There is only one thing that does not change in life; change. The biggest change in professional sports lately has to do with gambling. Most US states now offer fans the chance to legally bet on games and player items. Major professional sports leagues such as the NBA have also adopted this latest change in legislation. This year, the NBA is “expected to generate $167 million in revenue from casinos and betting, up 11% from last season,” with ESPN’s financial guru Bobby Marks saying that what was once a third-place issue has now become a major source of revenue.
You need look no further than ESPN to see how integrated sports betting is with the major leagues and the media outlets that cover them. Right at the top of the company’s website is a new tab called ESPNBET, which is the broadcaster’s own sports betting site and goes live in November 2023. Is this a conflict of interest? Maybe, maybe not. But gambling appears to have led to a large amount of new business in sports. NBA fans tired of in-game evaluations, challenges and long replays largely blame gambling, especially in the wake of the league’s officiating scandal earlier this century. For a business that has lost huge amounts of money during the pandemic and is struggling to expand globally, gambling promises cash flow, and the NBA has two official betting partners. The league says it promotes responsible gambling, but there are thought to be nearly three million problem gamblers in the U.S., and the National Problem Gambling Council says the risk of gambling addiction in the general population has increased by 30% between 2018 and 2021. Ads appearing all over NBA broadcasts will almost certainly not help those numbers.
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Former NBA star and Twitter celebrity Rex Chapman wrote in his memoir, It’s Hard for Me to Live With. betting addiction in horse racing. After retirement, he lost more money than he could count on gambling, and along with his opioid addiction, it nearly cost him his family. But Chapman’s story is common among athletes and non-athletes alike. So why has the NBA aligned itself with gambling? Whatever the reasons, it got to the point that during the last game between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs on Easter Sunday, there were on-field ads promoting gambling company Bet365. The Bet365 logo was underneath the scorer’s table as Steph Curry put the ball in the air and Victor Wembanyama dunked. It’s worth noting that just months ago, Mark Cuban sold a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to major casino owners aiming to bring gambling to Texas.
Besides the threat of addiction, some in the league also worry that the close partnership between the NBA and sports betting sites is dangerous. Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff said he was threatened by gamblers. “They took my phone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and stuff,” Bickerstaff said after the final game against the Miami Heat. So it’s a very dangerous game and we’re definitely walking a fine line.” Bickerstaff is not alone. Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton said seek professional help For his sanity, he adds: “I’m helping half the world make money just from DraftKings and stuff. “I am a supporter.”
This is a marked difference from periods in NBA history before legal gambling became widespread and the league became so heavily involved in betting. All-Star guard Kenny Anderson, who retired in 2005, told the Guardian when asked if he had ever been approached by a disgruntled punter: “No, sports betting wasn’t as big then as it is now. They got angry [if they lost] But they didn’t actually point it at me.” And All-Star Michael Ray Richardson, who was active in the 1980s, added: “Never. “There wasn’t as much betting then as there is now.”
But perhaps the biggest problem of late comes as the league is investigating bench player Jontay Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., for “betting irregularities.” (Why were there sports equipment? on the bench Players of losing teams that’s another question entirely.) Porter’s older brother has since come to Porter’s defense, saying: [his NBA career] NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that if Jontay Porter is found guilty, he could be banned from the league for life.
Whether or not the league finds anything wrong with Porter and the Raptors, the question remains: Why is the league creating risks by engaging with gambling companies? This is something that happens to many veterans in the league.
“Why would we allow that?” said Lionel Hollins, a former All-Star guard and NBA champion who later coached in the league for years. he wonders. Speaking to the Guardian, Hollins said:[It’s just] “It’s another issue that needs to be monitored and that players and coaches need to deal with.”
After all, the NBA and its players already have a lot on their plate. Sure, they get paid a lot of money, but media responsibilities aside, they already have to deal with angry fans complaining about wins, losses and fantasy leagues. Why add another variable and such financial consequences to the equation? “[Some have] “It is estimated that over $800 billion will be generated from sports overall by 2030,” former Los Angeles Laker and NBA champion Jim Chones told the Guardian. “That was it before betting and gambling. So we might already be there. That’s why coaches don’t last long. [Owners] Get rid of them during the season because the money is huge. “The money is so big that coaches become expendable, cheap players become expendable.”
Far from being a cheap shot, there was a time when some speculated whether NBA legend Michael Jordan’s 18-month absence from the NBA in the mid-1990s was not simply a result of his desire to play minor league baseball, but rather a secret restraining order. then-commissioner David Stern due to Jordan’s major gambling impulses. But while this theory has since been debunked, the fact that it was even considered shows how far apart the league and the casinos were at the time. Now they are best friends. Terry Tyler, an 11-year veteran, calls this “hypocrisy.” He says: “Remember when everyone thought Michael Jordan was gambling and people were losing their minds and he wasn’t betting on anything. [NBA-related] … Now suddenly everything seems to be fine. “I think that’s quite hypocritical… It sends a bad message.”
For Tyler, as for many others, this closeness is particularly surprising, especially given the potential consequences and addictive qualities of gambling. “Personally, I don’t gamble,” former Boston Celtic and four-time NBA champion Robert Parish tells the Guardian. “Gambling is a problem when you have no control, it is an addiction.”
Of course, despite its affinity for gambling, the NBA does not allow its players to bet on NBA games, although they can bet on other sports (which is why Porter is being investigated). But you may wonder, isn’t the league inviting such indiscretions by getting so close to gambling? Parish says, “When it comes to gambling on a sport you participate in, it’s a no-fly zone because you may have information that could affect the outcome of the games. I’ve been approached by people asking my opinion on whether we could consider point spread.” [on a given night]. I don’t know if they were fans or punters. My answer was: We players play games to find winners and losers.”
Parish played in the NBA for 20 years from 1976-77 to 1996-97, long before sports betting became mainstream in the NBA and other leagues. But we can now imagine the types of people who would approach the league’s stars today, turning up the pressure and perhaps even illegal incentives on a dime. Still, gambling and sports betting don’t look like they’re going anywhere anytime soon. For example, turn on any popular NBA podcast and you’ll likely hear ads for DraftKings or FanDuel. When you open an NBA match you will see Bet365. It’s a no-brainer that the NBA and other leagues have become so close to casinos and their customers. This could become a risk that the NBA and other US leagues will try to back away from. The English Premier League, which established its ties with gambling long before the NBA, decided last year to ban sponsors from betting on jerseys starting from 2026. If addiction and scandals increase in the NBA, the league may have to make similar decisions.