Official betting is a form of sports betting that allows wagers to be placed on games with official odds. These odds are based on statistics and official data that the sports book has access to. They are not influenced by the opinions of the media or other outside sources.
In many states, official betting is regulated but not illegal. In some countries, however, it is illegal to place sports bets or to employ a person who engages in such activities.
The most common forms of official bets are money lines, totals, and if bets. These bets are based on the number of runs, points, or goals that a team will score in a game.
Money lines change regularly as teams add and subtract players from their rosters. The money line listed on your ticket is the official betting price, unless the starting pitcher has been changed.
Totals: The total amount of runs scored by a team in a game (also called the over/under). To bet on the over, you need to predict that the game will go nine innings or eight and a half innings if the home team wins.
If bets: Bets on teams with an if clause are based on the number of points that the favored team must score. The if bets are usually more lucrative than other types of bets, but the odds are less predictable because they do not take into account how much the winning team will earn.