The Asian Handicap usually boils the market down to two sides. On a whole-number line like -1, a refund is still possible. On a .5 line like -0.5, the score gap can never match the line, so there's no refund. On a quarter line like -0.75, your stake is split in two across neighbouring lines, which can give a half-win or a half-loss.
Two sides, no third outcome
Asian Handicap usually boils the market down to two sides: the handicapped team or player, and the opponent. There's no separate handicap draw, unlike European Handicap. A tie after handicap is refunded on a whole line and can't happen on a .5 line.
Handicap 0: the basic version
On a handicap of 0, the score isn't adjusted. The selection wins: you win. A draw: you get a refund. The selection loses: you lose.
It works much like Draw No Bet, give or take the exact rules and label your operator uses.
Handicap -0.5: the line is never matched
A .5 line like -0.5 can never be matched exactly, because a score gap is always a whole number.
The selection wins if the handicapped team wins by at least 1. The gap then beats the line. In every other case it loses, draws included. So there's never a refund on this type of line.
Handicap -1: the refund comes back
On a whole-number line like -1, a refund is possible again. It happens when the handicapped team wins by exactly the margin of the line.
With -1, a win by 2 goals or more wins the selection. A win by exactly 1 goal refunds the stake. With a draw or a defeat, the selection loses.
Quarter lines: one stake, two neighbouring lines
A quarter line like -0.25 or -0.75 splits your stake in two, one half on each of two neighbouring lines, whole or .5.
-0.75 = 50% of the stake on -0.5 + 50% of the stake on -1
The same goes for -0.25 (one half on 0, the other on -0.5), for +0.25 and for +0.75, on the side of the team receiving the handicap.
That split creates two results a single line can't produce:
A half-win is one half of the stake winning while the other half is refunded. A half-loss is one half refunded while the other half loses.
Take -0.75, with one half on -0.5 and one on -1. The handicapped team wins by exactly 1. The half on -0.5 wins, because the gap beats the line. The half on -1 is refunded, because the gap lands right on the line. Net result: a half-win.
The full settlement table
Every row was checked on its own, gap by gap. The gap is the handicapped team's score minus its opponent's, before the handicap is applied.
| Line | Won | Half-won | Refund | Half-lost | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Gap ≥ +1 | n/a | Gap = 0 | n/a | Gap ≤ -1 |
| -0.25 | Gap ≥ +1 | n/a | n/a | Gap = 0 | Gap ≤ -1 |
| -0.5 | Gap ≥ +1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | Gap ≤ 0 |
| -0.75 | Gap ≥ +2 | Gap = +1 | n/a | n/a | Gap ≤ 0 |
| -1 | Gap ≥ +2 | n/a | Gap = +1 | n/a | Gap ≤ 0 |
"n/a" means that status can't happen on that line. A .5 line is never refunded. A whole-number line like -1 never gives a half-win or a half-loss, since it isn't a quarter line.
The -0.75 and -1 lines sit next to each other, yet the same gap of +1 gives a half-win on one and a refund on the other. That pair is the one I'd point to first: a quarter of a point on the line, and the settlement changes completely.
The general principle, not a universal rule
That's how the market works in principle. The exact settlement rules vary by operator.
OddScore and the Asian Handicap
The basketball handicap OddScore tracks is the special case of a .5 line seen above: two sides, half-point lines, no refund possible. OddScore doesn't track whole lines or quarter lines of the Asian Handicap, nor this market in football or tennis. This page is part of the Academy: it explains the general mechanism, whatever OddScore tracks sport by sport. The tracked basketball handicap is on basketball odds. OddScore also tracks the American football spread (NFL, NCAAF) on the same basis: two outcomes, half-point lines only. See American football odds.
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Odds movements are only part of the story. Here are the next topics to read.
Handicap betting
The concept, the different types and how the handicap is used across sports.
See the guideEuropean Handicap: how it works and how it differs from Asian
Three outcomes, with a handicap draw that doesn't exist here.
See European HandicapDraw No Bet: refunded if the match is drawn
Settles much like Asian Handicap 0.
See Draw No BetFrequently asked questions
What is the Asian Handicap?
A handicap market that usually boils the game down to two sides. Depending on the line, the result can be a win, a refund, a half-win, a half-loss or a loss.
What is a quarter line in Asian Handicap?
An in-between line such as -0.25 or -0.75. Your stake is split into two halves placed on two neighbouring lines. With -0.75, one half goes on -0.5 and the other on -1.
Can an Asian Handicap of -0.5 be refunded?
No. A score gap is always a whole number, so it can never land exactly on a .5 line. There's no refund on this type of line.
When is an Asian Handicap of -1 refunded?
When the handicapped team wins by exactly the margin of the line. For a -1 handicap, that's a win by exactly 1 goal or 1 point.
What is a half-win or a half-loss?
On a quarter line, the stake is split between two neighbouring lines. If one half wins and the other is refunded, that's a half-win. If one half is refunded and the other loses, that's a half-loss.
Is Asian Handicap 0 the same as Draw No Bet?
The settlement principle is often the same: selection wins = won, draw = refunded, selection loses = lost. The exact rules and the label can still vary by operator.
Does OddScore track the Asian Handicap?
The basketball handicap OddScore tracks is the special case of a .5 line described on this page: two sides, no refund possible. OddScore doesn't track whole lines, quarter lines, or the Asian Handicap in football or tennis. It also tracks the American football spread (NFL, NCAAF) on the same basis: two outcomes, half-point lines only. See [American football odds](ref:cotes_nfl).
Sources & methodology
This page draws on standard Asian Handicap vocabulary and on settlement rules published by Betfair, a licensed operator. Every cell of the settlement table was checked on its own, gap by gap, line by line, before publication.
- Build the logic step by step: handicap 0, then -0.5, then -1, and only then the quarter lines.
- Check every cell of the settlement table against the score gap it describes.
- Remind readers that exact settlement rules vary by operator, without presenting a commercial rule as universal.
- Betfair: Exchange general rulessupport.betfair.com
- Betfair: Charges and commissionbetfair.com
- UK Gambling Commission: Definitions of terms
- BeGambleAware