A sportsbook is a gambling establishment where bettors can place wagers on a wide range of sporting events. While even a one-person bookmaking outfit technically qualifies as a sportsbook, today’s industry is largely dominated by larger companies that offer bettors the ability to make bets online.

Most sportsbooks offer a variety of betting markets for major sports like football (NFL), basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), and hockey (NHL), with dozens of team and player prop bets available on each contest. Some also offer eSports and bets on pivotal world events, from the Oscars to the Nobel Prizes to election results.

While the ubiquity of legal sports betting has created unprecedented opportunities for gamblers, it’s also led to an increase in problem gambling. In order to prevent such behavior, many sportsbooks have developed tools that allow customers to impose self-imposed limits on their bets. These can include deposit, wager, loss, and session limits, as well as time-outs and complete non-reversible self-exclusion.

Besides these safeguards, customer service is another area that can help keep a sportsbook’s reputation intact. Generally speaking, sportsbooks offer chat and phone support as well as email to address customer concerns. This allows bettors to quickly get their issues resolved, and it’s a major factor in keeping them coming back.

In addition to these security measures, most sportsbooks offer a wide variety of banking options. For instance, they accept credit and debit cards from major issuers, as well as popular e-wallets like PayPal. Most also accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which offer faster withdrawal speeds and lower transaction charges.