A total of 38 states including the District of Columbia have some form of gambling after it was legalized in 2018. Some states adopted the policy right away while others have waited to step foot into the gambling industry. Sports betting has grown larger and larger in the US and it’s not slowing down. 

Reportedly, it was estimated about $20 billion was wagered in the first two years that sports gambling was legalized in the US. In the past calendar year, there have been several scandals around professional and collegiate sports involving sports gambling. Next. we’ll dive into some of the most recent scandals involving high-profile players.

Taking a closer look at the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal with the MLB and his former translator

Japenese baseball star Shohei Ohtani had used the same interpreter and personal assistant for six years. His name was Ippei Mizuhara. However, he was fired by Ohtani in March after it was found that Mizuhara stole $16 million from Shohei’s bank account. He used this money to fund his “voracious appetite for illegal sports betting”. 

Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud and Ohtani denied any involvement in the situation. This is the last thing the MLB wanted with arguably the biggest star in the game. Shohei Ohtani is a global icon for baseball fans and it would have been an awful look if he were involved in any betting scandals. The MLB has deals with DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM as official sports betting partners. If Ohtani had been involved in the scandals, the MLB could and these sportsbooks could have been in serious trouble.

Raptors’ Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the NBA for his involvement in a betting scandal

Jontay Porter was a two-way contract player for the Toronto Raptors before he received a lifetime ban from the NBA. The 24-year-old is under serious investigation for a series of prop bets being placed against his stats. Additionally, Porter had a FanDuel account and was a VIP member. 

Sportsbooks had initially flagged some suspicious wagers on prop bets placed on Jontay Porter earlier in the season. There were bets for his rebounds in a game and another with three-pointers just to name a few. Large sums were placed on the under totals. As big as five figures, Which was a massive red flag. 

Porter left two games early and the unders placed against his stats cashed easily. Now, he is under serious investigation and has ruined his playing career in the NBA. The 24-year-old received a lifetime ban. All to make some money on a sportsbook account. In the end, it was not worth it for Porter to do but he got caught up in the moment.

Players and coaches feel that sports gambling has gotten out of hand in some aspects

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has comments about sports gambling affecting his personal life. He had this to say to reporters.

“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff … We may have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so that we can cover the spread. … It is something I believe has gone too far.”

Sports bettors can cross the line, leaving players and coaches to take the heat when their bet doesn’t win. J.B. Bickertaff proved that in his quote above. People reaching out about his family and having his phone number is disturbing. Player betting scandals along with players and coaches being harassed are prime examples of the dark side of sports gambling being legalized. While there are positives to sports gambling in the US, there are several downsides as well. We’ve seen them pop up since 2018 and they’re not going away.