In sports betting, a bet is placed on a team that is expected to win the game. The team with a negative sign is the favorite, while the one with a positive sign is the underdog. The odds are based on the probability that the team will win and the amount of money that can be won on a wager.
In the era of legalized sports betting, fans and bettors will benefit from healthy competition between state-licensed operators (turf wars) as well as safer, more regulated markets that are better for everyone than rampant, unmonitored illegal markets. The NBA Commissioner at the time, Adam Silver, even wrote in a New York Times op-ed that “legal sports betting is safe, it’s good for the leagues and the players and, yes, it can be profitable.”
While many people do make money from sports betting, more lose than win. A big part of being a successful sports bettor is having strong money management strategies in place, which starts with choosing a bankroll – a set amount of cash that you are willing to invest in any given gambling session. A smart bettor also knows that they should stop when their bankroll is exhausted, and not continue to gamble even after they have won a few bets.
There are still several states that have not yet made sports betting legal, but they are kicking around ideas. The main concern for states, as it should be, is maximizing taxable revenue.