platform
Sportsbook
Also known as: Book, Bookmaker
A sportsbook is a licensed operator that accepts wagers on sporting events, setting odds and managing risk across bets. Major US sportsbooks include DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, and ESPN Bet.
A sportsbook is the operator on the other side of every bet. The book sets odds, accepts wagers, manages liability, and pays winners. In regulated US markets, books must hold state-issued licenses and comply with responsible-gambling, KYC, and tax-reporting rules. Offshore books operate outside US regulation and carry counterparty risk that regulated books do not.
US books fall into a handful of operational tiers. Tier 1 (DraftKings, FanDuel) leads in market share, customer acquisition spend, and product features. Tier 2 (BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN Bet, Fanatics) competes on price and promotions. Tier 3 (PointsBet, BetRivers, smaller state-specific operators) often serves narrower geographies. Each book sets its own lines, runs its own promotions, and operates its own limits.
Worked example. The same NFL spread can be -2.5 (-110) at DraftKings, -3 (-105) at FanDuel, and -2.5 (-115) at Caesars. A bettor wanting to back the favorite gets meaningfully different prices depending on book selection. Line shopping is the act of checking every book before placing a bet; it adds 1-2% of long-run profit margin to a disciplined bettor, which is more than most models can produce on their own.
Elite Picks is not a sportsbook. The app is a research and analytics platform that surfaces edges across sportsbook prices; no wagers are accepted, no money changes hands inside the EP product. The platform’s value is helping a bettor choose what to bet and where; the bet itself is placed at the sportsbook of the user’s choice.
Example
A bettor with accounts at DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM can compare prices on the same NFL game across all three books and bet at whichever offers the best line.