Sports Betting Laws and Official Betting
Official betting is the term front and center as sports leagues fight to shape legal US sports wagering policy. Following years of opposition to gambling, sports leagues want a role as primary stakeholders in legal sports betting and a mechanism for monetizing the data they generate. That quest for a share of the action has supplanted the integrity fee as the main vehicle for gaining a foothold in the industry.
As the industry continues to evolve, it is important to understand how these policies affect your betting experience. Here are a few key things to know.
Sports betting laws vary across the country, and they are constantly changing to reflect new regulations. The most recent changes involve the legality of online sports betting and the ability for states to approve sportsbooks in other jurisdictions. This will continue to be a major topic of debate as the industry expands in 2023 and beyond.
There are currently five US states that offer online sports betting, with Tennessee and Illinois offering both in-person and mobile options. These markets have a long way to go in terms of scale, but they are poised to become major revenue generators for the industry.
In baseball, betting limits are set by the governing body of the sport. The minimum and maximum bets that can be placed on a game are listed in the MLB rulebook under “Official Bet Rules”. This includes a variety of bet types, including straight bets, parlays, and if bets.
A straight bet is a single bet on the winner of a specific event or team. Parlays are a series of straight bets joined by an if clause, meaning that if the first selection in the parlay complies with the if condition, the other selections will have action as well. If bets are the most popular type of baseball bet, as they are easy to place and can yield a significant payout if correctly placed.
NCAA sports wagering rules prohibit athletes, coaches, team staff and tournament officials from placing bets on any event sponsored by the league at any level (pro, collegiate or youth). This prohibition also applies to a number of non-NCAAD events. Players are required to sign a statement acknowledging the rules of gambling as part of their contract.
Aside from those limits, the most common violations of NCAA rules are related to bribery and corruption. Seeking, offering or accepting a bribe to fix a match is a violation of the code, as was Joseph Sullivan’s attempt to rig the 1919 World Series. This type of misconduct can result in a suspension, which can have a negative impact on a player’s career and earnings.