What Does 'Chalk Bettor' Mean in Sports Betting?

A “Chalk Bettor” is a simple term for someone who almost always bets on the favorite.

If a team is expected to win, that’s the team they’re betting on. You’ll also hear this called “betting the chalk.”

Why Are They Called That?

This is a classic term that comes from the old days of horse racing, way before digital screens.

Back then, sportsbooks and tracks wrote the odds on a giant chalkboard.
The horse getting the most bets (the favorite) had its odds changed constantly.
By the time the race started, the bookie had erased and rewritten that horse’s odds so many times that the name was covered in chalk dust.

So, “betting the chalk” literally meant betting on the horse with all the chalk dust on it.

Today, a “chalk bettor” is often seen as a more casual or public bettor who sticks to the “obvious” picks rather than digging for an underdog.