# Bookmaker Margins Compared: Live Football Overround by Book

> Live average 1X2 overround for Bet365, Pinnacle, Betfair Exchange, Paddy Power and BetMGM UK, by league, from real odds.

Canonical: https://www.oddsapi.dev/bookmaker-margins  
Live data updated: 7 Nov 2026, 07:03 UTC (refreshed every 30 minutes)

## TL;DR

- Lowest bookmaker margin right now: Pinnacle at 4.4% on the match result; highest: BetMGM UK at 8.6%.
- Betfair Exchange averages 1.1%, before commission.
- Measured on 45 upcoming matches across 17 leagues, refreshed every 30 minutes.
- Margin = sum of 1/price over home, draw and away, minus one.
- Every price comes from GET /v1/{bookmaker}/events/{id}/odds?markets=match_result.

## Average margin by bookmaker

| Bookmaker | Type | Avg 1X2 margin | Matches | Best price share |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Betfair Exchange | exchange | 1.11% | 19 | - |
| Pinnacle | sharp | 4.36% | 34 | 80% |
| Bet365 | sportsbook | 7.34% | 32 | 36% |
| Paddy Power | sportsbook | 8.25% | 32 | 18% |
| BetMGM UK | sportsbook | 8.64% | 40 | 7% |

Best price share: how often a bookmaker had, or shared, the highest price on a home, draw or away outcome. Betfair Exchange is left out of it: its prices are before commission.

## Margin by league

| League | Bet365 | Pinnacle | Betfair Exchange | Paddy Power | BetMGM UK | Matches |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [EFL Championship](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/championship) | 6.1% | 3.4% | 0.7% | 6.9% | 7.0% | 2 |
| [EFL League One](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/league-one) | 9.7% | - | - | 9.6% | 10.3% | 1 |
| [EFL League Two](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/league-two) | 9.4% | 6.4% | - | 10.6% | 10.8% | 2 |
| [FA Cup](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/fa-cup) | 6.8% | 6.5% | 0.4% | 7.7% | - | 1 |
| [Scottish Premiership](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/scottish-premiership) | 6.9% | 4.5% | 1.1% | 7.6% | 7.8% | 2 |
| [La Liga](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/la-liga) | 6.3% | 3.9% | 0.4% | 6.3% | 8.1% | 2 |
| [Serie A](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/serie-a) | 5.4% | 3.8% | 0.7% | 6.6% | 6.7% | 2 |
| [Serie B](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/serie-b) | 8.4% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 10.1% | 9.3% | 1 |
| [Bundesliga](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/bundesliga) | 5.4% | 4.5% | 1.1% | 7.9% | 6.9% | 1 |
| [Ligue 1](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/ligue-1) | 4.9% | 3.6% | 1.1% | 6.9% | 8.1% | 3 |
| [Primeira Liga](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/primeira-liga) | 7.9% | 3.5% | 1.0% | 5.1% | 6.7% | 3 |
| [Süper Lig](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/super-lig) | 10.2% | 4.7% | 1.6% | 10.2% | 8.9% | 2 |
| [Swiss Super League](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/swiss-super-league) | 7.2% | 4.6% | 2.0% | 8.9% | 9.1% | 2 |
| [MLS](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/mls) | 6.9% | 4.8% | - | 7.3% | 9.1% | 8 |
| [Argentina Liga Profesional](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/argentina-liga-profesional) | 7.1% | - | - | 9.9% | 8.9% | 3 |
| [J1 League](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/j1-league) | - | 4.3% | - | 9.6% | 9.0% | 4 |
| [A-League Men](https://www.oddsapi.dev/odds/a-league) | 8.4% | 3.8% | 1.0% | - | 9.2% | 4 |

## Method

For each league page we take the next matches at least two bookmakers price and pull each book's full-time match result odds. A book's margin on a match is the sum of 1/price over home, draw and away, minus one; the tables are plain averages. Only matches with a complete 1X2 from at least two books count. Betfair Exchange uses the best back price, before commission.

## FAQ

### What is a bookmaker margin?

The margin, or overround, is how much more than 100% a book's implied probabilities add up to. On a 1X2 market, add 1/price for home, draw and away and subtract 1. A book pricing 2.00 / 3.50 / 4.00 has 1/2 + 1/3.5 + 1/4 = 1.036, a 3.6% margin.

### Which bookmaker has the lowest football margins?

Of the bookmakers, Pinnacle right now, at 4.4% on average across 34 matches; BetMGM UK is the highest at 8.6%. Betfair Exchange is lower still, before commission. The table refreshes every 30 minutes from live odds.

### Why does Betfair Exchange show such a low margin?

On an exchange the prices come from other bettors, and the best back prices across the three outcomes usually add up to almost exactly 100%. Betfair charges commission on net winnings instead, which isn't in the prices; we use the best back price as listed.

### Is a lower margin always better?

For the price you get, yes: a lower margin means odds closer to the fair probability. Books with higher margins often make up for it with more markets, boosts and player props.

### How do I compute margins myself?

Pull GET /v1/{bookmaker}/events/{event_id}/odds?markets=match_result for each match and book, then sum 1/price over the three outcomes. Every book returns the same outcome keys, so it's one function for all five.

## Pricing

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| Plan | Price | Requests | Rate limit |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
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