NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony is no fan of sports betting. In an interview with CNBC, he spoke out about the pressure gambling puts on players and called for reforms to be made.
“Athletes may say, ‘Hey, we don’t care about parlays,’ but they care about it, because it affects them mentally,” Anthony said. “They don’t want to come to a game and be worrying about their own fans cheering them or booing them because they didn’t make the parlay… [Sports betting] changes the narrative of the game.”
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Anthony’s comments came just days after several arrests were made in the wake of indictments detailing illegal NBA betting.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were all arrested in connection with two federal gambling investigations in October. In all, 31 individuals were arrested and are being accused of using insider information to profit from illegal betting schemes.
“This was a sophisticated conspiracy involving athletes, coaches, and intermediaries who exploited confidential information for profit,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement. “Insider betting schemes erode the integrity of American sports, and this Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt sports through illegal means.”
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Anthony told CNBC he expects there to be consequences following these allegations, not just from the judicial system, but also from the league.
“[There] do need to be some ramifications around it,” he told CNBC. “I’m sure the powers that be are looking into that.”
For its part, it seems the NBA has already started working on internal changes that would act as guardrails against any future gambling-related scandals.
“Given the spread of legal betting to the majority of U.S. states, the recurrence of integrity issues across sports, and the emergence of novel betting formats and markets, this is an opportune time to carefully reassess how sports betting should be regulated and how sports leagues can best protect themselves, their players, and their fans,” according to a memo that was reportedly sent out to all 30 teams.
The memo continued to say that with sports betting becoming increasingly popular, it was essential for players, coaches, and the NBA to establish safeguards against illegal gambling activity.
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Injury reports are one area the NBA is looking at with a particularly close eye. Currently, the league posts updated injury reports every hour, and teams are required to disclose injuries within a certain time frame.
However, following accusations that Jones used injury information that had not yet been made public to tip off bettors, more stringent rules around injuries may soon be at play.
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