Official betting is the act of placing a wager on the outcome of a particular sport or event. In the United States, this activity is usually facilitated by sportsbooks. These are retail locations that offer in-person bet placement and/or online/mobile platforms. They can be found at professional sports venues, casinos, racinos (combination race track and casino), or other gambling establishments.
Sports betting has sprung up around the country since the Supreme Court ruled that it is legal for states to regulate. A variety of states have made it possible to bet on sports, and some even allow players to place bets on themselves in daily fantasy sports contests.
In New Jersey, the major sports leagues challenged state officials and lost in a lower court ruling and on appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act does not apply to the state, allowing it to delegate control of sports betting to local authorities.
Pennsylvania was among the first states to take advantage of the Supreme Court decision, launching retail and online sportsbooks in November 2018. SugarHouse was the first to go live with a retail book, while DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, and PointsBet followed suit. In Kentucky, sports betting launched in September 2023, with a total of eight online and retail books. The state’s residents can also play in the daily fantasy sports contests offered by FanDuel and DraftKings.
