Sports gambling has been integrated in American culture as a new method of enjoying sports; however, its growing legal inconsistencies are causing headaches for the sports community.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted numerous arrests in connection to an ongoing probe into sports gambling in October. Professional sports leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have all faced major scandals in the last month.
Terry Rozier, the NBA’s veteran guard, and Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, were both arrested Oct. 23 in relation to a federal probe.
Porter, pictured here, is the younger brother of NBA veteran Michael Porter Jr.
Rozier, who was on the Miami Heat roster, was accused of informing a gambling ring of his intent to leave a game early. The ring members would then place prop bets on Rozier since he would not achieve the set statline.
Billups has been Portland’s head coach since 2021. He was charged in a federal indictment that involved the rigging of underground poker games set up by the Mafia.
Both Rozier and Billups have been put on administrative leave by the NBA.
This is the second major betting scandal in the NBA over the last year since Jontay Porter, a former player, received a lifetime ban after placing bets against himself to pay off his own gambling debts.
It was the NBA’s first ban for gambling in almost 70 years.
In baseball, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, were arrested in early November for their alleged roles in rigging bets on pitches.
Following the arrests, FBI Director Kash Patel said this in a press release:
“Using private information and positions of power to rig sports gambling outcomes is not only illegal, but destroys the integrity of the game and will never be tolerated. We will continue following the money to ensure gambling operations of all kinds stay within the law and bring to justice those who take advantage of innocent victims.”
But it is unknown who are the true victims of this victimless crime. In many cases, the general public sees these instances as one-off scandals; however, its repeated occurrences in the media suggests something more.
FanDuel, the largest sportsbook in America, is owned by Flutter Entertainment. Peter Jackson, the CEO of Flutter, said the company spends “a billion dollars on advertising and promotions.”
The influx of advertising budgets has affected the gambling industry’s business model, with the industry accumulating a profit of $13.7 billion in 2024.
In collegiate sports, the NCAA delayed a rule change that would allow student athletes to bet on professional sports. The proposed rule prohibits student athletes from betting on collegiate sports; if a student athlete is caught, they could face penalties such as loss of eligibility or forfeiture of their scholarship.
At the university level, two student athletes spoke with the Chimes about the current state of sports gambling. Due to the risk of losing their eligibility status, the students chose to remain anonymous.
One athlete gambled in the past, but does not anymore.
“I stopped because I didn’t fully realize how much money I was losing,” he said.
Alternatively, the other athlete expressed the positive effect gambling has on his viewing experience.
“For me, it makes the game way more entertaining,” he said. “It’s a fun way to spend a night without having to spend a ton of money at a bar.”
As for the general public, the Chimes polled Instagram users if they thought “sports gambling made sports more enjoyable.
Out of 15 respondents, 10 of them (67%) said no.
When asked if professional sports leagues should be allowed to accept sponsorships from sportsbooks, the athletes replied with a resounding “no.”
“That seems like an unfair system that screams a conflict of interest,” one said. “It just provides even worse corruption than there already is in the sports world.”
Additionally, they both expressed the role marketing had in helping them sign up for certain sportsbooks.
“I have only signed for a sportsbook when there is a promotion going on,” one said.
He also said how the business model of certain sportsbooks is to keep your attention and never give it back.
“Gambling is continuing to get more screen time, whether it’s commercials on television or social media, the gambling world is exploding currently,” he said, “and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
For Peter Jackson, however, he looks at the surplus of FanDuel commercials with this philosophy:
“At least we’re not advertising auto insurance.”
