Falling in Love with Money – 5 Sports Gambling Scandals

Sports gambling is rather ubiquitous in our culture. Many of us have seen office Super Bowl pools or March Madness brackets. We’ve watched peers and co-workers bet a $20 on an event. Others will even put a few bucks on a favorite team while in Las Vegas for the weekend.

With the exception of certain groups, most of this behavior is acceptable in modern society as long as it is not done in excess. Unfortunately, all of this seemingly innocent betting can be quite inappropriate when those intimately involved in sports are involved. The dollar amounts and stakes are much higher as greed gets in the way of the pure performance and sport. How easily we see, or allegedly see, the danger of falling in love with money.

1. Tennis – As I was on the treadmill yesterday, SportsCenter aired a story about a new scandal involving professional tennis and the online wagering industry. This includes insiders and a ranked player.

2. Hockey - Wayne “The Great One” Gretsky, his wife, and others in the NHL were accused of betting over $100,000 on football games

3. Baseball – Nearly everyone has heard about the Pete Rose betting scandal. Not only did he bet on Major League Baseball, but on his own team. After passionate denials, he more recently admitted the allegations.

4. Basketball – The scandal with NBA referee Tim Donaghy fixing and betting on games was swept under the carpet rather quickly. Fortunately, the season is pressing on without highlighting this fiasco.

5. And more outside of the United States: Rugby and soccer are regularly accused of being fixed all over the world.