Three active players in the NBA and MLB have been arrested after illegal sports betting probes.
Major League Baseball pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase will eventually have their day in court to face charges of conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. They are just the latest to get into legal trouble because of sports gambling. NBA player Terry Rozier will also have his day in court following his arrest for allegedly taking part in a sports gambling probe. While this was going on, the National Collegiate Athletic Association kicked out six players who allegedly threw games or shared betting info. But the NCAA is allowing student-athletes and staff to bet on pro sports. ESPN has ditched its betting marketing partner Penn Entertainment but that doesn’t mean the Walt Disney Company’s sports network isn’t going to have a sports betting partner. The Disney Company has named DraftKings as its “Official Sportsbook and Odds Provider” in an agreement that will start on December 1st. Betting is now a major part of the sports experience and has been accepted by sports owners because it makes them money. Players make money off of sports betting partnerships.
But that does lead to a question. How can the public be sure that a sporting game is a bona fide contest? Truth is, the public cannot be certain that a game is on the level. The National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have permanently banned players because they have been caught. Players who have made bets have been suspended. Prior to the 2018 Supreme Court of the United States’ ruling to legalize sports gambling, leagues fought in court and lobbied Congress to stop sports betting in the country except in areas that allowed sports betting which was Nevada, Montana, Delaware and Oregon. The NBA threatened not to expand into Canada in the 1990s because of provincial sports betting. Today, sports betting is a revenue stream for owners.
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