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Gambling in Sports

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Submitted By toohey7
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Betting On Sports
When I first chose this topic, I was against it. But through further research I found examples and reasons that changed my mind. Fantasy sports, employment, and revenue are just a few reasons why betting in sports is beneficial. There is illegal gambling, but these high profile cases I was aware of and concerned about like the “Black Sox Scandal” and “Pete Rose” were rare and exceptional cases. The benefits of gambling in sports outweigh the drawbacks, and it improves the quality of sports entertainment.
My main reason for supporting sports gambling is Fantasy Sports. People take part in things such as “Fantasy Football” or “Fantasy Baseball”, where websites such as ESPN provide an imaginary league for people to “draft” professional players and then go head to head with friends. Other Fantasy sports include the NCAA Basketball March Madness pool, where people pick who they think will win each individual game in the tournament, then put their “bracket” into a pool. “This brings the average fan closer to the game,” says David Dodds of footballguys.com. “Fantasy Sports are here to stay. They are just too enjoyable. There are too many people playing, even in this recession” (Gaming) (NPG). Moreover there is an entire television channel devoted to Fantasy Football, called “NFL RedZone”, which is run by the NFL, and switches from game to game and shows every score just so that fantasy owners can see when their players score.
Secondly, gambling attaches and brings the average fan closer to the game. According to the Institute for National Problem Gambling: “Sports betting is the most popular form of gambling among youth 14 – 22” (NPG) (Association) (News). Nearly a quarter of males bet on sports in an average month. According to an ESPN survey, 118 million Americans gambled on a sport in 2008, and the number has since doubled. People who normally don’t watch college basketball participate in the March Madness bracket pools. People who aren’t football fans will sometimes buy a “square” in a Super Bowl pool. Although small, these instances bring casual fans into the game.
Finally, employment and revenue in this industry are huge. In 2010, 2.8 billion dollars was legally wagered in Las Vegas on various sporting events, estimates the American Gaming Association (AGA). The FBI and legal bookmakers work together to help crack down Illegal Gambling. AGA also estimates that two-thirds of all illegal bets are on non-collegiate, professional events. More bets are placed on the Super Bowl than any other event (News). Employment is also helped by this industry, as there are analysts, statistical supervisors, computer programmers, and many more jobs involved.
The other side of this argument, which I was persuaded away from, is that it affects the game, and people become addicted. It is reported by AGA that 80% of high school students have gambled on sports, and 8% of them will have a gambling problem in the future. Instances such as the “Black Sox Scandal”, “Tim Donaghy”, and “Pete Rose” are all cases where the player or referee bet on the game they were playing in, or took money to throw the game. In essence, affecting the way the sport is played.
These facts and reasons changed my mind, and for good reason – there is a huge upside to this industry. Jobs are created, money is pumped into the economy and people have fun and pay more attention to the sports. Sure, there are downsides, such as illegal gambling and point shaving, but there have only been a handful of documented occurrences. Sports gambling is not only a benefit to the sporting world, it has developed into a powerful force in entertainment, the economy and job creation.

Works Cited
Association, American Gaming. American Gambling Stats. 08 9 2010. 03 4 2012 <http://www.americangaming.org/industry-resources/research/fact-sheets/sports-wagering>.
Gaming, American. American Gaming Myths and Facts. 15 11 2011. 02 4 2012 <http://www.onlinegamblingmythsandfacts.com/sports.htm>.
News, US. US Gambling. 21 9 2009. 02 4 2012 <http://money.usnews.com/money/business-economy/small-business/articles/2009/09/21/the-reality-of-fantasy-sports>.
NPG. National Problem Gambling Awareness Week Stats. 01 5 2009. 02 4 2012 <http://www.ncpgambling.org/files/NPGAW/Sports_Gambling_Facts.pdf>.

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