Throughout the history of sports we have seen corruption in most leagues because of different gambling shams. In 1919 the White Sox threw the World Series; in the 1940s and 1950s, the NFL had some fixed games and point shaving; Pete Rose was banished in 1989 for gambling on his own team; and, most recently, NBA referee Tim Donaghy was under federal investigation in 2007 for betting on games that he was reffing. What’s the only league that hasn’t been drastically impacted by some sort of gambling conspiracy? The NHL, but who isn’t to say that it won’t happen in the future. Illegal betting has damaged many leagues and it is time to put an end to this, and one of the ways to do this is by making sports gambling legal in the states.

The inspiration for this topic came when ESPN the Magazine released their gambling issue a couple weeks ago and featured a major piece with current NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Silver has been recognized as a realist in terms of how sports betting needs to shift to prevent the kinds of incidents I have mentioned. He made it very clear, however, that he is not pro sports betting – he is pro transparency. Furthermore, Senator John McCain has begun to encourage Congress to start a debate around the very topic of legalizing sports gambling.

With transparency in betting, it naturally eliminates the element of surprise, and gives leagues, gambling outlets, and the government a way to legitimately monitor and track the sports betting that goes on. As Silver mentioned, “I believe that sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.” As an example, the FBI has estimated that $2.6 billion was bet illegally on the NCAA March Madness tournament in 2013 alone (source: ESPN the Magazine – The Gambling Issue). So, imagine if we were able to control this and see where it’s going – it would provide a secure and legal way for bettors to spend their money while avoiding potential fraud and corruption at the same time.

Additionally, the legalization of sports betting would provide yet another revenue stream for the government. Think, if the government was able to collect just half of a percent (0.5%) from March Madness, they would be able to rake in an extra $13 million per year, which is astounding. Keep in mind, also, that $138.9 billion of illegal sports gambling takes place in other sports around the country. Similar to the added revenue, this extra industry would create a plethora of jobs. The government is always focused on ways to create more jobs, and this is one way to do that.

Sure, there are always going to be back-door bets and deals made under the table, but by legalizing the major gambling methods, we can see where the money is going and how it might be impacting the game. There’s a long way to go in making this happen, but I truly believe that making sports gambling legal could make a major positive impact on sports and on the economy.

This article is a part of our ongoing “Opposites Attack” series where we aim to play devil’s advocate on hot topics in the sports and entertainment world while providing a fresh perspective of these subjects.

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