Hold percentage is the share of total wagered money (handle) an iGaming operator keeps as GGR, typically 6–10% for sportsbook and the inverse of RTP for casino.
Hold Percentage
TL;DR: Hold percentage is the share of total wagered money (handle) an iGaming operator keeps as GGR, typically 6–10% for sportsbook and the inverse of RTP for casino.
What it means
Hold is the operator's realised win rate. In sportsbook it depends on overround pricing (vig), bet mix, and player skill — actual hold fluctuates around theoretical based on outcomes. In casino it converges to the theoretical (1 − RTP) over volume, with monthly variance.
Sportsbook hold is the more interesting number commercially because it's a function of pricing and product, not just math. US operators talk constantly about "hold %" in earnings calls; their hold has expanded from ~6% to 9–10% over the last five years as parlay mix grew.
Formula / How it's measured
Hold % = GGR / Handle × 100
Example: a sportsbook takes $42M in stakes in a month, pays out $39M, GGR = $3M → hold = 7.1%. A casino with $80M wagered and 95.5% blended RTP holds 4.5% → $3.6M GGR.
Why it matters for operators
Hold is the lever for sportsbook margin growth. Pushing parlay and SGP (same-game parlay) mix from 20% to 40% of handle can lift hold by 200–400 bps. For casino, hold = 100 − RTP, so deploying lower-RTP variants and game mix steering directly lifts hold. Hold is what investors use to compare operator efficiency at scale.
Common benchmarks (2026)
- Sportsbook hold blended: 7–10% (US trending 9–11%, EU 6–8%)
- Parlay hold: 15–25%
- Pre-match singles hold: 4–6%
- Slot hold: 3–6% (94–97% RTP)
- Live casino hold: 1.5–3%
Common mistakes
- Reporting theoretical hold as actual without showing variance bands
- Confusing hold (% of handle) with margin (% of revenue) in management decks
- Pushing hold via product UX that hides odds — regulatory risk in mature markets
See also