Official betting is a term for any wager placed on sporting events that have been sanctioned by a sports league. Those wagers include standard money lines, spreads and parlays. Some are limited to specific teams, while others can be placed on an entire league.

The NBA has taken a different approach, with its regulated sportsbooks offering a wide variety of markets. The league has also teamed with sportsbook operators and integrity firms to monitor the betting market and identify any irregularities. It has beefed up its in-house technology, deployed security personnel at team facilities and partnered with sportsbooks to make sure its players aren’t breaking any rules.

In addition to traditional bets, sportsbooks offer a wide range of other wagering options including if bets and parlays. An if bet is a series of straight bets joined together by an if clause, which determines the wager process. If the first selection complies with the condition (clause), then the second and third selections will have action as well.

Nevada’s days as the only option for legal US sports betting are long gone, with new states joining the fray. The latest to launch is North Carolina, where Gov. Roy Cooper says regulators are working toward a January 2024 launch for the state’s sportsbooks.