DETROIT — It’s everywhere in sports, in the endless commercials, in the constant scroll of betting odds during broadcasts, in the occasional gasp or cheer when a meaningless last-second basket turns out to be financially meaningful for someone.

Gambling has always been a lure and a challenge for the sports world. From the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, to Pete Rose’s baseball ban, to Malik Beasley ensnared in a federal gambling investigation that cost him his job with the Pistons, and cost the Pistons their best shooter.

Beasley hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing, but amid the probe, revelations of his financial and legal woes surfaced. The Pistons pulled their $42 million offer and signed someone else, leaving Beasley to wonder what’s next. He could be exonerated, he could be suspended or banned if linked to gambling on NBA games.

It’s a disturbing tale, certainly for Beasley, potentially for the NBA and sports in general. Beasley crafted his own fate, whatever it is. No blame-sharing, please.

But the reflex reaction is to lament the perils of legalized gambling, which is a simplistic and unhelpful response. There are perils to alcohol use and other societal vices, but they’ll never be abuse-free, no matter how many disclaimers and warning labels are attached.

Online gambling has become a multibillion-dollar industry, and the states that legalize it — now up to 39, including Michigan — reap tax revenue. A lot of money is being made, and yes, a lot of money is being lost. But you’re kidding yourself if you think this is a raging new-age problem. Legalization brought gambling out of the shadows, but it didn’t eliminate shadowy irresponsibility and the addictive nature of humans.

Creating temptation

Online sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings are required to regulate and monitor. When gambling improprieties are suspected, they’re usually uncovered by professional sites and casinos, which report them to authorities. According to ESPN, the feds have been investigating Beasley for 18 months — back to his one season with the Milwaukee Bucks — after getting tipped by a U.S. sportsbook. The Detroit News also reported Beasley has been sued numerous times for debt repayments.

Gambling used to be a tedious, dangerous endeavor, run by neighborhood bookies and organized crime. Now everyone — at least in states with legalized gambling — basically has a casino on their phone, a pocketbook in their pocket. Convenience creates temptation and consequences.

The mechanisms are new, but the debate isn’t, and there’s no turning back. Sports and gambling sites are inextricably linked by sponsorship and viewership. If you’re watching a Tigers game, you’re probably watching on the FanDuel Sports Network.

Is it too pervasive and unseemly? Well, that question can’t be answered unless you answer these: Are $200 million contracts in pro sports too pervasive and unseemly? What about the rivers of money flowing through college sports now? What about the rising cost of tickets?

Everything about sports in America is overwrought, and I won’t be hypocritical here. I cover sports for newspaper, radio and TV, which all make money from gambling ads. You lose the “Sports Are Too Big” argument when it’s so lucrative, and fans are so passionate, and so many livelihoods are tied to it.

Legalized gambling has elevated sports’ popularity and rocketed revenue, for better or worse. Since gambling was legalized after a Supreme Court ruling in 2018, it has become a cumbersome part of the viewing experience. But it also has set up guardrails and guidelines.

It’s an evolving issue for many in pro sports, from commissioners to officials to players to fans to interpreters (baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, pled guilty last year to stealing $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts to cover gambling debts).

Beasley is the latest NBA player to come under scrutiny. Last April, the Raptors’ Jontay Porter was suspended for life for manipulating prop bets and sharing information with gamblers. In that same case, Charlotte guard Terry Rozier was investigated and ultimately cleared.

In 2007, long before legalized gambling, a scandal shook sports to its core. NBA referee Tim Donaghy was found guilty of betting on games he officiated and sharing information with gamblers. He spent 15 months in prison, and the NBA spent untold time assessing damage to its reputation. That’s partly why the league now so closely tracks betting activity.

The problem is, one case stirs suspicions of more, and suspicion tears at the foundation of sports. It’s what separates professional leagues from “professional” wrestling — the expectation that outcomes are legitimate. In the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal, White Sox players were accused of throwing the World Series, which led to suspensions and trials. I doubt that was the only gambling issue then, just like I don’t assume the NBA cases are completely isolated.

Same thing in the NFL, which monitors vigilantly, sometimes too vigilantly. In 2023, Jameson Williams was one of four Lions suspended for online gambling on non-NFL games while in a league venue. His suspension was later reduced from six games to four, as the NFL adjusted the rule and clarified the penalty for betting on non-NFL games.

Collateral consequences

The issue is churning toward college athletics, too. The NCAA is considering a proposal that would allow athletes and staff to bet on pro sports. The governing body would focus instead on illegal betting on college events, which are more susceptible to gambling influences, with athletes living among thousands of students. The NCAA always is ripe for hypocrisy charges, and probably realizes a blanket ban on online gambling isn’t practical.

The business is still expanding, with gambling sites’ revenue up a reported 30% last year. Two huge markets are still untapped, as the largest states, California and Texas, have yet to legalize.

Unfortunately, there are collateral consequences. There’s a hidden toll on athlete-fan interactions, which rears in ugly ways. Players in all sports have complained about social media threats from gamblers who blame athletes’ miscues for losing a bet.

Anonymity breeds cowardice and contempt. Numerous fan-heckling incidents have been tied to angry losers. It’s even more personal with prop bets, in which people gamble on a single player’s statistics, such as how many points or rebounds they record.

That was noted in the Beasley investigation, when a game between the Bucks and Blazers on Jan. 31, 2024, was flagged by sports books for abnormal betting volumes. According to ESPN, Beasley’s over/under rebound total was set at 2.5 and gamblers bet heavily on the under. Beasley actually went over, with six rebounds. Again, no charges have been filed.

Prop bets can create problems because they’re more easily manipulated, usually involving only one athlete, unless part of a larger parlay. Is one solution to eliminate prop bets and allow wagering only on wins and losses and team totals? Some states have adopted that approach. But props and parlays are extremely popular, with gambling sites offering hundreds of unique options.

It’s a growing concern in college sports, where individual athletes are more accessible. One study of social media accounts of 4,000 athletes and staff in 2024 found 73% of harassing messages tied to gambling came during March Madness. The NCAA recently launched a “Don’t be a Loser” campaign in response to threats and verbal abuse.

The Beasley situation brought it closer to home and illuminated the danger, but it’s always been there in some form. There’s a massive, shared incentive for leagues and gambling entities to police the system. If the integrity of a solitary bet is questioned, it can raise suspicions about the integrity of the game itself. And if that ever happens on a regular basis, all bets are off.

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