Sports Betting in Israel
All sports betting in Israel is monitored by the Israel Sports Betting Board (ISBB), which is a government organization that was established in 1967. The proceeds from all sports bets that pass through this official sportsbook system go towards funding sports teams and activities in Israel. There are two games run by the ISBB. The first is Winner, which offers daily sports betting, mostly fixed-odds bets on soccer and basketball games. These bets are the most popular, and comprise 75% of ISBB's income. The second game is Toto, which is a weekly betting game. Toto is the oldest, and has been around since 1968. These two games are the only legal sports betting games in Israel, and all other Israeli sportsbooks and bookies operate illegally.
Online Sports Betting in Israel
Both Winner and Toto are available on the internet. These games, along with the national lottery, are the only online gambling websites allowed in Israel. The government has stated it will not offer internet gambling licenses to any other companies, so no other online sportsbooks will operate in Israel in the near future. More importantly, the government tries to block foreign internet betting sites by filtering the internet. These filters are weak, however, and many good sportsbook websites still get through. These sites are a good alternative for players looking for more variety or better odds than the ones offered by Israel's internet betting sites. Since these foreign sites are not within the Israeli government's jurisdiction, the government cannot shut them down.