Official betting is a wager that is placed on the outcome of an event and paid if that outcome is achieved. Bets are placed on a wide variety of outcomes, from the winner of a game to the total number of points scored. There are also a number of types of bets that can be placed, including money lines and spreads.
Sports betting has exploded across the country, with many states now offering legal wagering. However, some states have restrictions on which teams and players can be bet on.
In baseball, a player, umpire or club or league official who makes a bet on any game in which they are participating as a participant shall be declared permanently ineligible for admission into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This rule was introduced in 1919 after a series of gambling scandals involving the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Professional gambler Joseph Sullivan paid eight members of the White Sox (Oscar Felsch, Arnold Gandil, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, George Weaver, Charles Risberg, and Claude Williams) around $10,000 each to fix the World Series, and all were banned from the sport for life.
Colorado legalized sports betting in 2021, and the first online sportsbooks launched less than a month later. However, betting on in-state collegiate games and player prop bets are prohibited. There are a number of different mobile sportsbooks available in the state, including DraftKings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and BetMGM Sportsbook.