Creating a point spread for an NFL game

[billyboy]

I always thought that the SportsBook creates an NFL line so that about half of the money is on the favorite and the other half is on the underdog. This way the Sports book wins no matter what happens.
However, I heard this morning that the spread for one of Sunday's games is Titans+5 at the Colts and only 18% of the bets are on the Titans with this line. People must love the Colts.

Should the Sports book have anticipated this by making the Colts a 6.5 or 7 point favorite in the opening line to even out the money on both sides? Isn't this a poor job by the person setting the line? Is the Sports Book at a risk of losing money on this game if the Colts win big?

[B1GER1C828]

well, for the record, its all about money and not necessarily % of bets. That 18% on the titans could mean more money than the 82% on colts. Its about the money, not the bet % so keep that in mind. but an 82-18 favor is real odd and probably inaccurate.

[pologq]

what he said above. if it was based on the bets themselves the books would lose, its based on the money taken. that is also why some books adjust their payouts to not always be -110.

[sneak-a-peak]

ya maybe 18% at one book or something but heres what sbr has to offer as far as percents and $..... take a look http://www.sbrforum.com/betting-odds/consensus/