Core betting
Closing line
The final price on a market immediately before the event starts.
The closing line is where a market ends up after all the money and all the information have arrived. Across sports and seasons it is a remarkably accurate predictor — more accurate than almost any public model — which is why it is the industry's benchmark for judging a bet.
It is also the reason 'I was right, the line moved my way' is worth more than 'I won'. The first says the market came to agree with you; the second may say nothing at all.
See also
- Closing line value — Whether the price you got was better than the price the market settled at by game time.
- Opening line — The first price a sportsbook posts on a market, before it takes meaningful action.
- Line — The number a sportsbook posts on a market — a spread, a total, or a price.