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Sitting NCAA president Charlie Baker wants states to pass laws that would ban prop bets on college sports games.
And if you ask North Carolina Tar Heels star Armando Bacot, that sounds like a pretty good idea.
Bacot revealed Wednesday that he received over 100 cases of harassment in his social media direct messages after the UNC’s second-round victory over Michigan State.
“I guess I didn’t hit the over,” Bacot said ahead of the Tar Heels’ Sweet 16 game against Alabama at Crypto.com Arena. “I got over probably 100 DMs from people just telling me like, ‘You suck, you didn’t hit the over!’”
He said he understands the anger, but it’s misplaced.
“I get it because you come so close to something and you lose it. But at the same time, you’re gambling. Those books weren’t built on people winning.”
Bacot also noted that this isn’t the first time he’s had to deal with people approaching him about bets.
“Going to a school like North Carolina, you never catch a break,” he said. “I order DoorDash and the driver is like, ‘Man, y’all messed up my parlay!’ I’m just like, whatever. It’s a lot.”
Armando Bacot Comments Reveal Major Problem With Sports Betting In US
Bacot’s comments come at a time when we seem to have reached a tipping point with regards to sports betting in the US.
Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani is currently embroiled in a sports-betting controversy. As is Toronto Raptors reserve big man Jontay Porter.
What happens next could prove pivotal to the future of sports betting in the country. Either nothing happens, and these instances continue to happen on a more regular basis.
Or federal and state regulators try to reign this in a bit in hopes of avoiding complete disaster.
The UK is already working to undo several year’s worth of damage due to sports gambling. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take the US as long to catch on.