Top stories around our network this week
First came the news of possible match-fixing in a professional basketball league thousands of miles away — then gambling concerns hit a lot closer to home in the most popular league in America, for sports fans and bettors alike.
Suspensions and fines meted out in the Chinese Basketball Association — evidently over whether teams were putting out sufficient effort in playoff contests — became a relatively minor footnote to those who follow sports and sports betting in the U.S. once the NFL announced suspensions of five members of the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders Friday.
Three of the players were suspended indefinitely — through the 2023 season at minimum — for betting on NFL contests. Two others received six-game suspensions for violating rules by being on team property when placing wagers on non-NFL events, which is otherwise allowed for players.
None of the five involved were impact players last year, although Lions wideout Jameson Williams — one of those suspended for six games — is a former first-round draft choice who could still have a promising career. For the Lions, who made their own promising turnaround last year and seemed to have better things ahead, the suspensions put a crimp in 2023 preparations well ahead of training camp’s start.
For the NFL, Friday’s announcement might be what amounts to a double-edged sword: The league can be credited with identifying and cracking down on gambling by players that could taint the sport, but it returns to the spotlight concerns about how the nation’s proliferation of legal sports betting could widen such activity.
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The NFL just levied suspensions of at least one season on three players who bet on NFL games last season.
Sports embraced betting and the dollars that come with it. This won't be the last time, and it won't just be the NFL. https://t.co/ElvqYTgriw
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) April 21, 2023
On the crucial subject of integrity of the sport, the NFL reported there is “no evidence indicating any information was used or that any game was compromised in any way.” That’s good to hear, even if how the league is handling these matters is confounding to some, including columnist Jeff Edelstein.
Expect detailed coverage of anything of this nature from and its network of sites and reporters, along with delving into everything else in the sports betting and broader commercial gambling industry, as stories below from the past week show. And for additional gaming-related information of vital and entertaining interest, be sure to check out the podcast.
Is age really just a number?
What’s the difference between a legal wagering age of 18 versus 21?
Whoop-de-do over sportsbook ads
Pro leagues, TV networks form coalition for responsible sports betting advertising
New Jersey adds responsible gaming czar, new sportsbook advertising rules
Celebrities pushing sportsbooks could get the axe in Maine and Canada