Fine Margins: How Economics Explains Sports Betting

By Karl Whelan

Book Overview

Sports betting is a multi-billion-dollar global business that few understand. Fine Margins is the first book to apply the tools of economic analysis to modern sports betting, drawing on original research based on millions of quoted odds to reveal how these markets actually work.

Written by Professor Karl Whelan, a widely published economist with a PhD from MIT, and drawing on research conducted with an experienced bookmaker, this book does not promise a recipe for picking winners. It offers something more valuable: a clear-eyed account of how the global sports betting business works, how the odds are set and which bets cost you more than you realise.

Combining rigorous research with real-world examples and stories, the book answers questions such as

How do bookmakers set odds?How can you figure out the bookmaker's profit margin?Are favourites or longshots the smarter bet?In football, when is the draw the best value bet?Is it a bad idea to bet on events with lots of competitors?How should you use free bets or boosted odds?Why do bookmakers promote accumulators and bet builders?Do you lose more with in-play betting?How do betting exchanges work and what's the best way to use them?

Whether you're a casual bettor, a seasoned gambler or simply curious about the economics of how betting markets work, Fine Margins will change the way you think about sports betting.

Karl Whelan is Professor of Economics at University College Dublin. He holds a PhD from MIT and has published widely on macroeconomics, central banking and the economics of sports betting and prediction markets.,

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1067621318
• ISBN13: 9781067621315
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Karl Whelan
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 1.0" x 6.2"