How much do you care if a player is gambling on games?

[Kblaze8855]

Im sure you’ve heard. Dude on the Falcons suspended an entire season for a 1500 dollar 8 way parlay that included his team winning a game he wasn’t playing.


He bet on his own team to win…which at first thought is fine. But of course the concern is say….a proxy bet. If you allow bets what’s to stop a friend from another team betting a million on his underdog team to win…and you throw the game to make it happen…and split the winnings. That’s why they have to come down so hard. Once you go down the path it’s hard to say where you end up. The player in question already has fans finding clips like this suggesting he was throwing games in the past:









https://thumbs.gfycat.com/IckyCompleteAmericanriverotter-size_restricted.gif








So let me ask you….if it comes out your favorite player is betting on nba games….


You give a shit?

We all know it happens. Players make side bets all the time. I remember Gerald Wallace saying Kobe offered a 500k bet on an eyes closed free throw. You know guys like Jordan and Barkley bet on things. But I’m talking now.

Your favorite player is caught betting a million on his own team to win.

Hes getting suspended no doubt…but I’m asking if you would personally care.

[Baller789]

Side bets between players is one thing.
But betting in the same league teams outcomes where you or your fellow players and coaches have influences is asking for trouble and has a negative impact on the integrity of the games.

[Shogon]

If he's always betting on himself to win AND he's always betting on all of his own games, I don't have a problem with it. But that in itself becomes a slippery slope for various reasons.

Is he betting on ALL of his games to win or just the ones he firmly believes his team is going to win or just the ones he has inside info on about a player in the other locker room?

Betting on ANYTHING else besides his team winning is a problem. Him scoring a certain amount of points? A problem. List goes on.

Let's say he gets majorly upside down in debt to a bookie... and then the bookie asks a favor.

I understand entirely why the league doesn't want it under any circumstances. It potentially opens too many disastrous doors.

[FultzNationRISE]

[/B] he's always betting on himself to win ]AND[/B] he's always betting on ]all[/B] of his own games, I don't have a problem with it. But that in itself becomes a slippery slope for various reasons.

Is he betting on ALL of his games to win or just the ones he firmly believes his team is going to win or just the ones he has inside info on about a player in the other locker room?

Betting on ANYTHING else besides his team winning is a problem. Him scoring a certain amount of points? A problem. List goes on.

Thats the key IMO.

Active players gambling on their own sport is a hard no-go for me.

And that should not be REMOTELY controversial. Not being able to gamble on your own league while youre playing is like the most minuscule sacrifice you could possibly ask someone to make in order to live a life the whole rest of the world would love to be able to.

It’s open and shut as far as Im concerned. Dont gamble on your sport while youre active (meaning, not retired). Full stop.

[iamgine]

How do you prevent proxy bets anyway? Your third cousin wants to bet on opposing team, what's stopping him?

[tpols]

I drafted Calvin Ridley with the 15th pick in the 2nd round of my fantasy draft. Knew he didn't quit due to depression. He's been cast as a scapegoat. I have 800 dollars in my fanduel account I don't even care about. Gambling is wack. But 1500 dollars to the NFL is nothing. There has to be more to the story.

With respect to society as a whole we have politicians and businessman corporate execs and CEOs who invest in their own companies on the stock market and make tons of bank off the action they control. How is that any different than an athlete betting on their team. Its a classic plantation mentality where the suits can commit fraud but if the guys below them do it they get caged and fined. So no I don't agree with it at all.

[tpols]

If he's always betting on himself to win AND he's always betting on all of his own games, I don't have a problem with it. But that in itself becomes a slippery slope for various reasons.

Is he betting on ALL of his games to win or just the ones he firmly believes his team is going to win or just the ones he has inside info on about a player in the other locker room?

Betting on ANYTHING else besides his team winning is a problem. Him scoring a certain amount of points? A problem. List goes on.

Let's say he gets majorly upside down in debt to a bookie... and then the bookie asks a favor.

I understand entirely why the league doesn't want it under any circumstances. It potentially opens too many disastrous doors.

How is an athlete investing in their teams outcome any different than a top exec investing in his businesses stock price? Both control major action and outcome and have financial stake in the end results.

[Johnny32]

I drafted Calvin Ridley with the 15th pick in the 2nd round of my fantasy draft. Knew he didn't quit due to depression. He's been cast as a scapegoat. I have 800 dollars in my fanduel account I don't even care about. Gambling is wack. But 1500 dollars to the NFL is nothing. There has to be more to the story.

With respect to society as a whole we have politicians and businessman corporate execs and CEOs who invest in their own companies on the stock market and make tons of bank off the action they control. How is that any different than an athlete betting on their team. Its a classic plantation mentality where the suits can commit fraud but if the guys below them do it they get caged and fined. So no I don't agree with it at all.

lol it's not about the amount he bet. unlikely he hit all 8 legs of the parlay anyway but it would pay about 270k.

[FultzNationRISE]

How is an athlete investing in their teams outcome any different than a top exec investing in his businesses stock price? Both control major action and outcome and have financial stake in the end results.

Because it’s not realistic that an executive could recoup losses from a previous week by torpedo-ing his company the next week, which could be a huge temptation for players who gamble. Yeah he could short his own company’s stock and then sabotage it with bizarre policies :lol , but it would be so obvious it’s not realistic to get away with.

Also the trades executives do make are highly scrutinized and regulated, and companies themselves have become more stringent about credit checks on new executive hires to make sure theyre not in a position to be tempted to jeopardize the company for a quick payoff.

