Mind of Michael: Gambling in sports

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The sports betting industry is continuously growing, and I only see it becoming a problem in the future for sports.

According to the American Gaming Association, legal sports betting hit record numbers in 2023 with a total of $119.84 billion being wagered by Americans.

We have seen multiple people suspended or banned from playing in their sports leagues because of the betting industry.

The most recent example of this is former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, who was banned for life from playing in the NBA. This happened because of the sports betting industry and his involvement in it.

Recently we have also seen huge media companies diving into sports betting like Disney owning a stake in DraftKings.

What impact then, will this new industry have on sports? I see both pros and cons, and having to weigh both sides to see what you are willing to risk.

The most obvious pro is bringing more viewers or fans to different sports, making those leagues or associations more money on viewership. On the flip side of that, many will not be fans of that sport they are watching. Instead, it is just people watching to see if they will make money.

There are two big cons that will become huge problems and we have already seen them in action. One is when players, coaches, referees or anybody involved with the sport begin to bet. The consequences are often career-ending.

The second con in the industry is giving another outlet for gambling addicts to fuel their addiction. Lawsuits can occur whether or not those people win, but they will happen when people lose too much and need to shift the blame to someone.

Solutions to these cons have to be strict rules in those sports leagues on the betting industry.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handled the Jontay Porter situation perfectly, and banning him was the right decision.

With media corporations that work with these sports leagues like ESPN, Fox and Bleacher Report getting into the betting industry, Silver and the heads of other sports leagues must create stricter rules and stand by them, so the media companies will not affect the sports trying to push sports betting for a profit.