It wasn’t long ago that you had to go all the way to Nevada if you wanted to bet on a sporting event in the United States. That changed in May 2018 when a Supreme Court ruling granted individual states the power to legalize sports betting. Today, multiple states offer online and mobile sports wagering through brands like DraftKings Sportsbook.

Whether you’re betting on a favorite team to win or lose, a spread or total points bet, or placing multiple bets together into a parlay, it’s important to know the rules of official betting in order to protect your money. The most important rule is to only place bets on games you can afford to lose. A good tip is to set a loss limit before you start placing bets and don’t exceed that amount.

In addition to these rules, professional athletes and sports officials are banned from seeking, offering, or accepting a bribe to fix a match. This includes players at lower levels of the men’s and women’s league systems, as well as match officials at FA Level 4 or below.

Iowa first legalized sports betting in 2019, with retail and mobile sportsbooks launching later that summer. All bets are made through licensed casinos, and brands including Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, Q Sportsbook, PointsBet, Hard Rock, FanDuel, DraftKings, theScore Bet, and Unibet are all available to bet on in-state pro and college sports. However, player prop bets on collegiate games are prohibited.