The NFL is betting big on sports gambling, beefing up in-house technology and partnering with integrity firms to improve its visibility of bets placed on its games. The NHL is more relaxed on the subject, claiming that they’re smaller than the NBA and NFL and less likely to be negatively affected by a problem with legal sports betting.

Nevada is well known for sports betting, offering in-person options at dozens of casinos and online wagering through sites like DraftKings. Its days as the sole option for US legal sports betting are fading, though, with Michigan and Massachusetts both launching in 2022, and Illinois passing legislation to launch its first online sportsbook in March of 2020 and subsequently opening retail and mobile options through companies like PointsBet, BetRivers and FanDuel.

Futures bets are wagers on events that will happen in the future, such as a team to win the World Series, a player to win the Masters golf tournament or a baseball game to end in a tie. These bets tend to have higher odds than straight bets and therefore offer larger payouts if the wager is correct.

Players for NBA teams are prohibited from placing bets on any league-related event, regardless of whether it’s legal in the state where they live. They can place bets on non-NBA events, but cannot do so from inside the team’s facilities or while they’re traveling with their teams. They’re also required to sign a contract acknowledging the league’s rules regarding gambling.