NBA Gambling: New Trend or Lingering Issue
Photo by Kathleen Fox, Memphis Grizzlies versus Golden State Warriors
By Kathleen Fox
Gambling and other problems have obscured the family-friendly atmosphere fostered by the National Basketball Association and resulted in questions about the need for stricter regulations.
Like other professional sports leagues, the NBA has battled negative publicity associated with gambling and a lack of fairness and sportsmanship. However, several recent violence problems have caused an increase in conversations relating to stricter regulations on teams and players.
The most recent incident occurred following an unpaid wager of approximately $60,000 from a card game on the team plane of the Washington Wizards. On Dec. 19, there was an argument and threats were exchanged between Washington players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.
Two days later the conflict escalated in the team’s locker room and both players threatened each other with firearms. Although Arenas portrayed the incident as a misunderstanding in the media, there was extensive damage to the reputation of the league, the teamand the personal credibility of both players.
“When there are incidents that connect gambling with violence in a sports league, it’s a scary thing. As a fan you want to enjoy the sport, purely for the fun of it,” said Thomas Fox , a Memphis Grizzlies fan and former communication manager for a professional sports team.
Both players were suspended indefinitely by NBA commissioner David Stern and are charged with violation of the District of Columbia’s gun laws. According to the District of Columbia metropolitan police department, no firearms can be carried in public and all firearms must be registered.
Arenas was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and 200 hours of community service. He also lost $7.4 million in salary and endorsements.
NBA teams and players have a historic relationship with low-stakes, recreational gambling. According to the New York Times, playing cards, dominoes and dice on team flights is a traditional part of the NBA lifestyle.
However, these games can quickly become intensely competitive and heated. The mixture of the competitive nature and the high salary for NBA players can have scary and sometime violent results. Oftentimes the salary differential between two players can turn a friendly game into an intense situation..
College and professional sports provide an outlet for fierce and exciting competition. However the NBA is emphasizing the importance of maintaininpoise and professionalism on and off the basketball court.
Memphis Tiger fan Jonathan Craft commented: “Anytime you watch a sport, emotions run high, especially if it’s your team. Real athletes and fans want to win at everything because of their competitive nature.”
According to www.NBA.com, salaries range from $450,000 for undrafted rookies to over $20 million a year for superstar players. The vast pay difference is one explanation for the tendency for some low-stakes games to escalate into more serious altercations.
For example, according to ESPN, in the 2009-2010 season, the Memphis Grizzlies’ lowest-paid player guard Lester Hudson makes the league minimum $457,588 while Grizzlies’ All-Star forward Zach Randolph makes $16 million.
Some NBA teams are reviewing the gambling policies and two teams, the Washington Wizards and the New Jersey Nets, have already prohibited gambling on team flights. Each individual team is able to decide whether or not to alter gambling polices. The league itself will not change its policy until it is debated in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.
Many players have spoken out against the need for further restrictions and instead argue that the problem is with individual players rather than the league as a whole. If certain players do not respect teammates, fans and the organization then problems related or unrelated to gambling will occur.
The Memphis Grizzlies, along with six other NBA teams, have openly stated they will not pose any restrictions on players for playing cards or other games.
Martin Taggart, an account executive for the Memphis Grizzlies, comments, “The Memphis Grizzlies organization has not had any problems with recreational gambling during team plan rides and will continue to allow players to do so.”
An example of the close proximity of gambling and the NBA is Joe and Gavin Maloof, the owners of the NBA team the Sacramento Kings. They also own the Palms casino in Las Vegas. According to ESPN, the casino is allowed to take bets on any sports team except for the Kings.
In 2007, the NBA Board of Commissioners debated legalizing NBA gambling for fans because of the financial incentives for the league. However, due to the recent incidents related to gambling, the league has removed the idea from its current agenda.
The Arenas incident is not the first NBA case involving firearms . Delonte West, guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was charged with carrying a loaded gun Sept. 2009. Another violent incident occurred in 2004 when a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons became a brawl between players and fans.
Several other former NBA players, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkely and Antonie Walker, have admitted to a gambling problems. According to ESPN, in March 2010 Walker was charged with three felony counts of passing over $800,000 in bad checks in Las Vegas casinos.
“Professional athletes are held to a higher standard than regular people,” Fox said. “Fans go to the games to see competition but also for the entire experience. When these public incidents happen it makes you think twice about spending money [there].”
Gambling incidents are not limited to NBA players. One of the most highly publicized recent incidents involved an NBA referee. Former referee Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on and giving inside information to high-stakes gamblers for games that he officiated.
