A sportsbook is a gambling establishment that takes wagers on various sporting events. It can also take bets on other activities, such as political elections or the Oscar awards. A sportsbook is also called a bookmaker or a race and sports book, and it makes its money by taking a certain percentage of each bet placed. This percentage is often referred to as the vig.

A good sportsbook should have large menus of different leagues, events and bet types while offering fair odds and a decent return on these markets. It should also have easy deposit and withdrawal options and a secure environment that protects customers’ privacy. It should also verify the location of its customers using a service like GeoComply, so it can only accept bets from within state borders.

In the United States, most states only recently made sportsbooks legal. Before this, they were illegal in all but Nevada and New Jersey. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 only allowed Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware to allow sports wagers. However, the Supreme Court ruled this law unconstitutional on May 14, 2018, freeing states to legalize sports betting at their discretion.

The most common bets at a sportsbook are total (over/under) bets. These bets are based on the combined score of both teams. If the combined score is exactly the same as the total, it’s a push and the bet is returned to the bettor.