#美國##體育##賭博##籃球##橄榄球##勒布朗-詹姆斯#
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一、 體育賭博“大爆炸”
2018年，美國最高法院推翻了1992年的一項聯邦法律，該法律禁止大多數州允許體育博彩。
快進到2024年，由競賽聯盟、特許經營權、球員和網絡與博彩組織合夥的博彩業在美國體育文化中已經開花散葉，極盡繁盛。
2018年，内華達州是美國唯一一個能夠提供體育博彩服務的州，但目前體育博彩在38個州和哥倫比亞特區已經合法化，另有6個州正在積極圍繞體育博彩立法。
根據美國博彩協會的博彩收入追蹤系統資料，當今年2月的超級碗（橄榄球）比賽舉行時，美國人在體育博彩上已經下了104.9億美元的賭注，較去年同期增長了24.8%。
美國著名歌手參加由男友參加的美國橄榄球超級碗比賽
美國博彩協會的博彩收入追蹤系統
在超級碗比賽之前，美國博彩協會預計2023年将有6780萬美國成年人（占美國成人的26%）在這一賽事上下注231億美元，比2023年增加35%。
2023年全年，美國人在合法的體育博彩上投下了近1200億美元。
體育博彩協會進階副總裁喬·馬洛尼在接受CNN體育頻道采訪時表示：“在美國，隻要有體育比賽，人們就一直在體育博彩上下注。如果民主黨和共和黨人能就一件事情達成一緻，那就是非法賭博早已存在。"
馬洛尼表示，2018年最高法院的裁決為博彩合法進入市場提供了機會，也為政客們獲得稅收提供了機會。
2023年，超過110億美元的博彩稅收進入了聯邦和州政府金庫。
根據美國人口普查局的統計，在體育博彩稅收方面目前紐約州一路領先。
全國問題賭博委員會執行董事基思·懷特告訴CNN體育頻道：“坦率地說，州政府急于利用賭博獲得收入，博彩業也很樂意配合。”
二、體育博彩合法化的利弊
根據全國問題博彩委員會的估計，美國2500萬成年人“符合某一年嚴重賭博問題的标準”。
但馬洛尼堅持認為，體育博彩合法化的好處之一是采取了一些措施來幫助那些患有賭博成瘾症的人。
馬洛尼說：“在這個國家，非法（博彩）市場大概已經繁榮了四五十年，但卻從來未在任何層面上支援那些表現出嚴重
美國四大體育聯盟和體育網絡平台都與博彩公司建立了合作夥伴關系
賭博問題行為的人。我們真的很自豪，自（體育博彩）合法化以來，在這個國家用于問題賭博的資金比以往任何時候都多。”
懷特則對此持不同意見。當被問及體育博彩合法化是否有助于遏制賭博成瘾時，懷特說：“我們還沒有看到任何這樣的證據。“我們認為這個風險已經上升了約30%。”
懷特補充說：“我現所在的哥倫比亞特區市長最近就砍掉了所有用于預防和治療賭博問題的公共資金。因而，甚至連美國博彩協會和全國問題賭博委員會總部所在的首都都取消了對防治問題賭博行為的公共資金投入。”
三、體育博彩的創新步伐
從勒布朗·詹姆斯和職業橄榄球聯盟與博彩上市公司DraftKings合作，到娛樂體育節目電視網推出正式的體育博彩平台，如果沒有賭博作為觀看體驗的一部分，體育比賽對觀衆的吸引正變得越來越困難。
勒布朗、喬丹等知名球員大都是美國體育博彩公司的投資人
2023年美國全國大學生體育協會的一項研究調查了18-22歲的年輕人，結果顯示，在那些看過體育賭博廣告的人群中，52.8%的人表示這讓他們更想賭博。
在高風險賭徒中，多達80%的人表示，他們看到的廣告使他們更願賭博。
懷特說，如果你不屬于高風險人群，這些廣告對你來說就不用太擔心，但其與高風險人群之間的聯系令人擔憂。
馬洛尼反駁說，廣告對于推動賭徒從非法市場轉向合法市場至關重要。
馬洛尼說：“在合法開放和監管的市場中，廣告是非常重要的，因為推動人們在合法市場上下注提供了機會。”
廣告和促銷活動的興起也引起了NBA總裁亞當·西爾弗的擔憂。他最近說：“我所在的紐約市場，刺激人們參加體育博彩的促銷活動持續不停。”
西爾弗補充說：“我很擔心年輕人。當然，年輕人參加體育賭博是非法的。”
社群網站紅迪網的問題賭博論壇主持人拉蒙·塞拉亞對此表示贊同。
塞拉亞告訴全國問題賭博委員會：“體育博彩的爆炸式增長吸引了年輕賭徒的關注和參與。一些人從十幾歲就開始了。我有紅迪網子站上16歲孩子發的文章。我注意到大學年齡段的青年會受到體育博彩、線上撲克、加密貨币交易之類的東西吸引。”
盡管西爾弗對體育博彩廣告的激增感到擔憂，但NBA在3月份表示，它已與體育投注資料供應商合作，為NBA聯盟通行證使用者提供在整個比賽中檢視現場賠率的機會。
“在體育博彩合法的地方，使用者可以選擇友善地直接觀看和選擇在NBA聯盟通行證上投注。準備下注時，他們會被通過一個無縫嵌入的連結直接引向NBA的官方投注夥伴體育博彩網站DraftKings和FanDuel。”
然而，馬洛尼指出，技術創新為博彩行業及其客戶提供了機遇。他說：“我認為目前技術創新的步伐，特别是與球迷參與和投注有關的創新将使遊戲賭博和現場投注繼續增加。”
他補充說：“我相信博彩與聯賽、球隊和行業合作夥伴的擁抱将繼續。”
懷特擔心的是，大多數體育博彩投注者“深入到投注中時”都不知道真實的賠率，而且幾乎不可能在需要的30秒内計算出真實的賠率。
博彩行業則指出，它繼續強調“負責任的賭博”，稱其所謂的“傳統超級碗投注者”中，有四分之三的人在去年看到了負責任的賭博資訊，高于2023年的71%。
四、賭博對比賽真實性的影響
最近，籃球聯盟說，NBA因發現違反博彩規則而禁止他參加比賽和體育博彩。
美國籃球聯盟成員多倫多猛龍隊球員波特最近因違規賭博受到制裁
NBA表示，調查發現波特“違反了聯盟規則，向體育投注者披露機密資訊，因而限制他參加一場或更多場比賽和參與NBA賭博。”
随着體育賭博的興起，這種情況可能變得更加普遍，這是NBA總裁西爾弗所擔心的。
西爾弗說：“在NBA，他的這種行為是一種嚴重犯罪，我的極端選擇是禁止他參加比賽”。
西爾弗補充道：“我認為，沒有比這更嚴重的了，這是球員直接參與舞弊。”
3月底，NBA表示，他們正在“調查”與波特有關的押注異常情況。據報道，在兩場特定的比賽中，DraftKings體育博彩的每日投注洞察标記了涉及波特的投注。
波特被禁後，DraftKings發言人告訴CNN：“我們對這個故事沒有評論。一般來說，需要注意的是，法律和監管體育博彩的衆多好處之一是，體育博彩營運商識别和報告可疑活動，是以非法市場中無法得到保護的比賽真實性在合法市場中會得到某種形式的保護。"
How the US became hooked on sports betting – and the cost it’s having on lives. By Thomas Schlachter, CNN, May 3, 2024.
A ‘massive explosion’
It was in 2018 that the US Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law, which had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting.
Fast forward to 2024 and the gambling industry is engrained in US sports culture with leagues, franchises, players and networks now partnering with betting organizations.
Nevada was the lone state able to provide sports betting in 2018, but it’s now legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia, with active legislation surrounding sports betting in a further six states.
In February, when the Super Bowl was staged, Americans bet $10.49 billion on sports, a 24.8% year-over-year increase, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) gaming revenue tracker.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, the AGA was predicting a record 67.8 million American adults (26%) would bet an estimated $23.1 billion on the event, a 35% increase from 2023.