According to ESPN, Donaghy pleaded guilty to felony charges of wire fraud and served 15 months in prison. In his book, Personal Foul, Donaghy says there is an internal flaw with the officiating in the NBA: referees focus more on entertaining than on fair competition.
Fans are struck by the idea that those in charge of maintaining order and instilling fairness can also be motivated by the need to gamble. The referee has the power to excite the full range of emotions from fans, from anger to happiness.
“It’s scary when everyone associated with a game, the players and referees, are influenced my external factors and not the game itself, Craft commented.
“The referees of the National Basketball Association are experienced and trained to act fairly and to make the calls they witness during the games,” according to Lamell McMorris, the National Basketball Referee Association (NBRA) Spokesperson.
“The NBRA has complete faith that the 61 referees employed act in the best interests of the league.”
One-way to guard against widespread problems with team favoritism is extensive training and practice for each referee. According to Referee Magazine, league referees are scouted from high school or college games and then invited to training camps that identify talented candidates. Referees work in the Development or D-League before moving up to the NBA or WNBA.
Following the Donaghy scandal, NBA referees are under increased pressure to make the right calls and maintain a sense of equality between the two teams.
“Refs can be the most beloved or hated people in the context of sport, their jobseems to be maintaining order and regulation but whenever they seem bias(ed)against a certain team or player is when we (fans) react emotionally,” Craft said
This incident, along with the gambling issues involving players, causes people to question whether they are isolated incidents or examples of a greater problem for the NBA. Professional athletes are held to a higher standard because of what they represent to fans: examples of sportsmanship, fairness and controlled competition.
Lawson Albritton, a Grizzlies season ticket holder for nine years, reaffirmed the questions many NBA fans are asking about the state of the league: “Fans who are willing to give large amounts of time and money to the NBA don’t want to keep hearing about incidents related to gambling. It takes away from the spirit of the game,” Lawson said.
However some argue that the NBA has not been strict enough with its anti-gambling policies. There is still no plan to implement league-wide recreational gambling restrictions for the NBA. The league could be reluctant to pose stricter regulations because of its partnership with the broadcast network ESPN, which frequently broadcasts poker tournaments.
“If I was an NBA player who had never been in trouble for gambling or other disciplinary problems, it would be insulting to be told that playing cards is banned, especially when the league is constantly associated with some form of gambling,” Craft said.
Additionally, the 2007 NBA All-Star game was hosted by Las Vegas. The league is still in talks to eventually have an expansion team in Las Vegas.
Locally the Memphis Grizzlies have several advertising partnerships with gambling establishments including Harrah’s and Sam’s Town in Tunica and the Southland Dog Park. Sam’s Town Tuesdays are a season-long promotion that gives the first 10,000 fans over the age of 21 a free play card to the Sam’s Town casino. The Southland Dog Park has a coupon for a complimentary buffet in every game program.
“There obviously needs to be some changes because these incidents keep happening. Maybe the NBA needs to completely stop any gambling advertisements,” Memphis Grizzlies fan Catherine Doss said.
The Grizzlies also have partnerships with FedEx, International Paper, Service Master and First Tennessee Bank. Every NBA team has community outreach programs and also participates in the league-wide program NBA Cares.
“The Memphis Grizzlies organization wants to be a part of the Memphis community,” Taggart said. “The organization is concerned about maintaining a sound reputation and serving the people of Memphis with basketball entertainment and service.”
Following the public incidents involving gambling and firearms, questions remain whether the NBA has lost its family-friendly reputation or if it is just several isolated events. The growth of legal and illegal gambling continues to effect the general perception of sports as a money-driven business.
According to the American Gambling Association, in 2009 $2.57 billion was legally wagered and the gross revenue for that same year was 136.4 million. Two-thirds of Las Vegas sports bets are placed on professional teams.
Betting on sports is only legal in Las Vegas although traditional bookies and offshore, online sports gambling websites are increasing in popularity.
NBA fan Kolby Young said: “I use sports gambling websites on a regular basis because it adds more excitement to any game. The thrill of winning and the pain of losing are much stronger when you have money on the game .”
The Pew Research Center reports that 33 percent of adult men regularly gamble on sports and 188 million Americans gambled on at least one sport in 2008.
As gambling on sports increases in popularity, fans begin to wonder should professional athletes be held to a higher standard and will the connection between sports and gambling get stronger.
Lawson comments: “Sometimes I wish that sports were completely isolated from scandals and problems, but it’s impossible. Athletes are people too and they make mistakes; you can’t judge the entire league by a couple unfortunate incidents."
