A recent NCAA study found that 46% of Division I men’s basketball players reported harassment from bettors on social media.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has urged state gambling commissions to eliminate player prop bets and other high-risk bets that target student-athletes. When gamblers miss their bets, they often blame the athletes.
In a statement, Baker said, “The level of social media harassment our student-athletes must endure is unacceptable. These percentages are a reflection of the increased popularity of betting on college sports across the country, and the negative environment it has created. We must continue to do everything we can to protect athletes from this type of behavior and preserve the integrity of college sports.”
We have written before about how sports betting corrupts athletic programs and puts student-athletes at risk of harassment, bribery, and exploitation.
When gambling is introduced, fans have a financial stake in the game, and athletes have an incentive to change how they play. Officials may be tempted to cheat, and fans forget why they enjoyed sports in the first place. All of that is a problem.
Federal prosecutors recently announced major indictments in college sports betting corruption against 26 people in connection with an alleged bribery and point-shaving scheme to fix NCAA basketball games.
The NCAA itself has opened investigations into dozens of student-athletes at multiple schools over the past couple of years. Players allegedly conspire to help each other win bets by underperforming in games.
At the professional level, MLB players have been accused of rigging pitches to defraud sports betting platforms. The NFL and the NBA have also dealt with corruption and scandals tied to sports betting.
Sports betting promises entertainment and easy money, but it isn’t a harmless pastime. As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, problem gambling will simply hurt more and more people in our state.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
