One of the main arguments against the legalization of sports gambling has been the idea that it will be a threat to the integrity of the game and lead to potential game fixing scandals. The counter to that argument is that it’s very easy to make offshore bets currently and having a well-regulated legal system will actually be better able to monitor action and suppress possible fixing.
However, it does remain something that the sports leagues and some fans have concerns over, and in a recent interview, Metta World Peace revealed that a personal experience he had in college being approached to fix a game has him very much against its widespread legalization.
Metta spoke with Yahoo Sports about the Supreme Court’s decision and told a story about a time he was approached by some guys while playing at St. John’s about fixing a game for $35,000. World Peace says he turned down the offer, but says his concern is that these poor college kids will become targets for those trying to fix games.
.@MettaWorldPeace says he was offered $35,000 💸 to fix games in college and because of that he’s not a fan of the new ruling to make sports betting legal. pic.twitter.com/G6FkMZg9fT
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 16, 2018
That’s an understandable fear to have, but again, if it happened back when Metta (then Ron Artest) was in college, then fixing is something that will always have to be carefully watched for whether betting is legal or not. That said, it’s also a very good argument for why the NCAA should better compensate their players, because a kid making money with the prospect of losing that if they’re caught would be far less likely to take a lump sum of cash than someone struggling with money scraping by.
In any case, the NCAA and other leagues will undoubtedly look to the various states and even Congress to install strong regulatory programs and commissions to ensure betting is done on the up and up to avoid these kinds of situations.
