Official betting is wagering on a sporting event that has been officially sanctioned by a sports league. These bets can include money lines, spreads and parlays. They can also be placed on individual player performance and matchups. Sports governing bodies are working to ensure that fans can place responsible wagers by beefing up their in-house technology, deploying security personnel at games and partnering with integrity firms to identify violations.

The NFL has a number of rules that prohibit sports betting by team and player personnel. In addition, the league requires players to sign a contract statement acknowledging the league’s gambling policy. However, this doesn’t prohibit players from placing bets on non-NFL games at legal sportsbooks and online.

In baseball, a “total” bet is a wager on the total amount of runs scored in a game. To have action, a game must go 9 innings (8.5 if the home team is ahead). In MLB playoff games, bettors can place a bracket bet. This bet allows entrants to select a winner for each of the four first-round Wild Card games. If the selected team wins, they will be matched against another team in the Divisional round.

Ohio and Oklahoma passed legislation in 2021 that made sports betting legal, with both states allowing in-person and mobile sports betting. However, collegiate sports betting remains prohibited.