(Original Caption) 3/22/1989-Plant City, FL-Cincinnati Reds' manager Pete Rose reacts to a reporters ... [+]
The five-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court setting the foundation for chaos throughout the sports world is Sunday.
You may scream now.
Courtesy of that judicial ruling allowing legal gambling sites for all 50 states, The Associated Press said Americans have bet more than $220 billion on sports in that mandated way, but what about the chaos?
Why will things only get worse regarding folks using the nonmandated way of gambling among professional and amateur organizations?
What is Pete Rose thinking these days?
Just within the last week . . .
The cast of Casablanca (1942) from left to right: Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, Ingrid Bergman as ... [+]
While gambling scandals throughout sports keep threatening to surface on a minute-by-minute basis, those among the naïve or the disingenuous keep resurrecting a memory. It’s from “Casablanca” when Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine questions the police captain after local cops raid his nightclub.
Rick: “How can you close me up? On what grounds?”
Police captain: “I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”
(A croupier gives the police captain a hunk of cash.)
The croupier: “Your winnings, sir.”
Police captain: “Oh, thank you very much.
“Everybody out at once.”
They left. In contrast, gambling scandals in sports aren’t going anywhere. They’ll only increase, especially since that U.S. Supreme Court ruling has spurred everything from the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati to the promotion of daily fantasy games (OK, gambling entities) from the beginning of sports broadcasts through the end.
More so than ever, betting is constantly in your face. That includes athletes, coaches, scouts, owners, team management officials, referees, umpires, equipment personnel and a slew of others.
And I hear you.
INDIANAPOLIS - FEBRUARY 10: Baseball legend Pete Rose attends the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana ... [+]
You’re saying those folks should know the gambling rules of their team, school, league or sport.
You’re saying they should know what happened to Rose, owner of a lifetime ban from baseball for violating its gambling rules while managing the Cincinnati Reds during the 1980s. Never mind that Rose thing was more than three decades before betting slips would become as prevalent around the ballpark of his old team as Cracker Jack and peanuts.
You’re saying Rose and the rest of them should know better, period.
Sounds good . . . in theory.
The realty is, the American Gaming Association (AGA) predicted before March Madness this year that Americans would bet $15.5 billion on the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Two months earlier, AGA projected 50 million citizens would bet $16 billion on the Super Bowl.
Why so much wagering on sports?
That’s what people do.
Even sports people.
Legally or illegally.