The game is rigged. This is the impression of at least a third of American adults who are skeptical about the integrity of major leagues in the United States, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), which is one of many to have been caught in the fervor of gambling-related scandals.
New poll suggests Americans distrust NBA officials and players
A new Quinnipiac University poll suggests that 1 in 3 Americans (33%) think that NBA coaches and players either "often" or "very often" engage in illegal activities or try to somehow influence the outcome of games.
If the MLB is any indication, where a pair of Cleveland Guardians pitchers are alleged to have won $460,000 from illegal wagers along with their co-conspirators, this stipulation is not all that unlikely.
Interestingly, however, Quinnipiac University’s poll reveals another split in opinion. About 68% of those who responded had vastly different opinions about illegal gambling, which is generally cited as a serious issue by regulators, trade associations, and operators.
According to respondents, 32% thought that illegal wagers are a serious issue, but even more people argued that it was not – 36%. Out of the people who opined about illegal gambling, 30% said it was a minor problem, and another 10% it was not really an issue.
Respondents were unable to determine whether NBA Commissioner Adam Silver could actually do anything to influence some of the potentially malicious practices in sports, such as point-shaving, let alone unregulated gambling.
Two camps emerged, with 50% giving the commissioner credit, but another 47% arguing that they were not sure if Silver could make things any better, given how serious the latest string of scandals in the NBA has become.
Scandal after scandal rocks the integrity of American sports
At least several players and one coach have been accused of participating in various nefarious activities tied to the NBA. In some instances, the suspects assisted Mafiosi to bring high-stakes players – usually fellow athletes – to a rigged game of poker and dupe them out of money.
In other instances, the insiders would leak information to help influence betting outcomes and win co-conspirators' money, much like the recent case involving the MLB pitchers.
This is hardly all there is, however, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship also becoming embroiled in a similar scandal after Isaac Dulgarian was suspected of throwing a fight recently.
