With the shocking news about NBA Hall of Fame player and rising star coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former National Basketball Association player Damon Jones, the time is now for sports to address the numerous problems that widespread mobile betting has created. The leagues and gambling sites need to act quickly to ensure integrity of the games, make betting more equitable to the players and remove the oversaturation of sports-betting related advertising. 

Sports betting is wildly profitable. The industry made $13.7 billion in 2024 alone. The big sports leagues have fully embraced it, becoming official partners with the major gambling sites.

One of the main drivers of sports betting is parlays, where the bettor bundles multiple wagers on events happening in one or more games (e.g., Lebron James will score more than 10 points, James Harden will have more than six assists, etc.). This compounds the odds to a potentially bigger payout. But to win a parlay, a gambler must get every prediction correct. Many bettors (including too many young people) will wager $100 on a 10-part parlay, all with the hope that every prediction hits.

When they don’t, even though it was oh so close, the one player out of the 10 who failed to score or pass, even though the odds said they should have, is showered with abuse and sometimes death threats.

Combine

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