After the Supreme Court lifted a federal ban on sports betting, state lawmakers and sovereign tribal nations have been working to establish frameworks for legal gambling. They’ve also been experimenting with new ways to get fans involved in the action, including opening sportsbooks inside stadiums and partnering with fan-facing apps that give people the chance to place wagers on their favorite teams.

A few of these efforts are now official, which means players can legally bet on their favorite team or game from regulated online sportsbooks. This is a major change from just a few years ago when many of us thought the NFL would never allow it.

But it is not without risks. The league has taken a measured approach to official betting, with a specific set of rules that limit players’ ability to bet on games while at work. And it’s not just the players who are prohibited from placing bets while on the job – other league personnel, including coaches and officials, are also barred from doing so.

The NFL’s official betting rules are outlined in its CBA, and are meant to protect the integrity of its games. The rules also require that athletes sign a statement acknowledging that they understand the league’s rules regarding gambling. And while it might seem obvious, it’s important to note that some athletes have been banned from placing bets because they weren’t aware of the rules.

In addition to these rules, the NFL is monitoring a wide range of factors in its effort to prevent betting-related problems in the sport. It’s partnering with regulators, sportsbooks and independent integrity monitors to identify suspicious betting activity, and it’s increasing in-house scrutiny of any potential violations. It’s also beefing up its in-house security and dedicating resources to the space.

There are a number of states that have legalized sports betting, with most offering online options to go along with retail sportsbooks. Voters approved legal sports betting in Colorado in 2019, and the state’s retail and online sportsbooks launched in 2021. SugarHouse, DraftKings, BetRivers, and FanDuel are among the regulated sportsbooks available in the state.

PURDUM: You can bet on anything you want, but as long as it’s not on the NFL. That’s what got a lot of these guys tripped up, is that they were betting on the NBA or baseball or tennis and things like that, which is legal, but then they weren’t paying attention to their league’s rules. Then they had to sign the statement saying that they understand their rules and they weren’t aware of them and they lost a year of their career.

The NCAA’s official betting rules state that student-athletes, coaches and other athletics staff members cannot place wagers on any pro, college or amateur sporting event or game sponsored by the organization. This includes Super Bowl squares, NCAA brackets and fantasy sports. It also prohibits students and team personnel from soliciting, offering or accepting a bribe to fix a contest.