Jeff Hurvitz: For amusement purposes only? Hardly.

“For amusement purposes only.” That was the line that appeared on football pool betting slips which appeared outside of many schools during the 1960’s-70’s. It was a way to skirt the illegality that was gambling. Back then, the wagering on games was confined to the backrooms of society, through the various bookies who worked in near obscurity.

These days, gambling is clearly in the front rooms, legal and fully on display for all to see. It is advertised freely, especially during televised sporting events. So, it was of little surprise when revealed that people connected to the NBA were arrested for affecting the outcome of games, as well as setting up illegal poker games. It was only a matter of time.

In all, more than 30 people were arrested, including reputed members from four of the five New York mafia families. Most notably, Portland Trailblazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were charged: Billups with using his popularity to lure participants in rigged poker games, Rozier with affecting the outcome of games in which he was involved.

Six years ago, the NBA was a trail blazer in allowing gambling companies to affiliate with its teams through advertising. The other major sports would follow. And what we now have is an outbreak of gambling ads on sports telecasts and the addition of various statistical break outs which feed the gamblers information for the wagers they are about to make.

The biggest example of cheating occurred when Rozier was the focus of a certain prop bet. A prop bet occurs when a given player focuses his playing time on achieving a certain statistical amount. In Rozier’s case, bets were made on his performance with an under/over during a game in 2023. Allegedly, he told those close to him that he was to limit his own playing time as a result of a fake injury, thus alerting them to wager on the under and get a substantial return.

Billups supposedly sought to improve his team’s draft position during that same season by tanking a game, namely sitting certain players and ensuring a particular loss. Clearly, the marriage between the NBA and legalized gambling has sullied the integrity of the league.

This is not the first time that gambling has hurt sports. There was the 1919 Black Sox Scandal involving the World Series of that year. Then there was the college basketball point shaving scandals in 1951 and again in 1961. But they did not occur in a time when gambling was encouraged. Now it is widespread.

Illegal bookmaking still exists. Bookies are able to grant credit to their gamblers and maintain personal relationships with their customers. But the legal side of gambling has made it easily available on one’s I-phone or PC. The ads during the games entice the audience to participate. Those ads bring in sizeable revenue streams for sports teams. But they can lead to nefarious behavior on the part of players and coaches.

The days of activities hidden behind the line of “for amusement purposes only” are long gone. Sports teams now openly dance with the devil and thus tempt its personnel to follow the steps.

Jeff Hurvitz (jrhurvitz@aol.com) is a freelance writer and native Philadelphian.