Official betting refers to wagers that use statistics, results and other data provided by the governing body of a sport. It’s an increasingly popular way for sports fans to place bets on their favorite teams and players. However, there are several things that bettors need to know about this type of betting.
The battle over official data is front and center in legal sports betting debates across the United States. Sports leagues are intent on profiting from US regulated sports betting, and they’re using official data mandates as one tool in their arsenal to do so. It’s a fight that has supplanted the integrity fee, which was a league attempt to collect a direct cut of sports betting handle.
State laws around the country have carved out different rules for sportsbooks when it comes to official data, and those differences will shape legal sports betting markets in 2021. For example, the new Tennessee law requires sportsbooks to use official data on Tier 2 bets. Illinois has a similar provision, but it only applies to live bets.
Official betting is a popular form of sports gambling in the United States, with most states legalizing this type of bet in some capacity. The bets can include anything from money lines to over/under totals, and the odds are based on the previous performance of teams and players. However, bettors should understand that the odds are not a guarantee of how much they will win.