What Futures means
A futures bet settles weeks or months after you place it - betting a team's championship odds before the season starts is the classic example, but futures also cover things like end-of-season award winners or a team's total regular-season win total. Futures odds move constantly as the season unfolds, and because your money is tied up for the full duration of the bet, futures require a different bankroll-management approach than single-game wagers - many sportsbooks also offer a "cash out" option specifically on futures once the outcome becomes more (or less) likely.
Key points
- A futures bet settles weeks or months after you place it - betting a team's championship odds before the season starts is the classic example, but futures also cover things like end-of-season award winners or a team's total regular-season win total.
- Futures odds move constantly as the season unfolds, and because your money is tied up for the full duration of the bet, futures require a different bankroll-management approach than single-game wagers - many sportsbooks also offer a "cash out" option specifically on futures once the outcome becomes more (or less) likely.
Example and context
Futures odds move constantly as the season unfolds, and because your money is tied up for the full duration of the bet, futures require a different bankroll-management approach than single-game wagers - many sportsbooks also offer a "cash out" option specifically on futures once the outcome becomes more (or less) likely.
Related glossary terms
These terms sit in the same part of the betting vocabulary and are useful to read next.
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