Official betting is a type of sports wager that uses data from the sport’s governing body. The data can be provided directly to the bookmakers or be required by law in some states. This data is important because it ensures that bettors are placing bets on legitimate results. It also helps prevent match fixing and other types of criminal activity.

PURDUM: When the Supreme Court ruled that individual states could legalize sports betting, it changed the landscape of the industry quite a bit. We’re seeing a lot of sports teams embrace this and partnering with books to offer their own lines. It’s really interesting to see.

In baseball, for example, there are some rules against gambling. One of the most famous is that Joseph Sullivan paid eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox to fix a series against the Cincinnati Reds in order to win a bet. This was a violation of MLB’s anti-corruption code, and the players were banned from professional baseball for life.

In football, the NFL’s stance on gambling is less clear. While the league doesn’t explicitly prohibit gambling on games, it does say that any player, coach, or team official who places a bet will be disciplined. It’s a rule that is in place to protect the integrity of the game, and the NFL has punished multiple players for gambling on their own games. Those who have been banned from the league for gambling include Isaiah Rodgers, Rashod Berry, and Demetrius Taylor.