BMM qp strip CI
Nov25.indd 1 STATESIDE Bad publicity
It’s hard to overcome some stereotypes, especially if what you’re defending makes news and undermines your efforts. Sharon Harris explains…
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t’s hard to overcome some stereotypes, especially if what you’re defending makes news and undermines your efforts. For decades, casino and coin-op amusements operators have “battled” negative images by presenting how their industries benefit the economic and social fabric of their jurisdictions. They too are community friends and neighbors.
My own family’s company fought this situation for decades in Philadelphia. Over my 15 years in coin-op, I defended our business, and others, against bad publicity.
So many at city council meetings wrongly believed our video and crane/redemption machines were “stealing little Johnny’s lunch money.” I constantly promoted that the positive impact of our collective businesses outweighed unsavory conduct from a few.
14 DECEMBER 2025
In the casino world, years of working to prevent problems is why recent scandals across the U.S. sports world have caused such concern. Last month, New Jersey law enforcement officials busted an illegal sports betting ring. The initial probe began in January 2024, targeting Bergen and Essex Counties - two of the state’s wealthiest. They arrested 14 people - many from one family - who operated unregulated offshore sports books via a nationwide bookmaker system. From 2022 to 2024, approximately $2 million was allegedly transferred. Several had deep connections to a known New York crime family. Participants and promoters even lured college and high school athletes.
Obviously, that feeds into the damaging narrative from the 1990s, when online activities originally appeared. My first Internet conference
was in 1997 in Washington D.C. Panel speakers included FBI personnel and other law enforcement agencies. They warned against unregulated offshore online betting sites without protections and few guarantees of honest payouts. Why, in the era of a thriving legal nationwide sports betting industry since 2019, would this happen? Strict compliance and adherence to regulations have produced profits and economic growth surpassing the experts’ predictions. To make matters worse, illegal sports betting again hit the news soon after the New Jersey bust. Two Cleveland Guardians Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers-Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz-were arrested for receiving bribes to throw bad pitches and then pay out $450,000 to betters. Prosecutors claimed Clase offered information to bettors in 2023 about his pitching speed. He allegedly received payoffs last April. Clase pled not guilty and was released on $600,000 bail. Ortiz, who pled not guilty for $500,000 bail, allegedly joined the action this year by also agreeing to throw inferior pitches
While the MLB investigates, both are on non-disciplinary paid leave. A conviction would mean long prison sentences and lifetime baseball bans.
How stupid are these two since one already made millions and the other was on his way? Why jeopardize that for such a relatively small payout? How damaging are these two stories to the legitimate sports betting industry now generating billions?
Truthfully, illegal sports betting scandals are nothing new. As far back as 1919, gangster Arnold Rothstein faced charges of “fixing” the World Series by paying Chicago White Sox players to lose to the Cincinnati Reds.
Rothstein claimed innocence. Because a Grand Jury never saw evidence and the records
5/11/25 17:30
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