Official betting is any bet on a sports event that’s sanctioned by a league. This includes money lines, spreads and parlays. It also covers postseason and championship games. Sports governing bodies work to ensure that fans can place responsible wagers by beefing up in-house technology, deploying security personnel to monitor betting activity and partnering with integrity firms.

The NFL has jumped on the official betting bandwagon, announcing an exclusive partnership with FanDuel as part of a multi-year deal that will allow the sportsbook to leverage NFL marks in retail and online sportsbooks and engage fans through NFL-themed free-to-play games. In addition, the NFL will be working closely with sportsbooks to help identify suspicious betting patterns.

A number of states are getting ready to open their doors to legal sports betting this fall, including Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Both states have retail sportsbooks and will launch online offerings in November. New Jersey was one of the first to move after the Supreme Court’s PASPA ruling, with retail sportsbooks opening in June and online offering going live in August. SugarHouse was the first retailer to offer online sports betting, with DraftKings and BetRivers joining the ranks soon after.

Colorado became the 19th state to legalize sports gambling in 2021, with multiple operators accepting bets in-person and online. The only restriction is that bets on in-state college games are prohibited. A slew of bonuses are available to sports bettors, with rewards programs from Caesars and BetMGM leading the pack.