Official betting allows sportsbook operators to offer odds on official leagues and events. These odds are based on the final result outlined by the sports governing body. For example, baseball games are settled based on a full seven innings played, and any game that is postponed or abandoned before the start of play will see bets void and stakes returned.

However, players can still place bets on a number of markets outside of official betting lines. For example, the NHL and MLB allow their clubs to enter partnerships with gambling companies that include promotional and marketing agreements and access to official league data. The Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers are among the teams that have signed such pacts with sportsbooks, and the NHL has also entered into an agreement to sponsor the Las Vegas Golden Knights, which will open a franchise in 2022.

The NFL, NBA and MLB have a more strict approach to player-gambling relationships. They prohibit players and their immediate family members from wagering on their games, and they have no official position on state-level legalized betting, though Commissioner Gary Bettman has suggested that the league may take a different stance as it becomes more familiar with the industry.

The FA has rules that ban individuals involved in club management or at lower levels of the men’s and women’s league systems, match officials at FA Level 4 or below and those in an ownership or executive role. The rules also exclude anyone who has been selected for a WBSC competition, so someone in the national baseball or softball team, for instance, would be prohibited from placing a bet on an MLB event.