How to Compare Sports Betting Odds to Always Get Best Price
Reviewed by Thomas & Øyvind — NorwegianSpark · 2026-04-17
Why Odds Comparison Matters
The same bet — the exact same team, same match, same market — has different odds at different sportsbooks. This is not a minor difference. On a Premier League match, the variation between the best and worst available odds can be 5-15%. Over 100 bets at £20 each, always taking the best price instead of the first price you see can mean an extra £200-400 in profit. That is money you are leaving on the table if you use only one sportsbook. Odds comparison is the single simplest way to improve your betting results, and it requires no analytical skill — just the discipline to check before you bet.
Open Accounts at Multiple Sportsbooks
To compare odds, you need accounts at multiple sportsbooks. Start with two and expand to three or four as you become comfortable. Choose sportsbooks with different strengths — one might have the best football odds, another might excel at basketball or tennis. All accounts should be with licensed, reputable operators. Complete KYC verification at each site before you need to place a time-sensitive bet. Having multiple accounts also allows you to take advantage of different promotional offers.
Check Odds on Both Before Every Bet
This is the habit that separates informed bettors from casual bettors. Before placing any bet, check the odds at all your sportsbook accounts. For a Premier League match, compare the match result, Asian handicap, and over/under odds. The whole process takes 60-90 seconds. Example: Liverpool vs Aston Villa. Sportsbook A offers Liverpool at 1.65. Sportsbook B offers Liverpool at 1.72. On a £20 bet, Sportsbook B pays £34.40 vs £33.00 — that is £1.40 extra profit on a single bet. It does not sound like much, but compounded over hundreds of bets, it is the difference between profit and loss.
Use Odds Comparison Tools
Free odds comparison websites aggregate odds from dozens of sportsbooks in real time. Oddschecker is the most popular in the UK and covers all major sports and markets. These tools display all available odds for a specific match in one view, highlighting the best available price. You can also set alerts for when odds on a specific selection reach a target level. Bookmark these tools and check them before every bet. They save time and ensure you never miss a better price.
Calculate Margin to Find Better Sites
The bookmaker's margin (overround) tells you how competitive their odds are. To calculate: convert each outcome's odds to implied probability (1/decimal odds), add them all up, and subtract 100%. A match with a 3% margin offers better value than one with 6%. Example: Team A 2.10, Draw 3.40, Team B 3.60. Implied probabilities: 47.6% + 29.4% + 27.8% = 104.8%. Margin = 4.8%. Do this for the same match across sportsbooks to identify which consistently offers the tightest margins on the markets you bet most. Over time, you will learn which sportsbooks are cheapest for football, which for basketball, and so on.
Build Comparison Into Your Routine
Make odds comparison a non-negotiable part of your betting process. Create a simple routine: identify the match you want to bet on, decide on the market, open your sportsbook accounts and comparison tool, find the best available odds, and place the bet at the best-price sportsbook. This adds 2-3 minutes to each bet but increases your long-term profitability by 5-10%. Track which sportsbook you placed each bet at — after 50 bets, you will see clear patterns in which sites consistently offer the best prices for your preferred markets. Closing line value (CLV) — whether you beat the final odds at kick-off — is the best measure of whether your odds comparison is effective.