Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Signing Up With Sports Insights
How do I sign up?
I don’t have a credit card. How can I sign up?
Can I have a free account so I can check out your services?
Sports Insights’ Betting Trends (Percentages) Data
Where do the betting percentages come from?
How are these percentages compiled?
Who are your contributing or participating sportsbooks?
Are these money percentages?
How is the “number of bets” statistic calculated?
How many bets are polled for every event?
How many people bet on this game?
What is the difference between Consensus sites and Sports Insights?
Why does the pie chart say 100% for the home team and 0% for the visiting team?
How often are the charts updated?
What is PY #?
Sports Insights’ Bet Signals
How can I win using Sports Insights?
How can the team being heavily favored by the public become less of a favorite in terms of point spread?
What should I do when Sports Insights’ Bet Signals trigger contradicting plays on the same game?
Sports Insights’ Live Odds
How do I add or change sports on my live odds page?
Where do you get your opening lines?
Sports Insights’ Line Predictor
What is the formula used to determine line predictions?
What exactly does Line Predictor measure?
Will there be a Line Prediction for each game?
Do line predictions mean those are games I should bet on?</a
Why is Line Predictor so important?
Once a line prediction is made, do I have to wait and watch the live odds screen for the line to move in order to get my number?
Does Line Predictor make predictions for Over/Unders?
Sports Betting Information
What is the units won statistic?
Who do you like in tonight’s game?
General Information about Sports Insights
How long have you been in business?
If I have questions, how can I contact Sports Insights?
What is the recommended unit size for each bet
Is this historical database available for separate purchase?
Compare Memberships and select a membership type. We offer a special introductory rates for 4 days of access to our Sportsbook Insider Premium and Pro memberships if you’re interested in trying our services.
I don’t have a credit card. How can I sign up?
In order to signup for a Sports Insights membership, you must provide a valid credit card.
We also accept checks and moneyorders for multiple month purchases. Please contact us for details.
Can I have a free account so I can check out your services?
We offer an introductory rates for our Sportsbook Insider memberships so new members can test out the services we provide before committing to a full month of membership.
Where do the betting percentages come from?
The betting percentages are real numbers from real sportsbooks, directly from the participating sportsbooks’ respective databases. The books we currently get percentages from are 5Dimes, Bookmaker, SIA, GTBets, BetUS, Sportsbook, and Carib.
How are these percentages compiled?
Sports Insights displays and tracks the percentages of wagers placed on the spread, moneyline, parlay/teaser, and O/U. Sports Insights polls the participating sportsbooks’ databases every 1-2 seconds and compiles running averages. The “Market Average” betting percentages represent an average taken across all participating sportsbooks.
Who are your contributing or participating sportsbooks?
- 5Dimes (Costa Rica)
5Dimes is licensed and bonded in the recognized gaming jurisdictions of Costa Rica - SportsInteraction (Canada)
SIA is a licensed and bonded online sportsbook in Canada - GTBets (Curacao)
GTBets is a licensed online sportsbook located in Curacao - BetUS (Canada + Costa Rica)
BetUS is licensed and bonded in two recognized gaming jurisdictions, Canada and Costa Rica - CaribSports (Belize)
Carib is a licensed online sportsbook in Belize - Sportsbook (Costa Rica)
Sportsbook is a licensed online sportsbook and casino in Costa Rica - Bookmaker (Costa Rica)
Bookmaker is a licensed online sportsbook and casino in Costa Rica
Do you provide money percentages?
Yes! Sports Insights now offers both betting ticket percentages and the percentage of actual dollars being waged on the spread, moneyline and over/under for each game.
How is the “number of bets” statistic calculated?
The number of bets placed is tracked on the live odds page and represents the total number of bets on a given game. It should be used to help users judge the quality of this information. An average-sized sportsbook will take 1,000s of bet items for any major pro sporting event (conservative number). Bet items include any wager on the spread, moneyline, parlay, teaser, or O/U. SportsInsights.com gathers the “number of bets” stats from 5Dimes and CaribSports ONLY. The other sportsbooks DO NOT provide us with the “number of bets” info. Estimated handle size of each sportsbook from largest to smallest, Bookmaker > 5Dimes > Sportsbook > BetUs > Sports Interaction > Carib > GTBets.
How many bets are polled for every event?
The numbers vary for each sport and are the highest for NFL, NCAAF, NBA and NCAAB.
How many people bet on the games?
Most sports attract thousands of bets while the biggest games can often attract hundreds of thousands of bets from our contributing sportsbooks. For example, we’ll track roughly 25,000 bets on an average NFL game.
What is the difference between Consensus sites and Sports Insights?
Learn more about the difference between Sports Insights’ Betting Trends data and Consensus Betting Data.
Why does the pie chart say 100% for the home team and 0% for the visiting team?
This is because out of all the bets polled by Sports Insights from our various sportsbooks, no one has bet on the visiting team. This tends to happen early on when lines are initially released. One reason is that most people bet the favorites early and underdogs late. The main reason is that many bettors wait until the hour leading up the start of the sporting event to place their wager. * The most accurate betting information appears the hour prior to the start of that sporting event.
