The Growth of Sports Betting and it’s Effect on Sports Themselves
Gambling is no longer reserved for back rooms in shady bars, it is no longer controlled by mobsters, and it is no longer seen as being for addicts who would take out a second mortgage because that next bet would be a sure winner.
Now more than ever betting on live sports has jumped its way into the main stream, so much so that it makes up a portion of Scott Van Pelt’s nightly Sportscenter segment. The fact that a company as big as ESPN and a personality as well respected and highly visible as Van Pelt can talk openly about the “bad beats” of the night and discuss the point spreads bodes well for the future of gambling on sports.
It is not just ESPN either, most places that cover sports have some kind of way of tracking or covering bets. Just look the next time you open up your sports app and there will surely be a portion of the page dedicated to what the line on the game or what the over-under is.
Point spreads and money lines are not anything new to the world of sports. “Gambling has been around for a very long time, it just used to be done under the table in seedy places.” Said Dr. David Walsh, a sport administration professor at the University of Houston. There has been a change over the years that have made gambling a little bit more user friendly and taken some of the stigma away.
Betting on sporting events can get a little tricky however when it comes to finding a place to do it since it is still illegal in most states. Unless you reside in one of the seven states that have legalized sports betting, Delaware, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or West Virginia, then you will have to be smart about where and how you place your bets.
Due to the lack of states with legal sports betting it will be hard for it to continue to grow, but there is still a large number of people who take advantage of the opportunity. For those who either live in an outlawed state or just do not feel comfortable betting money on games there is another option that is arguably even more popular and still gives the person a chance to put their sports knowledge to use to make some money.
Walsh continued, “There’s a ton of people who participate in gambling and don’t even realize it, or they don’t see it as gambling. Fantasy football, March Madness, and Super Bowl squares are all ways of risking money for a certain result in a sports game.” These big events have helped to ease the average person into the gambling world, because like Dr. Walsh said most people do not view these events and small side bets with their friends and family as gambling even though it is.
Dr. Walsh stressed the importance that fantasy football especially has had on the continued growth and popularity of the NFL. It has allowed fans to come to appreciate the talents of players who play for teams that may not get into the national spotlight much. Because of this you now have players that have been able to turn their likeness into a brand and market themselves.
“In hockey and maybe soccer in the United States there is low interest, but maybe if they played fantasy, they would learn the tendencies of some player and possible drive up interest.” Said Walsh.
For many who do not understand the game this could be a great entry into it as well. Playing fantasy will give people a reason to watch and give them a rooting interest in a game that they otherwise would have no reason to watch or even pay attention to.
This is not only limited to professional team sports however, in “bar room sports” such as billiards, darts, and even bowling gambling has been around for much longer. It is easier to gamble when it is just one on one and much of the gambling is side bets between the players similar to what Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson just finished doing.
All in all gambling is on the rise and there will no doubt be people who stand in its way claiming as to how it is an addiction or against their morals, but like everything else as long as it is practiced in moderation and done carefully there is no reason as to why it should not be able to flourish.
