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The legalization of sports betting has been a welcome development for many fans, but it’s also come with plenty of downsides—a reality that was recently highlighted by Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
There were plenty of ways to get your sports betting fix prior to the Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for legalization in the United States in 2018, but it typically required infinitely more effort than the many options the majority of Americans can currently turn to if they want to get in on the action.
The NBA is just one of the many leagues that have embraced sportsbooks with open arms since the floodgates opened. It’s kind of hard to blame any of them for capitalizing on a very lucrative revenue stream, it’s also been pretty hard to ignore the darker side of that particular pastime.
Earlier this week, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton admitted angry bettors who’ve flooded his social media mentions were a major factor in his decision to speak with a sports psychologist, and while plenty of NBA players have been subjected to online harassment stemming from wagers, Bradley Beal managed to end up at in a physical altercation with someone last season.
On Wednesday, Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff became the latest notable name to bemoan the impact sports betting has had on the NBA while discussing some of the disturbing side effects of a hobby that’s become an obsession for far too many people.
#Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff makes a startling revelation in explaining why he feels sports gambling has already gone too far even though he understands the business reasons behind it now being embraced by professional leagues. pic.twitter.com/O5QX6snjuE
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) March 20, 2024
Here’s what he had to say:
“I’ve personally had my own instances with some of the sports gamblers where they got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff, so it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.
It brings added pressure. It brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees—everybody that’s involved in it. I think we really have to be careful about how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it because it does carry a weight…
I understand the business side and the nature of the business of it but it is something I believe has gone too far.”
It’s pretty clear Bickerstaff’s sentiment is shared by many other players, coaches, and even fans who’ve gotten tired of betting permeating every aspect of the sports they love, and sadly, it seems like it’s only a matter of time until there’s some sort of incident that makes it impossible to ignore this growing problem.