Official betting is a form of sports wagering where the bettor places money behind an outcome and gets paid if that outcome happens. Money line bets are made on whether a team will win or lose by a certain number of points, and if multiple outcomes are combined into one bet it’s known as an if bet. The odds for a particular event are constantly changing, which is why it’s important to monitor injury reports before placing any bets.

The National Hockey League (NHL) doesn’t publicly take a position for or against sports betting, but the Vegas Golden Knights did become the first professional team to open a sports book in the state of Nevada. The NHL also signed sponsorship agreements with William Hill and MGM Resorts International, and the league’s teams in states where betting is legal have their own in-house partnerships.

The earliest bets on soccer matches are generally placed during the week leading up to a match, and they can often go as high as $1,000. Soccer is a very fast-paced game with 22 players on the field and hundreds of actions taking place over the course of 90 minutes. As a result, it’s not uncommon for a red card, an injury or a goal to change the course of a match. This can often lead to unpredictable results and chaos in an individual match, which is why if bets are placed on the action they should be monitored closely throughout the game.