How often are the charts updated?
Every page in which graphing information appears is time stamped with the exact time the info was last updated. We poll each participating sportsbook’s databases every 1-2 seconds. Premium and Pro Members are able to view each individual sportsbook’s betting stats in real-time.
“PY #” refers to the percentage of parlays/teasers on either side of a game. Generally big favorites will have a higher % of parlays/teasers.
How can I win using Sports Insights?
Members of Sports Insights have access to some of the most powerful betting and handicapping information developed in the last 10 years. We’ve created a rich suite of sports betting systems that are designed to take advantage of our original data. For more, check out How to Win with Sports Insights.
How can the team being heavily favored by the public become less of a favorite in terms of point spread?
This doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s a sure sign that “smart money” (large wagers by individuals or a syndicate) has been placed on the Underdog. Smart money can cause the spread to go in the opposite direction of betting percentages. One or two accounts betting the limit at a sportsbook can cause the betting line to move in the opposite direction of what the betting percentages would suggest.
What should I do when Sports Insights’ Bet Signals trigger contradicting plays on the same game?
Learn what to do when Sports Insights’ Bet Signals trigger contradicting plays.
How do I add or change sports on my live odds page?
The sports tabs on your live odds page can easily be adjusted by customizing your Settings. If a new season has begun and you are not seeing that sports’ games in your live odds page, check that the sport is ‘Active” in your Settings.
Where do you get your opening lines?
Premium and Pro Members can view every sportsbook’s opening lines on their Live Odds page by visiting their Settings.
What is the formula used to determine line predictions?
We’ve analyzed over ten years of public betting percentages, betting volume, steam moves, injury news and weather updates to develop a model that has been very accurate in predicting upcoming line moves.
What exactly does Line Predictor measure?
This tool forecasts what the very next line move will be, not movement that has already occurred. Once a line moves, the arrow will disappear and the prediction will be graded as Yes or No. Line Predictor projects the movement of Sports Insights’ consensus line and all line moves are archived and graded.
Will there be a line prediction for every game?
No, an official line prediction will only appear for games that meet specific criteria. The model is currently applied to NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAB, NHL, and MLB and we’re always in the process of refining our models for additional sports.
Do line predictions mean those are games I should bet on?
No, Line Predictor is not a betting system. This tool is designed to help you consistently get better numbers. If you’re looking for our opinions on today’s games, we always recommend following our Best Bets.
If Line Predictor isn’t a betting system, why is it so important?
We continually preach about the importance of shopping for the best line because it’s one of the easiest ways to improve your winning percentage. For example, why bet on the Miami Heat at -4.5 when another sportsbook is offering them at -4?
Bettors who have lost games by one half-point or pushed because they got a bad number know exactly what we’re talking about. With Line Predictor, you now know whether you should take the current number or wait for it to move in your favor.
You’ll be surprised how consistently getting better numbers improves your winning percentage, units won and return on investment (ROI) over the course of a season.
Once a line prediction is made, do I have to wait and watch the live odds screen for the line to move in order to get my number?
No, by setting up a simple Line Watcher alert, you can be instantly alerted via popup, email or push alert on our free smartphone app as soon as the line moves to your desired number.
Does Line Predictor make predictions for Over/Unders?
No, at this time, Line Predictor only forecasts spread and moneyline moves, but we are currently refining our Over/Under models and do plan on offering them in the future.
What is the units won statistic?
Units Won is a measurement of how many units a bettor would be up by following a specific bet signal or triggering sportsbook. We recommend our members bet in equal units as it is the best way to keep track of your earnings and protect yourself against losing streaks. When a bet signal is triggered, the triggering sportsbook is followed by a number such as “+10”, indicating that the sportsbooks has a positive units won record of plus 10 units, meaning a $50 bettor would be up $500. Units Won is a better indicator of success than winning percentage because it takes odds into account and provides the most accurate record of profit.
Who do you like in tonight’s game?
Sorry but we don’t give out picks based on employees’ opinions. Sports Insights’ mission from day one has been to develop a site that helps players make informed decisions based on facts. By using our unique betting stats and strategies, you’ll be able to pick your own winners or Pro members can follow our Best Bets. Pro Members also enjoy a rich set of betting strategies that picks games based on betting line movement and betting percentage thresholds. We do invite all members to our nightly hangouts where we break down the board, answer questions, and help bettors make smarter bets.
How long have you been in business?
Sports Insights went online in February of 1999. It took close to a full year of development and negotiation to make the business plan a reality. Since 1999, Sports Insights has been offering betting percentages to the public. We are the only site in the world that offers sports betting stats from major online sportsbooks. Once people start using our information they have a hard time remembering life without it.
If I have questions, how can I contact Sports Insights?
Our customer service representatives are available via live chat or email.
What is the recommended unit size for each bet?
We recommend betting the same unit size on every game (typically 2-4% of your bankroll) . More information about how return on investment (ROI) is calculated.
Is this historical database available for separate purchase?
As of January 2018 we no longer offer downloadable databases.