In addition to the standard bets on points spreads and over/unders, sportsbooks also offer a variety of other types of wagers known as official bets. In a nutshell, these bets are placed by people who work for the teams or leagues themselves. Official betting is available at most major sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars Entertainment, as long as it is legal in your state.
In football, for example, fans can bet on a variety of wagers, from which team will score first to who will win a given game or series. The odds for these bets change in real time as the betting market changes, but they can be a good way to get some action on games you care about without risking too much money.
The rise of betting on NCAA sports has raised concerns among athletic administrators, who worry it may damage the integrity of the sport and threaten the health and safety of college athletes. In 2023, 27% of autonomy schools reported that they had dealt with a problem related to betting in the previous year, according to an NCAA survey.
Hawaii remains one of the few states that doesn’t allow sports betting, although a bill introduced in January 2022 has gained some traction and could be on the ballot in November. A gambling compact with the Oneida Nation allows retail and online sportsbooks, but not statewide mobile betting or wagering on in-state colleges. In 2022, the Washington Nationals struck a partnership with BetMGM to open a sportsbook at the team’s stadium.