# Novig vs Pinnacle > Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Novig. Canonical: https://novigapi.com/compare/novig-vs-pinnacle Facts checked: 2026-11-12 Pinnacle is a low-margin bookmaker; Novig is an exchange. Checked 12 Nov 2026, Pinnacle says some of its margins are as low as 2% on its most popular markets, while Novig charges takers 0.06 x P x (1 - P) per $1 of payout, only in-game on game markets. Pinnacle does not take US customers; Novig does. (Source: [Pinnacle: To restrict or not to restrict](https://www.pinnacle.com/betting-resources/en/educational/to-restrict-or-not-to-restrict-that-is-the-question/7h72dyzcczxjzdzs)) Pinnacle is the bookmaker that many bettors treat as the market's fair price, because its margins are thin and it accepts sharp action. Novig is a US exchange where traders set the price. Both are useful references; only one is open to people in the US. ## Fees Costs, checked 12 Nov 2026 | Fees (checked 12 Nov 2026) | Novig | Pinnacle | | --- | --- | --- | | How you pay | Taker pays 0.06 x P x (1 - P) per $1 of payout; makers pay nothing | Margin built into the odds | | Published level | Coefficient 0.06; at most $1.50 per $100 of payout at 50% | As low as 2% on its most popular markets, per Pinnacle | | When it applies | Game markets: only while the event is live. NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB, NCAAWB, MLB, NBA, WNBA and NHL futures: always. Golf, tennis, UFC, F1 and NASCAR futures and series winners: never | On every bet, inside the price | A 2% margin on a two-way market means the two implied probabilities sum to about 102%. On Novig, the best bids on both sides of a liquid market usually sum to just under 100%, and the fee applies on top, in-game only on game markets. Convert either into a fair price with the [no-vig calculator](https://novigapi.com/no-vig-calculator). ## Coverage Coverage, checked 12 Nov 2026 | Coverage (checked 12 Nov 2026) | Novig | Pinnacle | | --- | --- | --- | | Sports | Sports only: NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB, NCAAWB, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, PGA, ATP, WTA, UFC, F1, NASCAR among the leagues its fee docs list | Global sports, including soccer, US sports and tennis | | Markets | Game lines, player props, futures, series winners; parlays priced through RFQ | Moneylines, spreads, totals, props and futures | | States and regions | All US states except Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, judged by physical location; 21+ | Does not accept US customers, per third-party summaries of its restricted countries | | Regulator | Ludlow Exchange, LLC (doing business as Novig), CFTC-designated contract market since 16 Jun 2026 | Licensed outside the US; not a CFTC venue | ## Data access Data access, checked 12 Nov 2026 | Data access (checked 12 Nov 2026) | Novig | Pinnacle | | --- | --- | --- | | Official API | Yes: signed trading API at docs.novig.com; needs an account, KYC and a location check in production | Not covered on the pages we read | | Public data | Free daily CSVs at data.novig.com (trades and markets), no names, around 5 a.m. ET | Odds on pinnacle.com; several third-party feeds carry Pinnacle | | History | Trades from 3 Aug 2026, market snapshots from 4 Aug 2026, daily only | Through third-party feeds only | | What novigapi.com adds | No Novig account, player and team names joined, intraday line history, fair prices, line moves, MCP | Nothing: novigapi.com covers Novig only | Most odds aggregators carry both Pinnacle and Novig, so a closing-line study can use either as the benchmark. Novig adds exchange-only fields that a bookmaker feed cannot: depth on both sides, trade prints and open interest, from the daily CSVs or [novigapi.com](https://novigapi.com/novig-api). ## Reading both as fair value A margin of 2% and an exchange fee are different costs. On Pinnacle the margin is in every price you take. On Novig the price comes from other traders, and the fee depends on when the fill matches. Novig's own worked examples, per $100 of payout at the 0.06 coefficient: $1.50 at 50%, $1.26 at 30% or 70%, and $0.54 at 10%. The fee is charged to five decimal places with no cent floor, and a pregame fill on a game market owes nothing. For a fair-value reference, remove Pinnacle's margin by normalising both sides to 100%, and for Novig take the midpoint between the best bids on each side. If the two disagree, the gap is the signal sharp bettors look for. See [devigging](https://novigapi.com/learn/devig) for the methods. ## Who should use which - **US bettors**: Novig, since Pinnacle does not accept US customers. - **Bettors outside the US who want high limits and low margins**: Pinnacle. - **Modellers who need a fair-price benchmark**: either; Novig adds volume and depth, Pinnacle adds global coverage. ## Verdict For a US bettor the choice is made for you: Novig. As a fair-value reference, Pinnacle remains the classic benchmark abroad, and Novig is the closest US equivalent with a published fee. Track how either line moves into the close with [closing line value](https://novigapi.com/learn/closing-line-value). ## Questions ### What is the sharpest sportsbook in the world? Pinnacle is widely used as the sharp benchmark because it runs low margins, which it says can be as low as 2% on its most popular markets. In the US, exchanges such as Novig play a similar role with a published fee (checked 12 Nov 2026). ### Can I use Pinnacle in the US? Third-party summaries of Pinnacle's restricted countries list the United States and its territories, so US residents cannot open an account. Novig is open in every state except Nevada, Arizona and Michigan (checked 12 Nov 2026). ### What is the difference between a sportsbook and an exchange? A sportsbook sets the odds and keeps a margin in the price. An exchange matches traders and charges a fee; Novig's is 0.06 x P x (1 - P) on in-game fills of game markets (checked 12 Nov 2026). ## Sources - [Pinnacle: To restrict or not to restrict](https://www.pinnacle.com/betting-resources/en/educational/to-restrict-or-not-to-restrict-that-is-the-question/7h72dyzcczxjzdzs) - [Pinnacle Odds Dropper: Where is Pinnacle legal](https://www.pinnacleoddsdropper.com/blog/where-is-pinnacle-sportsbook-legal) - [Novig docs: Trading Fees](https://docs.novig.com/fees.md) - [Novig docs: Trading fees (game and futures schedules)](https://docs.novig.com/api/concepts/fees.md) - [Novig Help Center: Eligibility & Legality](https://support.novig.com/en/articles/16194031-eligibility-legality) - [Novig docs: Exchange Data](https://docs.novig.com/public-data/overview.md) --- Get a free API key: https://novigapi.com/sign-up . Docs: https://novigapi.com/docs . MCP: https://novigapi.com/api/mcp . Operated by Stunning Couches LLC. Independent. 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