Sports betting is everywhere now—here are the rules bettors might not realize they're breaking
Sports podcaster Bill Simmons recently had wagers voided after breaking a sportsbook rule he said he didn't know about.
TL;DR
- Twenty-seven percent of Americans now have an active online sportsbook account, an increase from 19% in 2024.
- Proxy betting, where someone else places a wager on your behalf, is prohibited and can lead to account suspension and forfeited winnings.
- Bets must be placed from a state where online sports betting is legal, regardless of where the bettor resides.
- Sportsbooks use geolocation technology to verify a bettor's physical presence in a legal jurisdiction.
- Using a VPN can interfere with location verification and may lead to account restrictions or closure if used to circumvent state gambling rules.
- Sports prediction markets operate under different rules than traditional sportsbooks and are federally regulated, with varying state-level challenges.
- Prediction markets may have different age requirements and are available in some states where traditional sports betting is illegal.