More About The Negative Effects Of Gambling in College Sports
The number of people gambling on college sports is huge. The National Collegiate Athlete Association has stated that they believe there is at least one student bookie on every campus across the United States. Add to this number the legal bookies in Vegas, the underground bookies in college cities and towns everywhere, and the number of bookmakers who take wagers online and you can see how huge the number of people placing bets on college athletics is.
This growing trend is of great concern to organizations involved with college athletics due to what they see as the negative effects of gambling in college sports. The reasons given are typically the same as those attached to the negative effects of sports gambling in general.
Damages the integrity of the game. Rampant betting means that there is much more potential for bookies to approach athletes and put pressure on them to shave points. While some of the time the approach of the athlete is obvious, such as a star running back fumbling the ball on the goal line, much of the time shaving is difficult to detect. Even in cases where the scam is obvious, it can take years for the whole scandal to come to light.
In the meantime, fans of the sport or team must face the fact that the best players are no longer in the game to win, but instead to make some money on the side. There are worries that college players are especially prone to pressure to shave points as they have no income to begin with. The damage to the integrity of the game is one of the most often cited negative effects of gambling in college sports.
Loss of resources. Colleges across America are also worried about the participation of all students in gambling, not just athletes. The typical college student is pretty strapped for cash, and the temptation that gambling offers as a means to bring in some money is hard to fight. Still, even when gambling on the easier money line of college sports, many students will stand to lose money each year. The loss of this expenditure money is bad for the student and for local economies alike.
Lives can be ruined. While the punishments handed down to student athletes who participate in gambling on their own or other sports are often light, the same is not true for all students involved. Benny Silman, a student bookie in Arizona, was sentenced to four years in jail for a shaving points scandal in four Sun Devils games. None of the players involved received jail time. Silman’s case also points out the dangers of the bookmaking business, as there is evidence that organized crime was also involved. Again, the temptation of the money can lead many students into mistakes that will cost them their whole lives.
While gambling in college sports continues to rise in popularity, the potential negative effects of gambling in college sports also increase in risk. Although the 2000s have not seen the scandal publicity in college sports that happened in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it is safe to assume that the negative ramifications are still out there, and still happening within the world of college sports. The question being, 'are college sports scandals really taken seriously'?