IMO it’s really not ideal to have players betting even on their team’s success. If a guy really needs his team to win because hes in debt and his personal life is riding on the outcome, he could easily become way too intense and emotional which could actually negatively affect the team. You just dont want players personal lives and gambling habits mixed up in the outcomes of games. It’s a completely unnecessary risk.

[tpols]

IMO it’s really not ideal to have players betting even on their team’s success.

Thats... literally exactly what the wealthy class does.

That's what NFL owners do when they hold massive stock portfolios in the companies that their stadiums are named after and whose politicians pockets they line with campaign donations to make sure said companies value goes up commiserate to their bank accounts.

It doesn't make much sense to crucify the little guy for gambling 1500 dollars while the guys that pay him "bet" on themselves by the billions.

[FultzNationRISE]

Thats... literally exactly what the wealthy class does.

That's what NFL owners do when they hold massive stock portfolios in the companies that their stadiums are named after and whose politicians pockets they line with campaign donations to make sure said companies value goes up commiserate to their bank accounts.

It doesn't make much sense to crucify the little guy for gambling 1500 dollars while the guys that pay him "bet" on themselves by the billions.

The difference is they own the business. So it’s THEIR business.

Players who want to bet on themselves can start up their own brands and businesses, and many of them do. Theres nothing wrong with it. If you wanna endorse this company and not that company you can. You can call the shots with your own business. Obviously if youre a team owner and you dont want an employee’s gambling habits potentially interfering in YOUR business, you have every right to prohibit it.

[John8204]

I care quite a bit...as a person that makes his living gambling dishonest players, judges, and owners are a huge problem that you have to factor in with any bet. What the Falcons player did was less of an issue (parlay bets are taxes on the stupid) but I have issues with Pete Rose and Michael Jordan. I don't know for a fact that Jordan didn't bet on basketball but I'm pretty sure he not only bet on himself but he might have thrown games.

[Kblaze8855]

How do you prevent proxy bets anyway? Your third cousin wants to bet on opposing team, what's stopping him?


You have a point. But I’d imagine they couldn’t bet enough to make changing the outcome worth it without being suspicious. But the whole thing is why gambling is so hard to sanction. The corruption potential is always there.

Some rookie deal guy bets his whole salary he could absolutely throw the game in the nfl from some positions. He’d make lifetime money if he’s smart and not have to worry about injury taking his earning potential. The threat is always there.

[Norcaliblunt]

Gambling is all bad in general. I honestly don’t even like hearing about these dudes playing cards the way they do and taking money from their teammates. It’s a bad culture all the way around.

But there is no law against a sports league rigging their own games for entertainment or any other benefit so it really doesn’t matter what players do.

[PP34Deuce]

The fact I'm seeing people like shaq remove his ownership stake in a team so he can be an ambassador for gambling is huge. Kevin garnett is involved too

[Derka]

It makes complete sense to me that execs, refs and players/coaches in all pro/college sports are gambling on all of this. Just assume all of this shit is crooked from the jump and you aren't surprised by any of it when the other shoe drops. Its a hustle and everyone's trying to get theirs. As long as its entertaining, I don't really care because that's all this is: entertainment. Once you start expecting more from it, you're asking to be disappointed.

[ShawkFactory]

It makes complete sense to me that execs, refs and players/coaches in all pro/college sports are gambling on all of this. Just assume all of this shit is crooked from the jump and you aren't surprised by any of it when the other shoe drops. Its a hustle and everyone's trying to get theirs. As long as its entertaining, I don't really care because that's all this is: entertainment. Once you start expecting more from it, you're asking to be disappointed.

The entire purpose of sport, in essence, is pure and presumably unadulterated competition. The entertainment value is a by-product of that.

You expect owners and sponsors to be corrupt and doctor things in a way that makes the most money for them. Such is life with people like that. But once the players become involved? IMO that completely saps the entire nature of it and makes it far less entertaining.

[baudkarma]

How is an athlete investing in their teams outcome any different than a top exec investing in his businesses stock price? Both control major action and outcome and have financial stake in the end results.

Buying or selling stock in a company based on information that's not available to the general public is called insider trading. It's a felony. Martha Stewart spent time in prison after being found guilty of insider trading. The SEC filed suit against Mark Cuban for insider trading, though a jury eventually found him innocent. Top execs are required to give advance notice to the SEC in advance of any stock trade they make involving their own company. I think the advance warning period is 30 days, but I could be wrong. The SEC makes that information available on their website to the general public. So if you see Elon Musk unloading a bunch of Tesla stock... you might want to investigate further.

Same thing with an athlete gambling on his own team. You can assume he has access to information that's not known to the general public. Let's say he's betting $2K a week on his own team every week. But then week 12 he doesn't bet at all. Or he bumps his bet up to 10K. Either way, the people who set the betting lines will hear about it, and they will assume the guy has information that they don't. They'll shift the line accordingly, and the casual gambler gets screwed.

And you ask who gives a fork about the casual gambler? Because they're also fans. Guy may only have $20 bet on a game, but he's more than likely to watch that game. He's invested. Many of those casual betters drives ratings up. But if the guy loses 4-5-6 wagers in a row, he's probably gonna give up. And also not pay as much attention the NFL in general.

[Jasper]

How do you prevent proxy bets anyway? Your third cousin wants to bet on opposing team, what's stopping him?

good point , but players are like brothers , and brothers can be swayed ... if the stacks are high enough.