Gambling and other problems have obscured the family-friendly atmosphere fostered by the National Basketball Association and resulted in questions about the need for stricter regulations.
Like other professional sports leagues, the NBA has battled negative publicity associated with gambling and a lack of fairness and sportsmanship. However, several recent violence problems have caused an increase in conversations relating to stricter regulations on teams and players.
The most recent incident occurred following an unpaid wager of approximately $60,000 from a card game on the team plane of the Washington Wizards. On Dec. 19, there was an argument and threats were exchanged between Washington players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.
Two days later the conflict escalated in the team’s locker room and both players threatened each other with firearms. Although Arenas portrayed the incident as a misunderstanding in the media, there was extensive damage to the reputation of the league, the teamand the personal credibility of both players.
“When there are incidents that connect gambling with violence in a sports league, it’s a scary thing. As a fan you want to enjoy the sport, purely for the fun of it,” said Thomas Fox , a Memphis Grizzlies fan and former communication manager for a professional sports team.
Both players were suspended indefinitely by NBA commissioner David Stern and are charged with violation of the District of Columbia’s gun laws. According to the District of Columbia metropolitan police department, no firearms can be carried in public and all firearms must be registered.
Arenas was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and 200 hours of community service. He also lost $7.4 million in salary and endorsements.
NBA teams and players have a historic relationship with low-stakes, recreational gambling. According to the New York Times, playing cards, dominoes and dice on team flights is a traditional part of the NBA lifestyle.
However, these games can quickly become intensely competitive and heated. The mixture of the competitive nature and the high salary for NBA players can have scary and sometime violent results. Oftentimes the salary differential between two players can turn a friendly game into an intense situation..
College and professional sports provide an outlet for fierce and exciting competition. However the NBA is emphasizing the importance of maintaininpoise and professionalism on and off the basketball court.
Memphis Tiger fan Jonathan Craft commented: “Anytime you watch a sport, emotions run high, especially if it’s your team. Real athletes and fans want to win at everything because of their competitive nature.”
According to www.NBA.com, salaries range from $450,000 for undrafted rookies to over $20 million a year for superstar players. The vast pay difference is one explanation for the tendency for some low-stakes games to escalate into more serious altercations.
For example, according to ESPN, in the 2009-2010 season, the Memphis Grizzlies’ lowest-paid player guard Lester Hudson makes the league minimum $457,588 while Grizzlies’ All-Star forward Zach Randolph makes $16 million.
Some NBA teams are reviewing the gambling policies and two teams, the Washington Wizards and the New Jersey Nets, have already prohibited gambling on team flights. Each individual team is able to decide whether or not to alter gambling polices. The league itself will not change its policy until it is debated in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.
Many players have spoken out against the need for further restrictions and instead argue that the problem is with individual players rather than the league as a whole. If certain players do not respect teammates, fans and the organization then problems related or unrelated to gambling will occur.
The Memphis Grizzlies, along with six other NBA teams, have openly stated they will not pose any restrictions on players for playing cards or other games.
Martin Taggart, an account executive for the Memphis Grizzlies, comments, “The Memphis Grizzlies organization has not had any problems with recreational gambling during team plan rides and will continue to allow players to do so.”
An example of the close proximity of gambling and the NBA is Joe and Gavin Maloof, the owners of the NBA team the Sacramento Kings. They also own the Palms casino in Las Vegas. According to ESPN, the casino is allowed to take bets on any sports team except for the Kings.
In 2007, the NBA Board of Commissioners debated legalizing NBA gambling for fans because of the financial incentives for the league. However, due to the recent incidents related to gambling, the league has removed the idea from its current agenda.
The Arenas incident is not the first NBA case involving firearms . Delonte West, guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was charged with carrying a loaded gun Sept. 2009. Another violent incident occurred in 2004 when a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons became a brawl between players and fans.
Several other former NBA players, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkely and Antonie Walker, have admitted to a gambling problems. According to ESPN, in March 2010 Walker was charged with three felony counts of passing over $800,000 in bad checks in Las Vegas casinos.
“Professional athletes are held to a higher standard than regular people,” Fox said. “Fans go to the games to see competition but also for the entire experience. When these public incidents happen it makes you think twice about spending money [there].”
Gambling incidents are not limited to NBA players. One of the most highly publicized recent incidents involved an NBA referee. Former referee Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on and giving inside information to high-stakes gamblers for games that he officiated.
