With the Supreme Court ruling that individual states can decide if and to what extent they will allow sports wagering, many state legislatures moved quickly to approve regulated models. These have established rigorous licensing regimes to ensure game integrity and consumer safety. Anyone who offers sports betting outside these strict rules is breaking the law.

Official betting involves placing bets on a real-time event. It can be done at brick-and-mortar casinos, mobile apps, and online sportsbooks. Most popular types of bets include bets on football, basketball, baseball and hockey, but there are also a number of specialized bets available, such as those on specific players or team total points in a game.

The legal sportsbooks in the United States are highly regulated and offer multiple deposit and withdrawal options for their customers. In addition, most offer 24/7 customer support via email, live chat and phone. This is especially important for MLB wagering, where the action is often fast-paced and players can lose big if they make mistakes.

The state of Rhode Island has a single legal sportsbook, which is operated by the Rhode Island Lottery and offers most major sports. Its site is fine and operates smoothly, but it stops short of some of the more esoteric offerings that are available at other sportsbooks. The Silver State of Nevada is one of the most well-established legal sportsbooks in the country. It has a lengthy process for new bettors, which requires in-person registration at a casino.