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What does a line of -3.5 mean in AFL?

A line of -3.5 means your team must win by 4 points or more for your bet to win.

Example: Bet $10 on the Swans -3.5 at $1.90. If they win by 6, you get $19 back. If they win by 3, you lose your $10. In the US the same bet is called the spread.

The other team gets +3.5: that side wins if they win, or lose by 3 or less.

The .5 means the bet can't end in a tie with the bookie.

As of 5 October, the bookies keep about $5 of every $100 bet on line and spread bets across the games we track.

See the AFL picks page →

Want more? How spreads work.

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Updated 5 October 2026. More betting questions · How we write and correct our pages.

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