Gambling: A Safe Bet? Or Foul Play for All?

We’ve seen it before: a player or coach of a major sports organization is fined, suspended, or even banned for life from the sport to which they have dedicated their lives to excel in…all for the rush of the short-term gamble.

As early as 1920, a Chicago jury found that eight players for the White Sox were guilty of fixing the 1919 World Series, dubbing this the “Black Sox Scandal.” Their ban from baseball remains in place today.

In 1989, a lifetime ban was handed down for Pete Rose, who holds the record for the most hits in baseball, but who will never be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose was caught placing a number of bets on the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, for whom he was actively coaching between 1985-1987.

In 2008, renowned NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months behind bars for sharing information on basketball games with a gambler and pled guilty to wire fraud for accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the insider information.

During the 2022 season, the National Football League suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley for the entirety of the season for having placed bets the year before while not actively participating in the league, but taking time away from the game to address personal issues.

Early in the 2024 NHL season, Shane Pinto was suspended for 41 games (half the season) for gambling.

Over and over again, we’ve seen that access to mobile sports betting makes the ability to place bets even easier, with the latest scandal leading to Tucupita Marcano’s lifetime ban from the MLB after placing over $150,000 in bets on baseball.

Regretfully, there are recent examples of corruption taking hold in Government and the private sector as well. Take the case against Senator Bob Menendez (N.J. -D), who, alongside New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Diabes, is currently on trial for corruption charges that include acting as an agent of the Egyptian government and to benefit the government of Qatar. The short-term gains for the Senator and his colleagues included cash, a new car, and even gold bars. The potential long-term cost for the Senator and his accomplices is time behind bars, raising the question – was it worth the risk?

Not only can these gambles cost one their livelihood and reputation, but the wider reaching impact of corruption contributes to a general sense of mistrust by those who are fans of sport. If we continue to see bad actors at work not only in sports, but in government offices, it will cost more than a championship, or a place in the record books, it could lead to a general sense of mistrust of institutions, which is good for no one.

The lessons learned from these scandals remain clear: what seems like a short-term gain is far outweighed by the consequences suffered in the aftermath of the gamble. Corruption in any form is the wrong bet.

Blaise Stanicic

Associate Director, Compliance Training, TRACE