Gambling and Sports

Gambling has an adverse impact on the individual athlete's or coach's integrity. Reputation diminishes, and the athlete becomes better known for participation in gambling activities than for athletic feats and career accomplishments. Gambling scandals can ruin careers, and permanently mar the individual's ability to participate in the sport again. As Finley, Finley & Fountain (n.d.). point out, gambling also has the potential to ruin the integrity of the entire team, league, or whole sport. "Ensuring an honest and uncorrupted game has been one of the biggest challenges facing sport," (Finley, Finley & Fountain, n.d., p. 41). Baseball in particular has been plagued by gambling scandals. However, other professional sports have also revealed the prevalence of widespread corruption. Finley, Finley & Fountain (n.d.) also note that gambling on college sports has been a problem since the CCNY point-shaving scandal of the 1950s. Point shaving proved lucrative enough for high-profile black market gambling syndicates to flourish. Although most players, coaches, and teams are not corrupt, the few that are have sullied the image of all sports.

This rule states that “Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year. Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”(Higgins 204) This is the exact rule Pete Rose violated and was permanently banned for breaking. The Major League Baseball ban on gambling is based on concerns about player and manager incentives. Due to the 1919 World Series, where eight players from the Chicago Black Sox fixed the World Series so the gamblers that made them fix the series, rule 21(d) came into effect. All eight players who fixed the 1919 world series were banned from eligibility from the hall of fame, and Pete Rose violated rule 21(d). Pete Rose should be in the same shoes as the players in the 1919 World Series, and should never be allowed to gain eligibility to the Hall of Fame under any

In the year 1919 a huge sports scandal shocked baseball. The Black Sox Scandal occurred in the 1919 World Series where the White Sox played against the Reds. This Scandal is the reason why professional sports banned gambling on your own team and players can’t bet on themselves.The Scandal was about two gamblers approaching the White Sox and telling the players who at the time were making a very low amount of money due to the great depression; who offered them White Sox players a total of 100,000 dollars to throw the World Series to the Reds because they were heavily favored. This would be a huge payout to gamblers. Before the first pitch was even thrown in the World Series the rumors circled around that the White Sox were bribed, and several months after the World Series was thrown in the favor of the Reds, eight players on the team were accused of throwing the World Series. Those eight players were banned from the major league for life.

Gambling in professional sports is an ethical dilemma that needs to be examined from all angles before making a decision on whether to bet or not. Gambling has been a part our society for thousands of years, dating back to the original Olympic Games in Greece. Depending on where you live, there will be different laws regarding the rules of gambling. The story of Pete Rose shows a good example of what can happen to a sports manager that bets on his own team and others in his sport. In this case, there will be a situation where someone is faced with an ethical dilemma and they must go over all options before making a decision. Before betting on a sports team, one must look at all alternatives to betting and the consequences that come with each one. After this, a choice must be made regarding the ethical dilemma. This decision must be looked at from the legal side of things, as well as your own gut feelings towards your choice. You also must ask yourself how you would feel about it if you told the world what your decision is. The code of ethics of sports managers can also play a role in the decision making process. An ethical theory called utilitarianism will also be a way of looking at how and why the decision was made. By covering all these topics, it will assist in making the decision for an ethical dilemma.

Gambling is perceived in very different ways by its participants and affected parties. There is a stricter and no tolerance view practiced by the National Collegiate Athletics Association [NCAA] whose role is to govern college athletics. A study conducted by (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) points out that “…the NCAA membership adopted bylaw 10.3 that prohibits athletics department staff and student-athletes from engaging in gambling activities that relate to intercollegiate or professional sport events.” As stated earlier, the individuals mentioned in The NCAA’s bylaw are not the only people participating in sports related gambling activities. Furthermore these individuals, consisting of college students (student-athletes and non participants), and fans also partake in gambling activities unrelated to sports. Their perception of gambling seems less strict than the NCAA. Previously stated, it is viewed as fun, a way to win money, for excitement or entertainment for student-athletes. This view is also shared by college students that are non participants and fans. Another perspective of a non participant or fan on sports gambling suggested by (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) states that there are some “…sports fan who might gamble on sports as a way of “being in the game.” In addition, (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) mentioned that this attitude may stem from there being

While playing a sport in college, athletes have other multiple costs as well. A survey taken in 1989 of college football players resulted in 31% of players that gambled illegally, but 48% of people knew a player that gambled. Players are giving out team information to gamblers, so they can bet more accurately on the game to win money (Porto). Athletes do not have any extra time for a job, so it is difficult for them to make money. A study shows that this has lead some athletes to gambling, which is illegal by the NCAA. This shows that the student-athletes will do whatever it takes to make some money to help pay for other costs.

