The sports betting industry will soon be gleaming in The Treasure State.

Montana became the ninth state overall and first of 2019 to authorize sports wagering when the bill was signed off on May 3rd.

As a result, the act of sports betting is now fully legal in Montana.

The industry will be run by the Montana lottery, which has operated since 1986 having been one of four states exempt from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) originally.

Wagering will be possible via betting kiosks and mobile apps accessible at yet to be confirmed bars and restaurants.

The bill signed by Governor Steve Bullock means Montanans can officially legally wager on sports!

However, it has not yet been revealed where sportsbooks will be located and from when MT sports betting will launch.

The good news here is it’s not thought sport bettors of Monatana will have to wait long with the start of the new NFL season a viable goal for all.

Many make the mistake of thinking you can automatically start making wagers the minute legislation is passed. This would be nice of course.

In reality though, there's always a period of downtime between legislation being passed and for a framework to come to the fore and a launch date confirmed. That's where we are at currently.

You have to say, yes.

The start of the 2019 NFL season is the perfect launch pad for sports betting and officials would be plain bonkers not to be working with this date in mind (September 5th, like you needed reminding).

The likes of Indiana, Tennessee and New Hampshire have all made it known they’ll be striving to have their house in order by the time the new football season swings round.

Clearly, we have enough gray hairs to know nothing is guaranteed. But all the signs point towards MT sports betting being up and running before the big kick-off at the Mercedes-Benz stadium.

The simple answer to this question is yes.

You will be able to place wagers both from betting kiosks at restaurants and bars and via mobile apps.

However, apps will be permitted to use at those licensed establishments only.

Compared with New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two of the prominent online destinations that allow sports betting statewide, the law in MT feels restricting.

Sadly, Montanans are in the unfortunate position of not having one single major team to root for (boooooo!)

With only a combination of minor league and college teams based in MT, locals flock to neighboring Colorado to follow the fortunes of the one and only, Denver Broncos.

And why wouldn’t you, eh? We are talking about one of the most successful teams in modern times.

With eight AFC Championships and three Super Bowls in the trophy cabinet, the latest as recent as 2015, the Broncos aren’t a bad side to adopt.

The regular NFL season may only run for four months of the year but without a shadow of a doubt football is America’s number one sport.

An action packed and tightly squeezed schedule from September to December climaxes in one of the biggest and most prestigious sporting events globally, the Superbowl Final.

With viewing figures having soared in recent years and the ability to wager more accessible than ever, betting on the NFL has never been more popular.

Here’s some insight into how to bet on the NFL:

• Money line bet

Straight up, no fuss wagering which applies across all sports. Simply put your money the way of the favorite or the underdog.

As with the spread above the team expected to win is identifiable with a negative number, with the less fancied side indicated with a positive figure.

Generally speaking, a money line wager tends to be more profitable when betting on the team not expected to win, as the example below demonstrates:

• New England Patriots -600
• New York Jets +450

Here, the Patriots are so heavily fancied to win the game, one must lay $600 just to win $100. Compare this betting betting on The Jets and perceived underdogs, and a $100 wager could yield a profit of $450.

As you can see, there’s little value in betting on the Patriots. Subsequently, bettors would be more inclined to go against the favorites and place a smaller wager on the Jets instead.

• Totals or Over/Under

We’ll press on with using the NFL as our reference point but like the money line, totals work across the board in all sports.

Predicting the total number of points you see being scored by both teams is the name of the game here.

A sportsbook will set various pre-determined lines and it’s up to the bettor to decide whether the total falls Over or Under the line.

So, let’s say the line in our fictional game between the Patriots and the Jets is 49.5 points.

Betting Over would need the match to produce 50 points or more. Betting Under 49 points or less. The .5 takes the tie out of the equation so we have a winner one way or the other.

It must be noted the direction of bets from the public can affect the line. It’s more typical for it to increase given the tendency for bettors to sway towards high scoring affairs.

• Futures

Plant a seed and watch it grow.

A futures bet maintains interest in any given sport and can see some serious dollar bills make their way into your pocket also.

Normally placed at the start of a season or tournament for the best odds, it’s possible to bet on a whole host of eventualities such as who will win the Championship or make the play-offs.

By far the most popular and attractive futures bet however is who will be crowned winners of the Superbowl.

The appetite for the Treasure State to open its doors to full-scale sports betting was never in doubt given its pre-existing relationship with gambling.

Together with Nevada, Delaware and Oregon, Montana were exempt from PASPA and have been able to offer a watered down version of the sports betting industry through pools while the nationwide ban took effect statewide in 1992.

Six years prior to being excused, a referendum saw the arrival of a state lottery run by the government which has since paid out over $300 million in prize money.

Travel further back in time and it's clear to see gambling is in the blood of Montanans

1976 brought the legalization of video keno as a form of bingo, while in 1973 the Card Game, Bingo, Raffles and Sports Pool Act was passed and worked into state law. 1933

For as long as most can recall it seems The Big Sky Country has worked to have some form of gambling at the heart of the state. Now, without any limitations, gambling and sports betting in particular is set to well and truly take off.