Anyone who pays even the slightest attention to sports will know phrases like “the odds in Las Vegas” or “the current Vegas line is set at . . .” What is it that makes Las Vegas so important in the world of sports betting?

It’s Legal

Nevada is the only state in the U.S. that allows betting on any and all sports. Sports betting draws hundreds of thousands of players to Las Vegas each year, as they know they don’t have the freedom to bet this way anywhere else. Most of the casinos (if not all of them) have areas or rooms set up specifically for sports betting.

The sports betting areas in casinos are like giant sports bars. They have television sets tuned into the sports games that people are betting on. Each casino will have games it specializes in, although most will offer sports bets on the major sports – football, basketball, baseball, horse racing, golf, and NASCAR. Individual casinos often have other sports they offer. For example, the Las Vegas Hilton offers betting lines on Formula One and English Premier Soccer, while the Saraha offers betting lines on tennis.

How to Bet Sports Books

Each sport has its own method of betting. But there are some standards that any bettor should be familiar with. There are point spreads, over/under, plus/minus, money lines, and futures.

Point spreads are what the oddsmakers predict will be the difference in the points in a game. For example, someone wants to bet on the Eagles by 3 over the Bears. To win, the Eagles must have at least 4 points more than the Bears. But if the Bears win, the point spread is irrelevant.

Over/under is betting on the total score of a game. A total score is predicted by the oddsmakers, and the player will bet on whether the actual total score will be above or below the prediction.

Plus/minus describes which team is the favorite (a minus) and which team is the underdog (a plus) when posting the point spread.

Money lines are the odds on the game based on a minimum bet, usually $1.

Futures give players the opportunity to bet on the outcome of a season before it happens. People can bet on who will play in the next year’s Super Bowl or who will win baseball’s pennants.