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April 13, 2025
Sports betting comes with its own unique terminology, and one term that often confuses newcomers and even non-technical stakeholders is “handle.” If you’ve ever wondered what this means and why it’s important, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll break down what handle is, how it works, and why it plays a crucial role in modern betting operations. Whether you’re a casual bettor, an analyst, or someone building sportsbook products, understanding handle helps you interpret market activity, line movement, and sportsbook performance more accurately.
Quick summary: In sports betting, handle is the total amount wagered. It is not the sportsbook’s profit. Profit is driven by the hold (the percentage kept after payouts). Handle is used by operators to track demand, manage risk, and understand market behavior.
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In sports betting, handle refers to the total amount of money wagered on a particular event, sport, market, or sportsbook over a specific period. It includes all bets placed, regardless of whether those bets win or lose.
For example, if a sportsbook takes in $1 million in total bets for an NFL game, the handle for that game is $1 million.
A common mistake is confusing handle with revenue or profit. Here’s how they differ:
Sportsbooks don’t keep the entire handle – they typically earn a percentage based on pricing (odds), margins, promotions, and how balanced the action is across both sides of a market.
Handle is a key metric for sportsbooks, regulators, and serious bettors. It shows how much money is flowing into betting markets and helps explain trends in pricing, risk exposure, and market demand.
A high handle means strong betting activity, often reflecting the popularity of a sport, league, or event. Major events like the Super Bowl or the FIFA World Cup typically generate massive handles across global markets.
Sportsbooks analyze handle to balance their books. If too much money piles up on one side of a bet, operators may adjust odds or limits to attract action on the other side and reduce exposure.
Advanced bettors watch handle-related signals like line movement and market shifts. If a market attracts unusually heavy action, it may reflect sharp interest, public bias, or news impact. However, handle alone doesn’t prove “insider” activity—context matters (timing, price movement, injuries, limits, etc.).
Handle is calculated by summing up all bets placed within a set timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly, per-event, etc.). This includes:
For example, if a sportsbook receives:
the total handle for that event is $1 million.
When a sportsbook sees heavy betting on one side of a wager, they may shift the odds to encourage balanced action. This process, called line movement, helps operators manage risk and protect margins.
For example, if a large volume of bets is placed on Team A at -110, the sportsbook may move the odds to -120 or adjust Team B’s odds to make betting on them more attractive.
In regulated markets (such as many U.S. states), sportsbooks report handle figures to regulators. These reports help governments measure market growth, tax performance, and responsible-gambling oversight.
For instance, New Jersey reported monthly handles exceeding $1 billion in multiple months in 2023, reflecting the scale of regulated sports betting demand.
If you are building or operating a sportsbook, handle is more than a headline number. It helps teams evaluate performance across markets and detect risk patterns early.
This is also why sportsbook platforms track handle alongside other metrics like GGR, NGR, active bettors, bet frequency, and payout latency- to understand whether growth is healthy and scalable.
Are you looking to launch a sportsbook platform built for performance, risk control, and market-ready operations? Autotroph iGaming provides solutions designed for modern sportsbooks, supporting seamless gameplay, real-time betting, and scalable infrastructure.
This article is published by the Autotroph iGaming content and product research team, working closely with sportsbook technology and market analytics experts to deliver insights into modern betting operations, performance metrics, and regulated-market practices.
Editorial note: This guide explains handle as it is commonly used across modern sportsbooks and regulated markets. Terminology may vary slightly by jurisdiction, reporting standards, and operator dashboards.
Not necessarily. A high handle means more bets, but if the outcomes favour the public, the payouts might exceed earnings, reduce profit or even cause loss.
Some states and platforms release general handle reports, but real-time game-specific handle data is rarely public and often used internally by sportsbooks.
Sharp bettors watch for sudden line changes or heavy movement, which can signal smart money. This helps them bet against public bias or follow professional trends.
It depends on the event and user base, but live betting is increasingly contributing a large share of total handle due to its fast-paced, real-time nature.