Odds boards in a Las Vegas sportsbook

Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on ⚾️ the outcome.

Sports bettors place their wagers either legally, through a bookmaker/sportsbook, or illegally through privately run enterprises referred to as ⚾️ "bookies".

The term "book" is a reference to the books used by wage brokers to track wagers, payouts, and debts.

Many legal ⚾️ sportsbooks are found online, operated over the Internet from jurisdictions separate from the clients they serve, usually to get around ⚾️ various gambling laws (such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 in the United States) in select markets, ⚾️ such as Las Vegas, or on gambling cruises through self-serve kiosks.