IS LEGALISED BETTING GOOD FOR SPORT?

The Big Question

- Andy Ng Correspondent

The stakes are high in a thrilling, fast-paced sport like basketball, where every buzzer-beater can swing fortunes.

But as players go all in to score victories on the court, a fresh wave of betting controversies has thrust the National Basketball Association (NBA) into the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Late in October, federal indictments and arrests rocked the league, implicating current and former players and coaches in an alleged scheme tied to insider information and game manipulation.

The saga has not only suspended careers — Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people charged — but also reignited a broader conversation about the promises and perils of legalised sports betting in North America.

This is no isolated incident. Since the US Supreme Court’s 2018 Murphy v NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) decision struck down the federal ban on sports wagering, legal betting has exploded across the continent, generating billions in revenue and transforming fan engagement.

According to various reports, including ESPN, gambling in sports is currently legalised in close to 40 states, with wagers surpassing US$150 billion (S$195.82 billion) annually.

Yet, as North American leagues like the NBA, National Football League and Major League Baseball deepen ties with betting partners - think in-game ads and prop bets - these scandals underscore a pivotal question: Is legal betting a boon that modernises and sustains sport, or a corrosive force that undermines its essence?

The debate pits economic imperatives against ethical ones in a region where legal betting is still in its infancy compared to Europe.

BETTING AS A LIFELINE

One of the strongest cases for legal sports betting lies in its capacity to inject vital funds into the sporting ecosystem, a model proven across continents.