Sportsbooks have sprung up around the country since the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, with New Jersey and Pennsylvania among the first to launch legal sports betting. While most bets are placed on football, baseball and basketball games, a wide range of other wagers are offered. These specialized bets can include over/under wagers on total points or individual player props. While there are dozens of online sportsbooks, some offer more specialized bets than others. Some have partnerships with particular leagues, allowing bettors to place certain types of bets.
Official betting is a key component of the sports gambling industry, helping to ensure that bettors have accurate and timely information about upcoming games and current odds. In an effort to protect the integrity of their games, leagues have worked with regulators and sportsbooks to enforce betting rules and monitor bettors. The NFL, for example, has beefed up its in-house technology and worked with independent integrity monitors to increase transparency of betting activity in the marketplace. It also partners with players’ unions, whose members are required to sign statements acknowledging betting rules as part of their contracts.
The NBA, meanwhile, shuts off the flow of in-game data to operators without rights to the official feed. The league and MGM teamed up to lobby DC lawmakers in December, with the goal of adding data mandates into sports betting legislation. While the proposal ultimately flopped, the NBA remains active in this arena, partnering with FanDuel and DraftKings to push for sports betting reform in Congress.
It’s also a key partner in the American Gaming Association’s Have A Game Plan Bet Responsibly campaign, an initiative that promotes responsible betting for all fans. Leagues are also working with state legislatures to expand their gambling programs and to educate their fans about the dangers of problem gambling.
While the sports betting industry can be volatile, the business model is a sustainable one. While the sportsbooks take a percentage of bets, they are also able to offer better odds than their competitors, attracting more bettors and increasing revenue over time.
As more states adopt and implement legal sports betting, the business model is expected to continue growing. The legal markets in Nevada and Connecticut, which have both launched sportsbooks since the Supreme Court’s ruling, have already seen significant increases in wagering volumes and revenues.
In the future, it’s likely that more states will allow players to make wagers from home, and eventually some may even offer live betting during games. This will help expand the sportsbook industry and lead to a bigger market for official betting. However, players still won’t be able to place wagers from team or league facilities or while they’re on the road with their teams. The NBA has made it a point to prohibit this type of betting, although it’s possible that the league will relax its restrictions in the near future. Until then, bettors should research each sportsbook before placing any bets.