When it comes to betting on baseball, there are a number of things you should know. For example, you can place wagers on Home Run Derby squares, MLB playoff odds and other types of prop bets. However, you should always be sure to gamble responsibly. This means not gambling more than you can afford to lose and limiting the amount of time you spend on sports betting.
MLB is committed to responsible gaming and works with various industry partners, including the American Gaming Association’s Have a Game Plan. Bet Responsibly campaign, to educate fans about responsible gaming. In addition, MLB is a founding member of the National Council on Problem Gambling and serves as an Ambassador to the organization.
Despite the fact that baseball and other major leagues have a long history of responsible betting practices, the game has seen a significant increase in problem gambling and underage gaming. To help combat these issues, the leagues created the Responsible Betting Initiative in 2022, an effort to educate fans and expand their responsible gaming efforts. The initiative is led by a team of experienced professionals in the fields of pharmacology, law enforcement and addiction treatment.
What is official betting?
Official betting is a legal form of sports wagering in the United States, whereby bettors can place wagers on games or events based on official stats provided by the sport’s governing body. This type of wager is regulated by state laws, which may vary in their scope and regulations. It is also regulated by federal law, which requires operators to adhere to established minimum standards for the protection of customers.
In the US, the only states that require sportsbooks to use official league data are Illinois and Tennessee. Both states include a caveat that this data requirement only applies to Tier 2 bets, which are those placed after the start of the event and that do not involve the final score or outcome of the event. This qualifier suggests that sportsbooks can circumvent the data restriction by showing that they do not have access to the leagues’ official data on commercially reasonable terms.
While the term “commercially reasonable” appears nebulous at best and impossible at worst, sources within the industry believe that the initial terms set by the leagues via distributor Sportradar are unreasonable. This is why most states have opted to ignore the leagues’ request for this data restriction and instead focus on their core mission of protecting players. In fact, the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) has rejected a proposal to compromise on this issue in favor of an integrity fee. Nevertheless, the leagues remain determined to win this battle and are redoubling their lobbying efforts in 2021. Those efforts will likely continue in 2022 as the NCLGS prepares to weigh in on the issue again. In the meantime, bettors can choose from a variety of legal online sportsbooks. To ensure that they are using the most reliable and trustworthy sites, bettors should always investigate each betting site before placing a bet.