Data study · free to cite

How much is line shopping actually worth?

Every day we scan roughly 50 bookmakers for the same markets. This report measures the shop gain — how much better the single best available price is than the market average — broken down by sport. It's the money most bettors quietly leave on the table.

Based on the current board · 15 games, 30 markets · scanned 2026-07-22 15:02 UTC

Shop gain = (best available decimal price ÷ the average decimal price across all books offering the market) − 1, expressed as a percentage. Extreme outliers (stale or erroring lines above 20%) are excluded. Figures refresh with every scan, so they move with the live board.

Why this number matters

Over a season, a bettor's edge is measured in single-digit percentages. A shop gain of a few percent per bet, taken consistently, is often larger than the edge itself — which is why disciplined bettors never place a bet without checking who has the best number. The gap is widest in less efficient markets and narrowest on heavily-bet mainlines.

This is not a model prediction. It is a factual, repeatable measurement of the price dispersion that exists across the market at any moment.

Bet Better is a data and analytics provider, not a bookmaker, and does not accept wagers. Figures are for information only. 18+. Gamble responsibly.