Official betting is a form of gambling where the odds on an event are based on information provided by a sports league or team. This can include injury reports, stadium location, weather, and other factors that could influence a game’s outcome. Official betting is also available on regulated sites across multiple states and countries.
After the Supreme Court ruling, 34 states and the District of Columbia now offer legal sports betting. It is available in person or online, and bettors can place wagers on anything from the number of touchdowns Patrick Mahomes will throw to whether the first team to score will win a given game.
Sportsbook operators in regulated markets must use official data from the major North American sports leagues to offer official betting lines. This ensures the integrity of games by prohibiting abettors from using unauthorized data to make bets. Abettors are also prohibited from offering, accepting, or soliciting a bribe to fix a match.
The NBA has expanded its partnerships with technology companies and sportsbooks to allow them to become co-official partners, giving them extensive rights to integrate the NBA’s data into their sports betting products. This year, both DraftKings and FanDuel Group are named co-official NBA sports betting partners and will be allowed to display NBA logos and marks on their apps and free-to-play games. The NHL has similar pacts with its major partnered sportsbooks. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid was the first NHL player to sign an ambassador role with a betting company and appeared in an advertisement for BetGM alongside hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.