People bet and gamble on almost everything, and sports betting is very common in America. It’s exciting to be able to bet on your team to win a game, the division or even the Super Bowl. In fact, the first game I bet on was the Super Bowl.
***If you’re interested in finding a good online sports book, please check out our list of places to bet the Super Bowl.***
Forms of betting
Betting comprises of various types. There are proposition betting, straight bet, Parlays, teasers, progressive parlays, future betting and second half bets. Proposition betting is placing a bet on a specific result of a sport, like whether or not a particular player scores in a baseball match or how many goals a specific team will score in a football match. Straight betting is made on two teams and has a format where betting on the losing team is made desirable. Parlays are made on several bets at a time. If won, the bettor stands a better chance to win a handsome amount, than when he places separate bets. Similarly in a teaser the bettor can combine his bets with more than two games. A progressive parlay is a bit similar to a parlay but here a token amount will still be paid even if the bettor loses some of his wagers. Future bets are made when the sports season begins. So in future bets, the period of betting is longer and the amounts wagered are also big. Second half bets are bets placed and won in the second half of the sporting event. Head to head bet is generally placed on two or more players and not on the overall outcome of the sport. Totalizators or flexible rate bets and in play betting are also some forms of betting.
Legal betting
In the USA betting is illegal with the exception of a few states. In these states betting had been legal at the time the law was approved and so continues to be so. The four states of USA that enjoys exemption are Oregon, Montana, Delaware and Nevada. While Nevada is the only state where sports betting take place, Delaware and New Jersey are also trying to legalize sports betting as in Nevada. These attempts include taking a poll of people supporting or opposing sports betting. Majority of men and young people supported it as opposed to women and older people. While some voters did consent that the government should allow sports betting and tax it, some others said it could cause sports to corrupt and encourage gambling.
Illegal sports betting
In places where betting is illegal, sports betting takes place with unlawful bookmakers and on the internet where such people accept online wagers on sporting events. In US, 67% of people are not in favour of the internet being legalized for placing sporting bets while 21% were in favour of it. While the National Football League is against legalizing sports betting, International Cricket Council believes in it. Legalization of betting should be mainly done to arrest illegal dealings by bookmakers and curb match fixing.
Illegal Booking
Illegal sports betting are done in various types of sports. Popular sports like basketball
and rugby have more match fixers, commonly called “bookies”. These “bookies” pay players to play badly and thus cause their team to lose. This is commonly called “booking” and is done on a large scale basis. At first, illegal sports betting caused the origin of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a federal law which was passed in 1992. The intention of PASPA was to retain sporting integrity and to reduce the up rise of sports gambling among the people of America. However, PASPA still ignores the fact that betting still continues to be done in the black markets in various states of America. It was estimated in 2008 that 2.8 billion dollars was wagered on sports illegally in Nevada, and 380 billion dollars wagered across the rest of the United States. Many people also do not know that they might be funding an illegal betting organization. Delaware, which is exempted from PASPA, started sports betting but this was limited to only parlay betting on NFL games and to betting on horse races. In New Jersey, sports betting are practiced only by the Atlantic City casinos and on horse races. New Jersey shows intention of going ahead in spite of the national ban by PASPA by garnering support for sports betting in New Jersey.
Points favoring sports betting
By legalizing sports betting, a proper monitoring system can be implemented to monitor all betting at the sites. The help of technology like specific soft wares, the odds can be conjectured and money that is being bet can be tracked. When there is an abnormal proceeding in the system, they can nail the flaw immediately. This will be followed by investigations to reveal the depth of involvement and also for tracking the money. Thus proof of match fixing and illegal betting can be accumulated to warrant the necessary arrests be it the players, team owners, coaches or referees and be it in any country, Australia, India, Pakistan, China, Germany, Korea or Italy. But as sport betting is illegal in the United States, such a monitoring system is non-existent here. So chances of oversight are bright. This could result in lack of integrity and irregularity in the outcome of the games. Such unexpected outcomes invite investigations which in turn will result in public disclosures and scandals, thus tainting integrity of the team and all those connected with it. Sports activities are already facing a stigma in terms of scandals related to steroids, drugs and violations in recruiting, so betting can be excluded from that list by proactively legalizing it and setting up a proper system of evaluation. This will enforce an understanding and cooperation among the teams, betting bookies and the law, so chances of matters getting exceedingly unmanageable are reduced. Legalized betting create a proper understanding and a much better relationship with the many teams as everyone wants sports and games to be genuinely played and fairly enjoyed.
