A sportsbook is a gambling establishment that accepts bets on a wide range of sporting events. It also offers betting markets for non-sports events, such as politics and awards shows. Sportsbooks use custom, white label or turnkey software to offer lines and handle wagers. They also maintain detailed records of bets placed and require anyone who places a substantial wager to register a club account.

To succeed, sportsbooks must understand the global sports calendar and be able to cater for all types of customers. A good website structure helps users quickly locate the betting events they want to place bets on. For example, a ‘Featured Links’ or ‘Popular Events’ tab on the main sports page aids rapid navigation to the most popular events of the day. A Search box is also useful for locating a particular event or market. Customers also expect to see a comprehensive selection of betting markets for the major sporting events, including match winners after 90 minutes, handicaps and totals. This includes the ATP and WTA tours as well as Challenger and ITF tournaments.

A sportsbook must be able to balance the interests of its customers, while meeting regulatory requirements. A good way to do this is by ensuring that the lines on a game reflect the true odds of winning, and not just what the sportsbook thinks it should be. In addition, they must keep detailed records of bets, and be able to identify erroneous bets by monitoring the patterns of players, particularly high rollers.