Money seems to run the world. People need money to buy food, buy shelter, and support families. There are many ways to make money in order to survive, which most commonly involve working a full time job, but also include illegal means and gambling. Gambling seems to be an easy way to make money, but also a high risk… but not if the game is fixed. Despite the lack of prevalent hard evidence proving they fixed the game, the eight White Sox players involved in the 1919 World Series bribery scandal were rightfully banned.

Clearly the people who benefited most from gambling laws in New York City and Atlantic City were the criminals and crooked politicians. However, those cities weren’t isolated cases, just some of the most extreme examples. Horse racing, along most every other form of gambling, was banned in most states in the early 20th Century. Yet, the ban on horse racing didn’t curb public demand. For decades, one of organized crime’s most prized assets was the “race wire.” That was a telegraph service that sent updated horse racing information so that gamblers could bet on races from anywhere in the

Gambling has been a popular activity in the United States from the 1600’s to the present day United States. As gambling grows as a worldwide enterprise, it expands the United States with the opportunities it provides and the attention it consumes. Gambling as a whole benefits different recreational activities and events such as sports. Gambling also allows people visiting places like Las Vegas to enjoy playing poker with friends and even winning money after a game of poker or Slot Machine. Gambling allows many activities to be expanded to their full potential and offer people the full

Robert Kiyosaki once said, “Successful people take big risks knowing they might fall hard but they might succeed more than they ever dreamed.” This man is a billionaire that hit the jackpot, while gambling. He now owns eleven different businesses and he is worth over eighty million dollars. If someone could learn how to astute, they could live like him too. The articles, The Legalized Gambling Debate, Sports Betting Should be Legal, and Should Sports Gambling be Legal?, all attribute thought to this suggestion. Gambling is a feasible business as it provides revenue, sponsors education, and inspires gamblers.

Specific Purpose: To argue against how gambling should be allowed in all cities because it helps generate more income, allows for more jobs and helps struggling cities.

Gambling in the words of McLean and Yoder (2005) "means risking something of value, usually money, on an event that has an unknown outcome." In the opinion of the authors, gambling can assume various forms including but not in any way limited to "casino games, betting on sporting events, playing bingo, buying raffle tickets, and playing lotteries" (McLean and Yoder, 2005). Over time, gambling has grown in popularity with the same being legalized in many jurisdictions across the world. However, those opposed to gambling and the legalization of the same continue to cite various reasons in an attempt to backup their assertions. One of the reasons cited by those opposed to gambling according to McLean and Yoder (2005) is that the costs of gambling easily outweigh the benefits associated with the same. This argument advances the idea that the interests of the society override those of an individual. Thus the

Utilitarianism suggests that the act that results in the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of individuals is the option that we should choose. Whether gambling should be deemed as an ethical or unethical act depends entirely on the consequences and benefits gambling has on casinos, gamblers, and non-gamblers. If gambling results in the overall increase of a casino’s profit and the overall increase of a gambler’s profit and mental health, then the act of gambling would be considered ethical. However, if the act has more negative implications than positive, then the act of gambling would be unethical. For example, it would be unethical if the transaction between casinos and gamblers was rigged solely for the casino 's financial benefit while exploiting those who gamble there. The significant concern of this paper is not to point a finger at casinos and other gambling mediums as a means to blame them for the mental conditions of those who we’d consider as gambling addicts. Instead, the point of this paper is to acknowledge the effects of gambling and propose the importance of responsibility. I will present an unbiased view of gambling, paying close attention to the psychological effects and motives individuals have regarding gambling at casinos. Also, I will look at the positive results associated with having a successful casino business, so that allowing gambling is ethical from a utilitarian point of

Then there are the race tracks. They are now legal in over four fifths of all the states in America. The owners of the track take 18 to 21 percent of money wagered. The bettor has a likelihood of winning only a 0.41 to 0.44 probability of winning. That is about one half of one percent! But, it is a well-known fact that when a man wins at gambling, he is very likely to stay in for another game—and then lose his winnings! It is no wonder that it is called “gambling fever.” It is almost an insanity which grips a person.

Most of us have heard of fantasy football. Online fantasy has risen in popularity over the past couple of years, due to advances in technology. With this rise in popularity, it has raised eyebrows at the state and federal government levels. There are many grey areas when it comes to gambling online, that many people still don’t understand. Many questions are being asked, such as legal transactions with credit cards, is online gambling causing a problem with a rise in gambling addiction? Over the course of this report, I will go over the good and the bad of making online gambling legal and regulated.