To make the payout odds as close as possible between two football teams, sportsbooks implement a point spread. An example of a football point spread bet is the Bills -3.5 (-110) vs. Patriots +3.5 (-110). As you can see, the payout odds (-110) are the same. However, rather than the Bills just needing to win the game straight-up, they need to win by 4+ points to “cover the spread” (ATS). A bet on the Patriots at +3.5 points will cash if New England win the game or lose by three points or less.