Why aren't the players, coaches, and media betting on games?

[fearless]

I remember watching Allen Iverson talk about the NBA all star game a few ago and he said something like, "I told people I know to take all their money and bet it on this game because I knew we would win." Of course the East did win that game but it got me to thinking, how can players, coaches, and media resist the temptation of betting on games?

No one knows the game like the players and coaches, they have ALL the inside information. A perfect example:

In the WNBA about a week ago, Houston and Seattle were "battling" for playoff positioning. There was just one problem, Seattle rested their best player for the last two games and I figured out what seemed obvious: they wanted the fourth seed (because they matched up much with the Sparks, the one seed). Because of their situation, that made their last two games MUST LOSE games. Sure enough, they lost both....

But, they could have collectively made millions on this (including their friends and families). Not only that, Houston's radio announcer admitted during the last game that Seattle was playing for the fourth seed... and it was obvious that he was aware that they were trying to lose (they lost by 20+ points, btw). He could have made a lot of money on this info too.

So, what's the deal? Wouldn't the system go bankrupt if these people were capitalizing on their oppurtunities? Or do they even try? If not, why not? It's free money!

And of course they can use third parties to bet, it can be anonymous if they want it bad enough.

[jjgold]

Most Players make too much cash to bet on sports

Coaches will not, if they caught they lose everything

I am sure some third party betting goes on but like anything else nothing is a sure pop no matter how much info you have

[fearless]

I am sure some third party betting goes on but like anything else nothing is a sure pop no matter how much info you have

I made some money on Houston v. Seattle. I mean, one team (Houston) was in a must win situation (to make the playoffs), while the other team (Seattle) was in a must lose situation, to get the matchup they wanted in the playoffs. With all due respect, Seattle wasn't winning that game in a million years.

[chano]

I remember watching Allen Iverson talk about the NBA all star game a few ago and he said something like, "I told people I know to take all their money and bet it on this game because I knew we would win." Of course the East did win that game but it got me to thinking, how can players, coaches, and media resist the temptation of betting on games?

No one knows the game like the players and coaches, they have ALL the inside information. A perfect example:

In the WNBA about a week ago, Houston and Seattle were "battling" for playoff positioning. There was just one problem, Seattle rested their best player for the last two games and I figured out what seemed obvious: they wanted the fourth seed (because they matched up much with the Sparks, the one seed). Because of their situation, that made their last two games MUST LOSE games. Sure enough, they lost both....

But, they could have collectively made millions on this (including their friends and families). Not only that, Houston's radio announcer admitted during the last game that Seattle was playing for the fourth seed... and it was obvious that he was aware that they were trying to lose (they lost by 20+ points, btw). He could have made a lot of money on this info too.

So, what's the deal? Wouldn't the system go bankrupt if these people were capitalizing on their oppurtunities? Or do they even try? If not, why not? It's free money!

And of course they can use third parties to bet, it can be anonymous if they want it bad enough.

I doubt they could make millions , these games were probably circled and wagering was probably limited, if not off the board at many books.

[JDK192]

The WNBA is a bad example because you can't get any real action on it. The casino's in Vegas won't even let you bet $500 on a WNBA game. Online is the same way, limits are $500 to either 3 or 5k at Pinnacle (which is the highest). So even if you maxed out bets at every possible place, it's not a ton of money. I wouldn't be suprised if WNBA players did tell people info for side cash because they don't make a lot of money. For the other professional sports you just have too much to lose and make too much money to risk it. Coaches in the NFL all make 7 figures now. Players make way too much to risk it as well. It's not like an NFL player could tell a friend some info and the friend could walk into a Casino and lay a million dollar bet. Most Vegas casinos won't let you bet more than 3-5k on NFL games if you look knowledgeable. The Coast Casinos out here let you bet a lot more but no where near the amount of money to make it worth the risk to a player.

All that said I'm sure it happens, but it happens with the people that don't make money or not enough money. Ex: college athletes, ncaa refs, etc...

[crackerjack]

Who was the coach at Washington that played in an NCAA basketball tourney bracket and won some money? Overblown by media, NCAA, etc, but he still suffered great deal to his reputation and it really hurt his career. He was one of the highest paid college football coaches at the time, making seven figures a year.

There are people who profit from the programs though. One I know for sure is sports information directors who work 80 hours a week and get paid $25K a year. They are at every practice, travel with the teams and know a lot about what's going on that no one else does. Technically I think they could get fired for wagering on games but I know they all do it.

[tacomax]

If you're betting on different sports to the one you're involved with, I don't see an issue. If you're betting on the same sport as you're involved in I don't see an issue as long as you're not placing wagers whose outcome can be determined by the actions of you/your team to any degree, however small.

[JDK192]

Crackerjack- that was Rick Neuheisel, he was fired for participating in a NCAA tourney bracket. He sued the University for the firing and won (got $4.5M). That's exactly why no coach ever wants to risk being associated with any form of gambling. Neuheisel wasn't even gambling just an office bracket. Too much to lose.

[pags11]

I think more athletes/ coaches than we realize have either friends bet for them, or give their friends that they know gamble a lot of inside info...

[Razz]

As a member of the print media, I would say my colleagues and I gamble as much as any other occupation. Then, there's guys like Musberger/Herbstreit/Michaels who always seem to mention the spread - that's not a coincidence, but it's nothing I consider unethical.
I agree with pags's post as well, I imagine it's much more commonplace than many realize.

[JDK192]

Razz - very true. Hank Goldberg reports for ESPN and the Miami Dolphins and he is a known high stakes gambler. Lee Corso refers to the line in every game he announces and during the coarse of the game you can tell which side his action is on.

[pags11]

Razz,

you are totally right...Musberger is the worst!...was watching a replay of Purdue/ Penn St. from last year and he mentions Phil Steele's preseason mag!...I was laughing pretty hard...heard rumors he has an account at WWTS...