[Wiretap] Survey by "The Athletic" says 46% of NBA players polled don't approve the league's relationship with gambling

[Plutonashfan]

I do online gambling but checked don't care. What bothers me is the constant bombardment of gambling ads. Have one before the game and one during halftime. Also I don't need my announcers talking bout it period. The exception would the TNT boys because that happened organically. I bet opposite of whatever Barkley says anyways.

[Plutonashfan]

It's pretty gross how every network that covers the NBA has a segment on which prop bets their commentators are covering.

And all their prop bets that they give out are terrible.

This is another issue especially ESPN bets. It's like they want you to lose money with their lousy advice.

[jbk1234]

It's pretty gross how every network that covers the NBA has a segment on which prop bets their commentators are covering.

And all their prop bets that they give out are terrible.

This is another issue especially ESPN bets. It's like they want you to lose money with their lousy advice.

I don't bet on sports, but if I did, I'd watch that show just to bet the other way.

[JDR720]

It's pretty gross how every network that covers the NBA has a segment on which prop bets their commentators are covering.

And all their prop bets that they give out are terrible.

This is another issue especially ESPN bets. It's like they want you to lose money with their lousy advice.

Because they probably do. The gambling industry is the only industry there is that is based around the customer losing money for nothing in return.

[6ixset]

As someone who sport gambled alot circa early 2010s, I preferred when it was taboo from mentioning on TV (ie: not talking about lines on broadcasts, no actual ads during games - you had to know where to go to bet.) Seeing it splashed on TV every other commercial, and the integration with actual telecasts is just so odd to see now. Think I preferred it separate. Voted no.

[mastermixer]

I agree with what most everyone is saying.

I was for gambling at first but now that I see what it’s become, it’s not worth it.

The nba shouldn’t be in bed with the gambling companies and there is way too many advertising.

[zimpy27]

Maybe just educate the morons who think the player or teams "messed up their bet".

Like nah, you as the bettor is responsible for your bet, you messed it up.

People need to get some personal responsibility for their behaviour

[kenwood3333]

sounds like the other 54% approves

[Ssj16]

As a gambler myself, I have no problem with gambling in sports. That being said, I would be ok if Gambling was treated more like tabacco where there aren't really any advertisements for it and you have to go out of your way to do it because just like smoking, I could see how all these constant ads could have the negative influences on the wrong person.

[SkyBill40]

The tie in with legalized sports betting is a mistake and would never have been allowed to take place if David Stern were still around to run the league. There's already been at least one involved party actively involved in moving betting lines and has been permanently banned from the sport. It's only a matter of time until others are discovered for betting on games or, worse yet, themselves.

Unfortunately, there's no clear cut or clean way to break away from the ties which have been made and seem to have been strengthened over time. Once the NBA powers that be got a taste of that additional revenue, all bets were off (pardon the pun).

I lived and worked in Las Vegas for nearly a decade and seeing the effects that gambling has on some people every day was downright sad. It takes control of their lives and destroys them in one way or another and is just as bad an addiction as drugs.

[CobraCommander]

I do wonder if there's a cultural shift that can happen in America, with this fight against oligarchy stuff. Just because someone can make money from something doesn't mean it's good for society.

Will players be ok with not making as much money? Contracts not always rising?

everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial

[sp6r=underrated]

Maybe just educate the morons who think the player or teams "messed up their bet".

Like nah, you as the bettor is responsible for your bet, you messed it up.

People need to get some personal responsibility for their behaviour

Gamblers lose money. They are suffering the consequences of their actions. Where is the consequence for people marketing a socially harmful product?

[UglyBugBall]

people that ruin their lives gambling made that choice and deserve the consequences. That's not the NBAs problem. Eating fast food and drinking soda also ruins you long term, but we still allow them knowing some people will have McDonald's every day.

If you can't stop yourself from flushing your life down a toilet that's on you. I put a few hundred dollars a year on playoff bets. My rule is never bet on the regular season and never bet beyond the budget I set beforehand. And it works fine. If you have so little self control you can't even do that then I have no sympathy for you.

I do think the ads are excessive. Not from a moral point of view, but from the POV that it's degrading the quality of commentary to have betting lines advertised to you anytime there's a break. There's nothing that can be done about it, that's just the free market. I watch my games next day and just skip dead time anyway.

[zimpy27]

Maybe just educate the morons who think the player or teams "messed up their bet".

Like nah, you as the bettor is responsible for your bet, you messed it up.

People need to get some personal responsibility for their behaviour

Gamblers lose money. They are suffering the consequences of their actions. Where is the consequence for people marketing a socially harmful product?

The suffer consequences but don't take personal responsibility and that's why they stay in the victim loop.

