Does overtime count in sports betting?

Overtime counts. Spread bets, total bets, and moneyline bets all run until the game actually ends. If the game goes two overtimes, every point scored in those two overtimes goes on the scoreboard for your bet the same as any other quarter.

New bettors expect the book to freeze bets at the end of regulation. It doesn't. The sportsbook settles on the final official score, not the score at the end of four quarters.

Spread bets settle on the final score

Say the Chiefs are -3.5 against the Raiders. The game ties 20-20 at the end of regulation. In overtime, the Chiefs kick a field goal to win 23-20. The Chiefs won by 3. That doesn't cover -3.5. Chiefs bettors lose even though the Chiefs won the game.

Flip it. The Raiders are +3.5. They lose 23-20. They only lost by 3, so they cover. Raiders bettors win even though the Raiders lost the game. All of that comes from the final score after overtime.

Total bets include all overtime points

The over/under runs until the game is over. If the total is 44.5 and the game is tied 21-21 at the end of regulation, the running total is 42. Then the Chiefs win 24-21 in overtime. That adds 3 more points.

College football overtime can add points fast. Teams start on the 25-yard line, and there is no field goal requirement to keep possessions alive. A game that looked like an under through four quarters can flip to the over in one extra period, let alone two.

Moneyline pays whoever wins

The moneyline settles on the winner after all overtime. Your team wins in overtime, you get paid. Your team loses in overtime, you lose. The payout does not change based on how many extra periods it took.

First-half and first-quarter bets are different

These bets close when that part of the game ends. A first-half spread stops at halftime. Overtime happens after the second half, so it never touches a first-half bet. Same goes for first-quarter bets and first-period bets in hockey.

Hockey has one exception

NHL games can end in a shootout. Most sportsbooks do not count shootout goals toward the total. A game that is 3-3 after overtime and ends 4-3 in the shootout is treated as 6 total goals for betting purposes, not 7. The winning team still wins on the moneyline. But goals scored during the shootout itself don't move the total.

The puck line settles on the final official score, and a shootout win is credited as a 1-goal margin. So a team at -1.5 does not cover a shootout win. A team at +1.5 covers even when they lose in a shootout, because the margin is still only 1 goal.