Limits in Sports Betting: Definition, Examples – The Action Network

Ever wonder what would happen if a gajillionaire strolled into a sportsbook and won a bet that was too big for the book to pay out? I mean, it’s not like the books have unlimited money to dish out (though they do have plenty).

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that could never happen, because sportsbooks are able to control the amount of their potential loss on any given bet with limits.

What Is a Limit in Sports Betting?


If, for example, you attempted to wager $150 on a game where the book wasn’t comfortable taking bets over $100, you’d likely receive some sort of error message with the indication, “Limit: $100.”

What Are Typical Limits?

Limits vary wildly from sport to sport and bet type to bet type. And even day to day.

A sportsbook may take a maximum bet of $2,500 on an NFL game on Monday. But by Friday, when more bettors have weighed in and the betting market is more liquid, they might raise it to $50,000.

Prop bets typically have limits of just a few hundred dollars, if that. That’s why anyone who knows the color of the Super Bowl Gatorade can’t get rich betting on it, even if they’re morally OK with it. They couldn’t bet more than a few hundred dollars.

Limits also depend on the bettor. Sportsbooks will often limit advantage players who specialize in