When it comes to sports betting, official betting is an important piece of the puzzle. While the industry is in its early stages, some states have begun to impose requirements on sportsbooks that require them to use official data from professional sports leagues. This is meant to ensure that bettors are getting accurate information about their teams and the outcomes of games. It’s one of the many ways that regulators are trying to protect consumers and ensure fairness in sports betting.
In Illinois, Michigan, and Tennessee sports betting laws include a requirement that operators use official league data for Tier 2 bets, which are those that have a direct relationship to the final score or outcome of the game. The laws also call for sportsbooks to set odds based on this data. This is a compromise for the leagues, who were pushing for integrity fees that would give them complete control of US sports betting.
New Hampshire legalized sports betting in 2019 and launched its first retail book on Jan. 31. It is expected to launch its online offerings later this year. Massachusetts passed a bill in the wee hours of the morning on Aug. 1, and the state’s first sportsbooks began taking bets in late 2022. Online and mobile sportsbooks will go live later this year.
Ohio is still the only Midwestern state to offer legal sports betting, and it’s on track to have its first online book up and running in 2023. In Minnesota, lawmakers have struggled to resolve differences between tribal casinos, who want exclusive sports betting rights, and horse racing tracks, which would like a bigger share of the market.