What is a futures bet?

Q: What is a futures bet?

A futures bet is a wager on an outcome that will be decided in the future, usually at the end of a season, like a team winning the championship, a player winning MVP or a team's season win total. Futures pay big odds, such as +1200, which pays $240 profit on a $20 bet. Your money is tied up until the outcome is decided. Sportsbooks usually build a bigger margin into futures than into single games, so shop the price.

Bet Types

1 diagram•4 min read•Updated Oct 15, 2026

Written by VIMB

Short answer

Futures are bets on season-long outcomes.Big odds, but your money is locked up for months.Books usually take a bigger cut on futures.Odds change all season, so timing matters.

A futures bet is a bet on something that gets decided way down the road. Who wins the title. Who wins MVP. How many games a team wins this season.

A preseason title bet$20 at +1200 returns $260 if it hits.

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Common futures

▸Championship winner

▸Conference or division winner

▸MVP and other awards

▸Season win totals, over or under

▸Making or missing the playoffs

The catches

▸Your money is stuck until it's decided. That's money you can't bet anywhere else.

▸Books usually take a bigger cut on futures than on a single game.

▸Odds move all season. A team at +1200 now might be +600 or +3000 by midseason.

+1200 implied chance = 100 ÷ (1200 + 100) = 7.7%

My take

Shop futures harder than anything else. The price gap between books on a +1200 team can be several hundred points. And size them small, since that money is frozen for months.

StrategyWhat is hedging a bet, and when does it actually make sense?There's a version of hedging where you bet both sides of a game and win both. That's rare. The rest of the time it's a trade: real value given up for certainty most bettors don't actually need.Read the answer →Odds & MathDoes line shopping actually make a meaningful difference?A half point or a few cents of better price feels tiny on one bet. Run the same edge across a real season of bets and it's the difference between barely breaking even and a genuinely good year.Read the answer →Odds & MathHow do American odds work?The minus number is what you risk to win $100. The plus number is what you win on a $100 risk. Both are just a payout and a break-even probability wearing a costume.Read the answer →

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