Official betting is the process of placing a wager on a professional sports event, based on statistics and results obtained from an authorized source. It can include a variety of bet types, including futures, totalizators and props.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on PASPA has opened up sports betting to many states, and there are now more options than ever before. In addition to retail sportsbooks, there are online and mobile options. Some states, like New York, have even allowed live wagering on a mobile app.
There are also partnerships between sportsbooks and NCAA member institutions. This is a growing trend as college teams and the universities that sponsor them become more comfortable with legal, regulated sports betting.
In the US, the majority of licensed operators offer odds and markets on sporting events. These include major league games, championships and tournaments, as well as player props such as win totals, points and player prop futures.
What’s more, a significant number of sportsbooks offer NFL futures and NBA and NHL futures. These wagers are based on the outcome of a specific game and can be placed before, during or after the event.
Several US sports leagues have entered into private commercial agreements with sportsbooks to provide official data, although the American Gaming Association opposes legislative mandates for this type of data. In both states with data restrictions, the law requires that this type of information is made available on “commercially reasonable terms.” This language has been criticized for being too narrow and creating barriers for sportsbooks to obtain the data they need to run their business.