Many of you have ‘taken a chance’ this week by going to your nearest polling place and expressing your preference as to who elected leaders will be. Some of you recently may have taken another kind of chance by plunking your money down on a sporting event, hoping that your expressed preference will increase your bank account.
As cited by Britannica, “the history of gambling in society is a testament to the human desire for chance. From the earliest dice games to the modern-day allure of online casinos, gambling has been a significant part of human history. The practice has been regulated, banned, and sometimes even condemned by various cultures and authorities. However, it has also been embraced and legalized. The evolution of gambling reflects the cultural, social, and economic dynamics of societies throughout history, showcasing the enduring appeal of taking a chance.”
Those participating in sports betting do so to heighten interest in the event, test their knowledge of the game, and win a few bucks; doing so, hoping that what they are wagering on is operated on the up-and-up. But cautioned by the old Latin expression “Let the buyer beware,” the sellers are not responsible for defects or issues that may arise after the sale.
The integrity of sports and the practice of those who bet on the same was shaken to its core by the recent accusations against Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones, and has created a massive cloud for the NBA and the growing legal sports-betting industry. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. described it as “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
Ironically, the arrests were made on the day the NBA opened its new season.
Rick Carlisle, coach of the Indiana Pacers and president of the NBA Coaches Association, called it “a very serious situation. The irony, from my perspective, yesterday was the day our general counsel came down and read us all the regulations on gambling and warned our coaching staff, our players, our support staff about all the different things.”
Sadly, the corruption of gambling has had a long-sorted history with sports in our country.
The Black Sox scandal was a major game-fixing scandal in MLB, in which eight players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series in exchange for money from gamblers. The players were acquitted in a public trial in 1921 due to insufficient evidence, but baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players for life from baseball to restore the integrity of the sport and deter future corruption.
The Pete Rose betting scandal remains one of the most controversial topics in baseball history, highlighting the serious consequences of gambling on sports. Rose was banned from baseball in 1989, and while recent developments may open the door for his reinstatement, the debate over his legacy and inclusion in the Hall of Fame rages on.
Here at home, one of the most skilled athletes ever to wear a Williamsport uniform, Jack Molinas, was the central figure in a collegiate point-shaving scandal that saw him banned from the NBA.
Molinas, an outstanding player at Columbia University, was the third pick of the 1953 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons and selected for the 1954 NBA All-Star Game. After his NBA ban, Molinas played for the Williamsport Billies from 1954-1959, becoming one of the Eastern League’s best players, thrilling local fans at the old Roosevelt gym while earning a few hundred bucks per game.
An alleged associate of the Genovese crime family, Molinas was arrested in 1973 in connection with interstate shipping of pornography and furs. While awaiting trial, he was killed by a bullet to his head while standing in the backyard of his Los Angeles home.
Despite the past history, dangers, and efforts by the United States professional leagues to disassociate themselves from gambling to ‘maintain the integrity of the game,’ the worm has definitely turned. Sportsbooks have now become a significant new source of revenue for our country’s professional sports teams. Advertisements for sports betting are now seen on nearly every game, and sportsbooks are spending millions of dollars trying to get their product noticed by as many people as possible.
The MLB, NFL, and NBA have all established agreements with legalized betting, pretty much along the lines of ‘do what I say, not what I do.’ These polices include:
MLB: All in-uniform personnel and team employees can gamble on anything not related to baseball.
NFL: Players are allowed to bet on non-NFL events through legal sportsbooks. All other league personnel, coaches, officials, trainers, etc., are prohibited from all sports betting.
NBA: Active NBA players joined MLB in collectively bargaining for the right to endorse sportsbooks and invest in gambling and daily fantasy companies.
Currently, MLB and the NBA have signed agreements with DraftKings and FanDuel. The NFL has cast its lot with FanDuel, Caesar’s Sportsbook, and DraftKings.
I haven’t read the book In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath, which contains the line “You are now in league with the devil — may you rest easier at night than I. I wonder if MLB, the NFL, or the NBA has?
