In sports betting, the point spread is a number created by bookmakers to level the playing field between two competing teams. When bettors wager on a team to “cover the spread,” they are betting that this team will win by a certain number of points or lose by fewer points than the spread. For instance, if a team is favored by 7 points, they need to win the game by at least 8 points for a bet on them to cover. Conversely, if the underdog loses by less than 7 points or wins outright, they are considered to have covered the spread.
Covering Example
For example, if the New England Patriots are playing the Miami Dolphins and the point spread is set at Patriots -7, the Patriots must win the game by at least 8 points for a bet on them to cover. If the final score is Patriots 30, Dolphins 24, the Patriots did not cover the spread, but if the score was Patriots 31, Dolphins 20, they successfully covered.