What is Fading in Sports Betting?

In sports betting, the term fading refers to the act of actively betting against a specific team, athlete, or even another individual bettor. 

For example, a bettor who is looking to fade Duke basketball odds would bet against Duke basketball. 

Bettors sometimes want to fade a given person or team if they’re mired in a losing streak or battered by distractions or scandal. For instance, there could be a tennis player who is playing with poor form or a football team going through a quarterback crisis. Some 2023 NFL bettors may want to fade the New York Giants.

Bettors who pay attention to the advice of media members or sports handicappers may want to fade their picks if they feel those individuals give bad advice.

Imagine that the Chiefs are playing the Broncos, and I recommend Chiefs -7 as a bet. Any bettor who thinks I’m a lousy analyst and bets the other way because of that is said to be fading my pick.

Opposite of Fading in Betting

If fading is the act of betting against someone’s picks, then tailing is the act of agreeing and/or following those betting recommendations.

Let’s return to the earlier AFC West scenario. If the Chiefs are playing the Broncos, and I recommend Chiefs -7 as a bet, someone who likes my analysis and places that bet is said to be tailing my pick.