The History of NBA Betting Odds

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NBA betting point spreads didn’t just come out of nowhere and just like everything else, it is rooted in history. The concept of the NBA betting point spread started over a half century ago and has raised the interest in sports betting. It helped level the playing field and it also became the equalizer. It was Bob Martin back in the 1970s of the Union Plaza Race and Sportsbook in Downton Las Vegas who was the most respected odds maker in the gaming industry. True enough, a number of odds making tools used until today are credited to Martin.

Odds makers are the first to say they are not in the business to predict the outcome of a game, but to divide public opinion of the final outcome. It is the media, and the internet that creates public opinion. The popularity of well-known teams, superstars and media hype influence the line in a lot of cases aside from statistics and power ratings, which are based on many statistics taken from offense, defense, special teams, points for & against, at home and away. The odds maker has to take into account each and every possible aspect which affects the outcome of the game. In his perfect world, for the odds maker, an equal number of people will bet on each side.

Come the 1980s, Roxy Roxborough became the main influence in odds making as the age of technology began. Computers became a force in odds making and changing odds at sportsbooks simultaneously. He founded LVSC or the Las Vegas Sports Consultants in the same decade which now has the most sportsbooks in Las Vegas as clients.

The opening line is the first line that is created by odds makers then they are forwarded to sportsbooks. Once the line is released then the sportsbooks will decide if they want to make any adjustments before offering it to the public. They would adjust the lines in order to get the betting action equally. When the betting starts, sportsbooks can adjust the line at any time and by doing this, they make the team getting less action – more attractive. Moving the line can certainly influence how the public bets on a particular game.

The lines in basketball move more significantly than in football. The lines in basketball are often posted on the same day or as little as few hours before the game. Making NBA betting intimidating for starting bettors.