What is a Sports Book?

The results from the sports book are in: Bettors wagered more than $92 million on Super Bowl XLII. This an increase of almost 20% from just ten years ago before online gambling, poker, and sports gambling had taken off to the level of today. With online sports books like Bodog, Ladbrokes, and Bet365 only getting bigger, this number is sure to continue to soar in the next few years. Sports betting is a billion dollar industry and it's something that you as a gambler will want to understand if you don't already. Let's jump in.

Sports book 101
A sports book is a place where someone can place a bet on a sporting event, whether it be football (international or American), basketball, boxing, hockey, baseball, or more. Once an actual place where sports betting took place, such as at the Stardust Casino or Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, more and more sports books have moved online to follow the trend of online sports gambling. The bigger the sport, the more available bets to choose from. And the bigger the individual event, ditto. Just witness the crazy number of betting options for the Super Bowl! Coin flip???

Got it. So what's an online sports book?
With the growth of the internet, sports books (like other businesses) have moved online. Because they are not limited by physical capacity like sports books in Vegas, for example, they can handle for all intents and purposes an infinite number of wagers (with no overhead costs either). The reduced costs means they can pass on the savings to their customers, such as a lower vig (the amount a bettor pays to the book per bet)

Online sports books vary by type, meaning what they make available. Due to the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), online gambling has yet to completely catch fire in the States which means that some sportsbooks cater heavily to a more European crowd, offering English football games but perhaps not American football games.

So what else?
Like with everything in sports betting and online gambling, know who you're dealing with. With so many online sportsbooks to choose from, be sure to do your homework and make sure you feel good about your choice. Check out the logos usually found at the bottom of the site to see which online gambling authority gave their seal of approval.

And of course be sure that the book you choose meets your needs. Sports books can vary in terms of betting limits in addition to what games they offer so you'll want to select one that you feel good about. After all... it's your money that's at stake!