Official betting is a form of sports wagering that is sanctioned by a league. It can include bets on league champions, team standings and individual player performance. A variety of bet types are available, including money lines, spreads and parlays. Sports governing bodies are working to ensure fans can place responsible wagers. This includes beefing up in-house technology, deploying security personnel to monitor betting activity and partnering with integrity firms to identify violations.

A game must be fully played for bets on outright and tournament markets to stand, including any amendments made by governing bodies after the final table is declared. This excludes the case of points dedications. For cup competitions, markets will be settled based on the team that immediately lifts the trophy. Own goals don’t count for goal scorer bets.

In football and basketball betting, the outcome of a match is determined by the official result from the governing body. This means that all bets on the winner of a game or competition will be deemed winning bets, even if there are protests, red cards or penalties awarded in the course of a match. In baseball and hockey betting, bets are based on the official result provided by the governing body.

For accumulator bets, the number of correct selections must equal the total number of selected games. In some cases, a maximum of one incorrect selection will be permitted, for example where the number of teams in an accumulator is restricted to one. For props that require a specific player to start, all players must be in the starting lineup for bets to have action. In addition, if the game is not played for all of its full scheduled innings (8.5 if MLB) for player props, bets on those markets will be void.

In MMA fight betting, bets are paid out on the round that the fight finishes in, regardless of any disqualification or retirement. Bets are also void on decisions where a ‘no contest’ is announced, or where either boxer retires or is knocked out.

Bets on live markets are subject to a delay of up to 30 seconds before being confirmed. Markets will remain open during this period, but bets will only be settled once they are confirmed by the sportsbook. For more information, please refer to the help section of this site.