While sports betting is legal and popular in many countries, governing bodies and levels of government have taken a variety of approaches to controlling the practice. These have ranged from making it illegal to allowing it with strict regulation. In the latter case, the money generated by betting is often taxed and used to help fund amateur sport.

While many sports fans may think that it is easy to make money from sports betting, the truth is that even the most successful professional bettors struggle to turn a profit on a consistent basis. This is because they are unable to avoid the inherent losses that come with this type of gambling. In fact, even the most successful “experts” only get about 60% of their bets correct on a regular basis.

When a bettor makes a wager, they will typically be asked to choose the side of the bet that they wish to back and how much they want to invest. Once this information is provided, the odds will be shown. The odds are not fixed and can change over time, with the favored team or event getting shorter odds as the betting public becomes more confident that they will win. Alternatively, the underdog can get longer odds as the bookmaker believes that the underdog has a higher chance of winning.

There are also a variety of other bets available, such as over/under bets. These bets are based on the total number of points that are expected to be scored in a game. The bettor can either bet on the over (that the total points will exceed the predicted amount) or on the under (that the total points will fall short of the prediction).

Another way to make money is by using value betting, which involves placing bets that have a larger potential return than implied by the odds. This type of betting is based on mathematically proven strategies and has the potential to result in long-term profits. However, this type of betting is not for the faint of heart and requires a lot of research and patience to master.

Lastly, it’s important to manage your bankroll. This is a critical aspect of sports betting and should be done on a regular basis to ensure that you are not risking more than your bankroll can handle. To do this, start by opening a special account that you can use for placing bets. Set aside a specific amount of money that you are willing to lose and deposit it in your sportsbook. This will be your base bet amount and should be multiplied by at least 100 to determine the minimum size of each individual bet that you place.

Finally, you should always be mindful of the vig or juice that sportsbooks charge. This is a significant percentage of each bet, which can quickly wipe out your profits. To minimize this, it’s a good idea to look for sites that offer reduced vig or even zero vig. These sites will often post a notice to this effect on their homepage.