Official betting is a type of wager wherein players can place a bet on the winner or loser of a particular game. This bet is often offered by sportsbooks and may involve different types of bets, including moneyline bets, point spreads and parlays. In order to win a bet, the player must correctly predict the outcome of the game and the odds that are provided are taken into consideration.
The NFL ban on betting is spelled out in the league’s collective bargaining agreement and applies to all in-uniform personnel, as well as team and league employees. The league also has a dedicated security team to monitor bets, along with partnering with sportsbooks and integrity firms in order to ensure the proper betting rules are followed. In addition, all in-uniform officials are screened for gambling and sports wagering. Criminal charges and convictions that include fraud, identity theft, forgery, uttering or embezzlement are flagged and could lead to an ineligibility decision.
In baseball, the rule prohibiting official betting is known as “Rule 21.” It is posted publicly on dugout walls and states that any player, umpire, club or league official or employee who bets a sum on a baseball game in which they have a duty to perform will be permanently ineligible for professional baseball. This is the same rule that led to Joseph J. “Sport” Sullivan’s 1919 Black Sox Scandal, which ultimately resulted in eight White Sox players being banned from the game for life.