The marketing of socially harmful products are rarely given consequences. Many marketed products are socially harmful.

Education is still the best way.
An example is parlays, they are a stupid bet you would never do spaced out. But I don't think people really know what it means to back a parlay.

[DaPessimist]

I have the same issue with sports promoting gambling as I do with video games promoting gambling. Both these activities are highly marketed to children and young people. Attaching an addictive, destructive habit like gambling to these activities is a recipe for disaster.

[Plutonashfan]

And all their prop bets that they give out are terrible.

This is another issue especially ESPN bets. It's like they want you to lose money with their lousy advice.

Because they probably do. The gambling industry is the only industry there is that is based around the customer losing money for nothing in return.

That's not entirely true. Gambling became legal in OH two years ago and while I don't know my returns for this year I made about 1100 bucks prior, which is about 80 bucks a month, not much but better then nothing. I'm in no way a addict, and currently I probably put in a bet once ever two weeks. Most of the sportsbooks have sign up promos like bonus bets so they provide you with seed "money" to start. My thing is I would immediately take most of my winnings out but leave a little nest and "parley" (no pun intended) into more winnings. I never bet more then 10 dollars at a time and have a specific bank account for online wagers. If you do the research, analyze the data in front of you, and learn how understand over/under, +/-, and what a spread is it's really is easy money. Will I be able to buy a car with my winnings? No but I can put gas in my tank for the entire month

[SOUL]

people that ruin their lives gambling made that choice and deserve the consequences. That's not the NBAs problem. Eating fast food and drinking soda also ruins you long term, but we still allow them knowing some people will have McDonald's every day.

If you can't stop yourself from flushing your life down a toilet that's on you. I put a few hundred dollars a year on playoff bets. My rule is never bet on the regular season and never bet beyond the budget I set beforehand. And it works fine. If you have so little self control you can't even do that then I have no sympathy for you.

I do think the ads are excessive. Not from a moral point of view, but from the POV that it's degrading the quality of commentary to have betting lines advertised to you anytime there's a break. There's nothing that can be done about it, that's just the free market. I watch my games next day and just skip dead time anyway.

Doing anything is a choice but a lot of choices can be mitigated by environment and exposure. Someone living with or around a bunch of druggies, alcoholics, gamblers, whatever, is going to be way more likely to fall into those things than someone who isn't. While I agree that ultimately it's on the person themselves to help themselves, a lot of factors affect people that make it really hard not to fall into those pitfalls unless they're extremely disciplined.

The NBA doesn't have a moral obligation, you're right, and it's hard to be the only sports league that actively shuns gambling revenue while the others benefit off of it. It's too far gone now once the floodgates had opened.

[UglyBugBall]

people that ruin their lives gambling made that choice and deserve the consequences. That's not the NBAs problem. Eating fast food and drinking soda also ruins you long term, but we still allow them knowing some people will have McDonald's every day.

If you can't stop yourself from flushing your life down a toilet that's on you. I put a few hundred dollars a year on playoff bets. My rule is never bet on the regular season and never bet beyond the budget I set beforehand. And it works fine. If you have so little self control you can't even do that then I have no sympathy for you.

I do think the ads are excessive. Not from a moral point of view, but from the POV that it's degrading the quality of commentary to have betting lines advertised to you anytime there's a break. There's nothing that can be done about it, that's just the free market. I watch my games next day and just skip dead time anyway.

Doing anything is a choice but a lot of choices can be mitigated by environment and exposure. Someone living with or around a bunch of druggies, alcoholics, gamblers, whatever, is going to be way more likely to fall into those things than someone who isn't. While I agree that ultimately it's on the person themselves to help themselves, a lot of factors affect people that make it really hard not to fall into those pitfalls unless they're extremely disciplined.

The NBA doesn't have a moral obligation, you're right, and it's hard to be the only sports league that actively shuns gambling revenue while the others benefit off of it. It's too far gone now once the floodgates had opened.

You're right, but where do you draw the line? Way more people have lost loved ones early due to poor dietary choices. You could probably remove 90 percent of grocery store items and you'd have a much healthier society. I've had family get diabetes at 50 for no other reason than they consistently made poor dietary choices to the degree that it was obvious, in that they were obese, way before the doctor had to give them a diagnosis. They've cost the taxpayer (country with free healthcare) tens of thousands of dollars because of those dietary choices. Yet I respect their right to have made the dietary choices they made. To one degree or another almost all of us are guilty of that example.

Just like I think I should have the right to eat some junk food occasionally, and be disciplined enough to not make that my diet, others should have the right to gamble, and do it responsibly.

I don't mind regulating it, but the government needs to do that, not the NBA.