When you place a bet on a sporting event, you’re essentially placing money behind an outcome you believe will occur. If you bet that a team will win, you’re making a straight bet; if you bet that a team will lose or draw by a certain number of points, you’re placing a spread bet. You can also combine multiple outcomes into one bet, called a parlay.

Aside from the obvious monetary incentive, players have been known to take bribes in order to influence betting lines. A famous example is the 1919 World Series, when Joseph Sullivan paid eight members of the Chicago White Sox to fix a game. Those players—Oscar Felsch, Arnold Gandil, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Charles Risberg, George Weaver, and Claude Williams—were permanently banned from Major League Baseball.

Legal sports betting rolled out in New Hampshire in 2019, with retail and online options available from DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers. The state’s sportsbooks are licensed and regulated by the New Hampshire Gaming Control Board.

The law states that “Covered persons include athletes; umpires, referees, and officials; club, team, and league personnel; medical professionals and athletic trainers; and the immediate family members and associates of such covered persons.” In addition, the laws prohibit a permit holder from offering or accepting any bribe in connection with a wager on any sport. A violator faces a misdemeanor charge.