Preparing For The Inevitable In Sports Betting
Sports Betting Scandal? The Question Isn’t If. It’s When.
The Next Major Sports Betting Scandal Is Out There. Perhaps Developing And Growing At This Moment. Maybe Not To Arrive Today. Maybe Not To Arrive Tomorrow. But The Question Is When It Will Happen. Not If.
This is part three of a three-part series on sports wagers and professional sports. Part one and part two—“As The NFL Season Approaches, An Introduction To Sports Betting Might Be In Order” and “A Brief And Selective Review Of Sports Betting History, Understandings And Scandals”—are available on Stadium Rant.
In the first two parts of this series, a few concepts concepts were explored. First, that gambling has a misunderstood foundation, offers tempting options for passionate and engaged gamblers, and is expanding its footprint. Second, within the world of sports—professional, collegiate, amateur, etc.—at every level and in every possible position, the temptations and availability can be exploited in a variety of ways.
As a society, there are rules. For protection and safety and civilized living, there are laws. There are lights and signs to control traffic. Don’t rob a bank. Violate the rules or laws, and there are consequences.
That might seem like a basic thought, but consider the leagues and organizers of athletic competitions. If asked, the expectation is that any response would be stress that the games are fair and legitimate contested. Any statement would cover the ground that the rules have been established and put into place for gambling and cheating, that these and other measures are proactive in nature, that incidents are dealt with harshly and quickly, and the integrity of any game should never be in question.
And, that is exactly what they should tell us. Participants, players, teammates, officials, announcers, viewers and more should never be concerned about the honesty of play. Those in charge, having established a level playing surface and the framework the sport operates within, in most cases will naturally move from proactively setting rules to reactively dealing with violations.
It may seem naïve to simply say that all competitions are played on the level with no shenanigans behind the scenes. Much like securing a bank though, once the vault and cameras and security system is put in place, there’s not much that can be done to stop the desperate before they act. Proactive becomes reactive automatically. Within that transition is where complacency becomes the issue, and the issue the general public should focus on.
In the history of sports betting, there have been incidents involving officials, managers and players. With that in mind, consider the following:
Situation number one - In every season of the NFL, there are numerous decisions that are so close even slow-motion in high-definition replay can’t perfectly capture an unquestionable result. In addition, there are the “catch or not a catch” and “maintain control of the ball while performing an act common to the game” judgement calls. The NBA had the Tim Donaghy troubles. In this 2024 season, MLB is dealing with Pat Hoberg, in a case that has only been described as a gambling violation, and is ongoing with Hoberg currently suspended and appealing.
Situation number two - Head coaches and managers control rosters, especially with regard to in-game decisions. In Cincinnati, the Pete Rose story alleges betting on games involving the Reds while he was the manager.
Is it so farfetched to believe that a referee in an NFL game couldn’t be involved in swaying decisions on calls during a contest?
Is it impossible that a manager might sit a player for a game?
It is extremely important to note here that this is not in any way an accusation toward any league or organization. It’s not offered to raise questions about any specific individual or situation. As fans and gamblers and journalists, all of us need to believe in the integrity of the competitions. This is hypothetical. As noted earlier, all of these groups do have established rules and protocols in place. Just the idea that the general public knows about suspensions and lifetime bans associated with gambling proves that action is taken when circumstances are understood and credible.
What isn’t presented often is what’s happening when nothing’s happening. (So to speak.) How proactive are those in charge when it comes to gambling issues? There have been problems in the Olympics and the World Series, demonstrating that sports betting can make it to the grandest of stages. What would happen now, as opposed to more than a century ago with the Chicago White Sox, if the Super Bowl or Stanley Cup were decided by reprehensible actions? What would happen now if payouts were already being made on outcomes that were later found to be, in a word, fraudulent?
Today, the businesses involved and money being put into play is astounding. Bets can legally be placed almost anywhere. History as shown that news will fade, the general public will move on, and the games will continue. After placing a wager that loses money on such a situation though, chances are good a bettor will neither forgive nor forget.
This article is part of a three-piece series on overall awareness of sports wagering and the potential for difficulties and issues from unfair play. None of these articles are intended, in any way, to suggest or argue that any leagues, organizations or personnel are presenting anything other than fair and legitimate competitions, with accurate and true results. Instead, as markets expand and the dollars wagered increase, the articles are meant to show that temptations and motivations for illegal and unfair activities have occurred previously, and have the potential to occur again with widespread gambling availability and acceptance.
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