Every game of chance offers the house a certain inherent statistical advantage but none works off so small a profit margin–theoretically between one and four percent–as sports betting. With so little room for error, sportsbooks have come to rely on a combination of accurate pointspreads and an understanding of how and when to move lines as their primary defense against players. Another significant tool at the bookmakers’ disposal is sports betting limits.
Generally, there are three factors that sportsbooks consider when establishing sports betting limits, the historical accuracy of the lines, their profit trends, and their customer mix. For those reasons, while sports betting limits may vary greatly from one wagering outlet to another, nearly all bet takers establish limits for their biggest and best sport and work their way down from there. For almost any sportsbook dealing with a clientele that is primarily American, the NFL rules supreme.
But what should a sportsbook’s NFL limits be? As a general rule, if a book is unable to lose “comfortably” five times its stated limit, then that sports betting limit is too high. For...