According to ESPN, Donaghy pleaded guilty to felony charges of wire fraud and served 15 months in prison. In his book, Personal Foul, Donaghy says there is an internal flaw with the officiating in the NBA: referees focus more on entertaining than on fair competition.
Fans are struck by the idea that those in charge of maintaining order and instilling fairness can also be motivated by the need to gamble. The referee has the power to excite the full range of emotions from fans, from anger to happiness.
“It’s scary when everyone associated with a game, the players and referees, are influenced my external factors and not the game itself, Craft commented.
“The referees of the National Basketball Association are experienced and trained to act fairly and to make the calls they witness during the games,” according to Lamell McMorris, the National Basketball Referee Association (NBRA) Spokesperson.
“The NBRA has complete faith that the 61 referees employed act in the best interests of the league.”
One-way to guard against widespread problems with team favoritism is extensive training and practice for each referee. According to Referee Magazine, league referees are scouted from high school or college games and then invited to training camps that identify talented candidates. Referees work in the Development or D-League before moving up to the NBA or WNBA.
Following the Donaghy scandal, NBA referees are under increased pressure to make the right calls and maintain a sense of equality between the two teams.
“Refs can be the most beloved or hated people in the context of sport, their jobseems to be maintaining order and regulation but whenever they seem bias(ed)against a certain team or player is when we (fans) react emotionally,” Craft said
This incident, along with the gambling issues involving players, causes people to question whether they are isolated incidents or examples of a greater problem for the NBA. Professional athletes are held to a higher standard because of what they represent to fans: examples of sportsmanship, fairness and controlled competition.
Lawson Albritton, a Grizzlies season ticket holder for nine years, reaffirmed the questions many NBA fans are asking about the state of the league: “Fans who are willing to give large amounts of time and money to the NBA don’t want to keep hearing about incidents related to gambling. It takes away from the spirit of the game,” Lawson said.
However some argue that the NBA has not been strict enough with its anti-gambling policies. There is still no plan to implement league-wide recreational gambling restrictions for the NBA. The league could be reluctant to pose stricter regulations because of its partnership with the broadcast network ESPN, which frequently broadcasts poker tournaments.
“If I was an NBA player who had never been in trouble for gambling or other disciplinary problems, it would be insulting to be told that playing cards is banned, especially when the league is constantly associated with some form of gambling,” Craft said.
Additionally, the 2007 NBA All-Star game was hosted by Las Vegas. The league is still in talks to eventually have an expansion team in Las Vegas.
Locally the Memphis Grizzlies have several advertising partnerships with gambling establishments including Harrah’s and Sam’s Town in Tunica and the Southland Dog Park. Sam’s Town Tuesdays are a season-long promotion that gives the first 10,000 fans over the age of 21 a free play card to the Sam’s Town casino. The Southland Dog Park has a coupon for a complimentary buffet in every game program.
“There obviously needs to be some changes because these incidents keep happening. Maybe the NBA needs to completely stop any gambling advertisements,” Memphis Grizzlies fan Catherine Doss said.
The Grizzlies also have partnerships with FedEx, International Paper, Service Master and First Tennessee Bank. Every NBA team has community outreach programs and also participates in the league-wide program NBA Cares.
“The Memphis Grizzlies organization wants to be a part of the Memphis community,” Taggart said. “The organization is concerned about maintaining a sound reputation and serving the people of Memphis with basketball entertainment and service.”
Following the public incidents involving gambling and firearms, questions remain whether the NBA has lost its family-friendly reputation or if it is just several isolated events. The growth of legal and illegal gambling continues to effect the general perception of sports as a money-driven business.
According to the American Gambling Association, in 2009 $2.57 billion was legally wagered and the gross revenue for that same year was 136.4 million. Two-thirds of Las Vegas sports bets are placed on professional teams.
Betting on sports is only legal in Las Vegas although traditional bookies and offshore, online sports gambling websites are increasing in popularity.
NBA fan Kolby Young said: “I use sports gambling websites on a regular basis because it adds more excitement to any game. The thrill of winning and the pain of losing are much stronger when you have money on the game .”
The Pew Research Center reports that 33 percent of adult men regularly gamble on sports and 188 million Americans gambled on at least one sport in 2008.
As gambling on sports increases in popularity, fans begin to wonder should professional athletes be held to a higher standard and will the connection between sports and gambling get stronger.
Lawson comments: “Sometimes I wish that sports were completely isolated from scandals and problems, but it’s impossible. Athletes are people too and they make mistakes; you can’t judge the entire league by a couple unfortunate incidents."
