Everything changed in 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could legalize betting on sports. Since then 36 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized some form of sports betting, either in person, online, or both. 

Some common bets include:

• Moneyline: Bet on a team to win a game
• Point spread: Bet on a team winning or losing a game by a certain number of points, goals, runs, etc
• Over/Under: Betting that the two teams combined will rack up more or less than a certain number of points, goals, runs, etc
• Parlay: Multiple bets linked together. Bettors need to win each individual bet to get the payout.
• Prop bets: A broad category of bets on things that can happen during a game, but aren’t tied to the game’s final result. Which team will be the first to score? How many touchdowns will Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs throw? 

For some big games, there are even prop bets that don’t relate to what happens on the field. Like: How long will the national anthem be at the Super Bowl, or what color of Gatorade will get dumped on the winning coach?

Among Americans over 21, 25% had bet on sports when Morning Consult conducted a poll in December 2021, and 18% said they were betting on sports at least monthly. That’s up from 10% betting monthly when Morning Consult polled in January of 2021.

Even within states that allow online sports betting, 55% of online sports bettors use an unregulated platform at least some of the time, according to a May 2022 survey conducted by research firm Leger’s, commissioned by the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association.