With sports betting more prevalent than ever, professional leagues and the integrity firms that monitor them have more visibility into bets placed on their games than ever before. As a result, point-shaving schemes that would have gone undetected in the past can now be nipped in the bud by advanced monitoring systems.

Legal sportsbooks are companies or individuals that accept bets and pay out winning bettors. They can be physical locations that offer in-person bet placement or online/mobile platforms. They can be part of a larger company, such as a casino or racino (combination race track and casino), or they can be standalone entities. Historically, some pro sports leagues have opposed legalized sports betting, citing concerns over maintaining the integrity of their games. However, following the Supreme Court decision that made it legal in many states, the NFL has become one of the industry’s largest stakeholders, partnering with multiple sportsbook operators.

The NBA has a similar policy, and its VP of Player Development and Legal Affairs Shannon Gilligan says the league educates players on their rules several times per year, plus assigns a person to oversee all betting-related matters. However, NBA players can place bets on other events, as long as they are doing so legally and not while at a team facility.

Similarly, the PGA of America discourages its members from participating in legal gambling activities, but golfers can still wager on professional tournaments that are not regulated. Nevertheless, some student-athletes have complained of being harassed by people with betting interests.