02-20-2025, 01:51 PM
On the flip side of the coin, with the increased amount of money being wagered legally, the pressure to somehow rig, fix, or game the system through illegal means has just rocketed up. Imagine the cousin or relative of an athlete being pressured to talk to the athlete to do X or Y. Miss the first free throw of the game that they take or something similarly "innocuous" that might be a prop bet offered by some bookie. Same with the referees, who can really determine the flow of the game and definitely affect prop bet outcomes.
Because of the pressures that affect the integrity of the game, I think on balance that legalizing sports betting is a net negative. I very much understand the desire to regulate, destigmatize, and oversee/administer, but sports betting is a different sort of vice that can hurt way more people on both sides of this equation.
Because of the pressures that affect the integrity of the game, I think on balance that legalizing sports betting is a net negative. I very much understand the desire to regulate, destigmatize, and oversee/administer, but sports betting is a different sort of vice that can hurt way more people on both sides of this equation.