If the Packers beat the Bears by 5 points or less, people who bet on the Packers to cover the spread will lose money.
The Bears are less likely to win, so 5 points are added to their final score. Take, for example, the Chicago Bears (+5) and the Green Bay Packers (-5) are playing each other this Sunday. This is how many points are added or subtracted from a team's final score. When people bet on point spreads, they usually talk about (+3.5), (-7.5), (+4), etc. Point spreads help to balance out the odds of each team winning.
