Official betting is any wager on a game that relies on official league data. Sports governing bodies have been working to ensure that fans can place responsible wagers and protect their games from corruption and match-fixing. This has included beefing up in-house technology, deploying security personnel, and partnering with integrity firms.
However, the leagues remain opposed to legislative mandates to use their data and insist that such a move would hurt their business by limiting the number of betting sites they can work with. Nevertheless, Illinois and Tennessee include language in their sports betting laws that requires bookmakers to use official data for Tier 2 bets (bets on players or specific scoring plays). While these requirements may be a compromise, the fact remains that Tier 1 wagers can universally be graded without official league data and therefore are not subject to these requirements.
The terms of these agreements are dictated by the leagues, which means that they set the initial terms and there is no precedent on which to judge whether those terms are reasonable. Moreover, the ambiguity of these terms can also create loopholes for operators.
In addition, the terms of these agreements prohibit students, coaches, or athletics staff members from placing bets on any sport the NCAA sponsors at any level. This ban is meant to prevent student-athletes from becoming targeted by bettors with gambling interests. A recent survey by the NCAA found that 10% of Division I respondents reported being harassed online or in person by bettors.