Sports betting is the general activity of predicting sports results by making a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. Perhaps
more so than other forms of gambling,
the legality and general acceptance of sports betting varies from
nation to nation. In the United States, the Professional and Amateur
Sports Protection Act of 1994 makes it illegal to operate a "betting,
gambling or wagering scheme", except for in the states of Delaware, Nevada, and Oregon. Nevada, however, is the only state currently allowing sports gambling,
while in many European nations bookmaking
(the profession of accepting sports wagers) is highly regulated but not
criminalized. Proponents of legalized sports betting generally regard
it as a hobby for sports fans that increases their interest in
particular sporting events, thus benefiting the leagues, teams and
players they bet on through higher attendances and television
audiences. Opponents fear that, over and above the general
ramifications of gambling, it
threatens the integrity of amateur and professional sport, the history of which includes numerous attempts by sports gamblers to fix matches,
although proponents counter that legitimate bookmakers will invariably
fight corruption just as fiercely as governing bodies and law
enforcement do. Most sports bettors are overall losers as the
bookmakers odds are fairly efficient. However, there are professional
sports bettors that make a good income betting sports, many of which
utilize sports
information services.
