Official betting refers to sports wagers that have been placed after the game has begun and are based on the results of official play. These bets are usually referred to as Tier 2 sports wagers, and they can have a significant impact on the outcome of a game or series of games. Official betting is one of several new ways that fans can wager on sports, and it’s a trend that could continue to grow with the expansion of legal sports gambling across the United States.
The leagues’ move into the world of official betting comes after a pivotal Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to regulate gambling, including sports wagering. While US gambling laws vary widely, most states have established rigorous licensing regimes to ensure sports betting integrity. The ruling, which was written by Justice Samuel Alito, said that states have the right to decide whether to permit sports betting or not.
In 2021, Morning Consult found that 25% of Americans over 21 had bet on sports, up from 10% in 2014. As betting has become more prevalent, the leagues have stepped up efforts to combat problem gambling among their athletes and create a safer gaming environment for college players.
The leagues have also begun to push for policies that would give them a bigger hand in how sports betting data is used. This includes proposals in the US Congress that seek to limit state laws that prohibit sportsbooks from using biometric data of players without consent. That type of mandate would likely be met with stiff resistance by player unions in both professional and college sports, whose members have already warned of the dangers of big data analytics in the context of sports gambling.
