Sports betting offers a thrilling and exciting way to watch sports for many fans, but behind the scenes lies the question of whether sports betting helps or hinders sports as a whole. While betting on sports creates an intense and more high-stakes atmosphere for the viewer, it also puts additional pressure on the players performing in the game. 21% of sports betters say they’ve verbally abused an athlete, either in person or online, after losing money on a bet.
Recently, one of the biggest annual sports events occurred—and with sports events comes sports betting. A popular Superbowl tradition is betting on the gatorade color, which is thrown onto the winning team’s coach. Every year, countless people will risk thousands of dollars on what they think the color will be. This year, the color was yellow, causing people to either lose big, or win big.
Another tradition is betting on whether a streaker will charge the field. A streaker is someone who runs on the field in the middle of the game, usually naked. However, this bet is risky because streakers face legal trouble.
According to The Sienna Research Institute 20-40% of people who watch sports bet on them. Betters often lose large sums of money, but keep putting in more because they hope to eventually win.
For example, Drake, a popular rap artist and songwriter, bet one million dollars on the New England Patriots to win the Superbowl. As you may know, the New England Patriots lost to the Seattle Seahawks 29-13. As a result, Drake lost one million dollars. He has the ability to do this, but many others don’t have that luxury and end up losing all that they have.
Everyday, millions of dollars are lost. On the contrary, millions of dollars are also gained. Some people may think that it is a good way to make money fast, but others realize it’s a dangerous game of luck.
The next time you bet on a game, think about the pros and cons. But whatever you do, best of luck.
