Oddsmaker vs. Bookie

Many people may wonder what’s the difference between an oddsmaker and a bookie? Well put simply a bookie’s job is purely mechanical. He gets the line from Vegas or another source, offers bets at those odds, then collects money from the losers, pays out to the winners and keeps the vig.

Where as Oddsmakers don’t actually take bets — they study the games and set the lines, most sports books employ teams of oddsmakers who meet with each other and pool their knowledge before they agree on a line. Bookies often adjust the spreads for their games, so they do a little oddsmaking, and oddsmakers work for casinos, which operate sports books that take bets.