Sports betting coming to Havre March 9

Last week, The Montana Lottery Commission approved legal sports betting in the state, and the option is available in Havre.

Montana Lottery Commission Communications Manager Jennifer McKee said the betting will begin at any betting kiosk starting the week of Monday, March 9.

The only local business in the official list of approved sites in the state is Murphy’s Irish Pub at 1465 U.S. Highway 2, Suite A, in Havre. 

Sports betting is placing a wager on the outcome or other occurrence in a real sporting event, McKee said.

“The purpose of sports betting, as offered by the Montana Lottery, is the same purpose as all our products: To offer Montanans winning experiences while raising funds to benefit the common good in our state,” she added.

The sports up for betting include:

• Basketball

• Baseball

• Ice hockey

• Football

• Soccer

• Tennis

• Boxing/mixed martial arts

• Golf

• Motor sports

McKee said the U.S. Supreme Court decision in May 2018 on Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, ruling that “Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act violated states’ rights in generally prohibiting sports wagering,” began the process legalizing sports betting. 

Since then, 11 states including Montana have legalized sports wagering, and another 24 states have pending sports-betting legislation, she added

“Sports wagering in Montana began after the 2019 Montana Legislature passed House Bill 725, which was signed into law by Gov. Steve Bullock on May 6, 2019. The bill added sports wagering to the list of products offered by the Montana Lottery,” she said. “We’ve heard from many Montanans who are excited to begin legal sports betting in our state and we’re excited to share our product with them.”

  She said betting can occur in two ways:

People can bet anonymously at any betting kiosk, but there is a $250 limit on the amount of money they can bet. People can also create an account through the Montana Lottery sports betting system. 

McKee added that people can put money into their account, but they cannot bet more than what they have in their account. 

“There are licensed sports wagering sales agents in all parts of the state, including Havre and along the Hi-Line. And licensing will continue as long as there are interested businesses,” she said. 

She provided a document that lists what types got approved and how each bet works:

• Moneyline bet — Moneyline is a term for the game/match winner. Money line is offered as a head to head bet — choose team A or team B, with no spread. People are betting on one side to simply win.

• Over/under — Sometimes described as a total bet, it is a bet on the total combined score of both teams or player stats. Betters select if the total score for the event will be lower or higher than the line that is set.

• In-game betting — Is when betters place a bet on an event in a game while it is playing. This is offered as a way for people to enjoy the game while it is in action.

• Parlay —  A parlay bet allows betters to combine multiple bets together into one single wager.  Players get increased odds if all their bets win; however, if any one of the bets lose, the entire wager is lost. 

• Prop bet — Proposition bets, or props, are wagers on a very specific outcome, during an event, that does not relate to the final score. For example, there will be a hole in one at the Masters Golf Tournament.

• Spread — Spread or point spread is the number of points by which the better team is favored over the underdog.

• Future bet — A future bet is a bet made for an event that is taking place sometime in the future, usually on a team to win a series or a championship, or who will win MVP.

 “For Havre, as for all parts of Montana, Sports Bet Montana will be a way for local businesses to offer a fun, popular product that brings people together in Montana Main Street businesses,” McKee said.