SPORTS BETTING AND FANTASY FOOTBALL
Sports betting and fantasy football – what’s the problem?
Sharon Harris explores the supposedly-murky world of fantasy sports and sports betting, and finds a lot of illegal wagering – for no good reason. Bring on the legislation.
B
efore the technology revolution, gamblers had only two legal U.S. options – Nevada and Atlantic City. Historically, backroom bookies thrived – and still do using hi- tech methods – by satisfying the public’s
insatiable appetite to wager. Americans have always loved their professional
sports, now worth billions. Ever-advancing technology has expedited the collision between sporting events and illegal gambling, blurring the lines between convenience and integrity.
The reach of the Internet in the 1990s helped launch offshore gaming for U.S. customers, operated by rogue, unregulated companies. In response, Congress passed the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), halting banking’s illegal Internet gambling transactions.
Gambling scandals date back to the 1919 Chicago
White Sox/Cincinnati Reds World Series championship. The “Black Sox Scandal“ convicted eight White Sox members for “throwing“ the games/title to the Reds. Team owners then installed a Commissioner of Baseball to rebuild public trust.
MODERN DAY ISSUES A century later, easier access to illegal betting has
motivated American Gaming Association (AGA) CEO/President Geoff Freeman (left) to support federal regulation. His testimony before government, civic and business groups has detailed the harmful effects of billions in illegal sports betting.
Industry analysts estimate that from 2015-2016, 26 SEPTEMBER 2016
sports fans wagered $95 billion – $93 billion illegally – on National Football League (NFL) and college football games. Bracket game numbers during the March Madness college basketball championship, plus $2 billion in bets, exceeded the 2012 presidential election vote totals.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) reports
record statewide legal sports betting revenues, prompting AGA Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Sara Rayme (right) to state, “Sports betting has never been more popular, yet most Americans are forced to the illegal market, where they bet billions of dollars a year through bookies and offshore websites…”
The four major national sports leagues also include Canadian teams. Football ranks number one and its Super Bowl tops championship events. Last February, 47 million viewers – three times last season’s NFL game attendance – placed a bet. The estimated $3.8 billion bet illegally on Super Bowl 50 was 38 times higher than legal bets.
Of the NFL’s 32 teams, 81 percent play within an
hour’s drive of a casino. Half of all team stadiums are less than 11 miles from a casino; six teams are within a mile. However, 100 percent of NFL players have access to illegal online sports betting sites.
The public demands clarification going forward. The Mellman Group interviewed 400 men/400 women last January before Super Bowl 50 and
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