Definition of Line Shopping

What does the term "line shopping" mean in the world of sports betting? What is the definition of the term "line shopping"?

In sports betting, line shopping refers to the practice of checking lines at multiple sports books to see which one offers the most value.





For instance - let's say that the New England Patriots are playing the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

You have accounts at 6 different sports books and check the odds for the game at all six. You see that five books have the game listed at:

New England, -7, -110
Chicago, +7, -110

While the sixth book has the game listed as:

New England, -7.5, -110
Chicago, +7.5, -110

Now, it's pretty obvious what you should do in this situation if you are looking to take Chicago - you should take the +7.5 line at the sixth sports book, as you will win if Chicago loses by just a touchdown, rather than having the game result in a push.

This is "line shopping", and line shopping is the reason why you should always have accounts at multiple sports books.