side wins, before a sportsbook changes or rejects either price. The scanner puts both legs, the books offering them, the current prices, and a balanced stake split in one place.
For each game and market, VigWatch checks opposing prices across the sportsbooks on the board. It converts each price into its implied chance, then adds the two sides. A pair that totals below 100% can leave room for a locked-in return if both wagers are accepted at the shown prices. The scanner surfaces that pair as an arbitrage opportunity and calculates how to divide a chosen bankroll between the two legs.
The board covers moneylines, spreads, and totals where matching opposing outcomes are available. Select a league to narrow the board, set the bankroll amount to match the amount intended for that opportunity, then use the two recommended stake amounts as a starting calculation. Each opportunity shows the market, matchup, start time, two sportsbooks, two prices, the total amount committed, and the projected margin based on those displayed prices.
Suppose one sportsbook offers Team A at +110 and another offers Team B at +110 in the same two-outcome market. Each price implies 47.62%, for a combined 95.24%. With a $1,000 total stake, a simple equal split is $500 on Team A and $500 on Team B. Either winning ticket returns $1,050, leaving a $50 difference after the $1,000 total stake. The scanner performs the same balancing calculation for the actual two prices it finds, which are rarely identical.
That example is arithmetic, not a promise of an available or completed bet. Sportsbook prices move quickly, limits can differ by account, and one leg can change or be unavailable while the other is being placed. Review the market, price, stake, and house rules at each sportsbook before placing either wager. If either displayed price has changed, refresh the board and recalculate rather than relying on an earlier split.
Start with the total amount allocated to one opportunity, not a daily or monthly betting budget. The calculator scales each leg from a $1,000 reference amount to the bankroll entered on the page. For example, entering $200 scales a recommended $600 first leg to $120 and a recommended $400 second leg to $80. Rounded stakes can create a small difference from the displayed projection, so confirm the final payout on both bet slips before submitting them.
Arbitrage is most useful as a price-comparison workflow, not as an instruction to bet every alert. Availability depends on the sportsbooks accessible in a location and the limits offered to an individual account. VigWatch is a research tool for comparing prices; it does not place wagers or guarantee that either sportsbook will accept a stake. Use only funds that can be afforded to lose and follow local laws and sportsbook terms. The service is intended for adults 21 and older where applicable.
An arbitrage bet uses prices on opposing outcomes from different sportsbooks where the combined implied chance is below 100%. If both bets are accepted at those prices and the market rules match, the returns can be balanced so the result is the same whichever covered outcome wins.
That is normal. In a synced market, opposing prices usually add to more than 100% because each sportsbook includes its margin. Opportunities are uncommon and often disappear quickly when a price moves, a market is suspended, or a book updates its line.
The live scanner refreshes prices every 30 seconds. A refresh does not reserve a price at a sportsbook, so the bet slip is the final source of truth for the price and stake that can be submitted.
No. The projected margin is calculated from the displayed pair of prices. A sportsbook can move a line, limit a stake, reject a wager, or apply market rules that differ from another book. Check both legs and their settlement rules before acting.