And, overall, nearly $120 billion in legal bets were made last year.
“In America, as long as there have been sports to bet on, people have been betting on sports,” AGA senior vice president Joe Maloney told CNN Sport in an interview.
“Democrats and Republicans, if there’s one thing that they could agree on, illegal betting was already happening.”
Maloney says the 2018 decision was an opportunity to bring betters into the legal marketplace – and for politicians to capture tax revenue.
In 2023, more than $11 billion in state taxes were brought into state coffers.
According to the US Census, New York state is by far the leader in taxes collected.
“There was this rush by state government, quite frankly, to capitalize on gambling revenue and the gambling industry was happy to play along,” Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), told CNN Sport.
The legal market
It’s estimated that 2.5 million adults in the US “meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem in a given year,” according to the NCPG.
Maloney maintains that one of the advantages of legalized sports gambling is the measures that are put in place to help those who suffer with gambling addictions.
“The illegal market has flourished for probably four to five decades in this country … and there was never any problem gambling resources at any serious level to support those that are demonstrating problematic behavior,” Maloney says.
“We’re really proud of the fact that … there’s more money being devoted to problem gambling in this country than there ever has been.”
Whyte says he is less convinced.
“We’ve seen no evidence of that whatsoever,” says Whyte when asked about legalized sports gambling helping curb gambling addiction. “We think the risk has gone up by about 30%.”
“I’m in the District of Columbia right now. The mayor recently cut every single penny of public funding to prevent and treat gambling problems.
So right where the AGA and the National Council for Problem Gambling is located – the nation’s capital – they abolished all public funds for problem gambling,” adds Whyte.
‘The pace of innovation’
From LeBron James’ NFL partnership with DraftKings to ESPN launching an official sportsbook, it is becoming increasingly hard to watch sport without gambling being part of the viewing experience.
A 2023 NCAA study surveyed young adults aged 18-22. It says that among those who had seen sports gambling advertisements, 52.8% said it made them more likely to want to gamble.
Among higher risk gamblers as many as 80% say the ads they have seen make them more likely to gamble.
Whyte says that these ads aren’t too much of a concern if you’re not in the higher risk groups but the connection among those who are is concerning.
Maloney counters that advertising is crucial in taking gamblers from illegal to legal markets.
“Advertising is very important upon markets being opened legally and regulated to communicate to betters that there is this opportunity to now bet in the legal market,” said Maloney.
The rise of advertisements and promotions is something that concerns NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
“I live in the New York market. It’s constant in terms of promotions for people to bet on sports,” said Silver recently.
“I worry also about young people. It’s, of course, illegal for young people to bet on sports,” added the commissioner.
Ramon Zelaya, the moderator of Reddit’s problem gambling forum, concurs.
“The explosion of sports betting has captured the attention and engagement of younger gamblers. Folks starting in their teens,” Zelaya told the NCPG.
“I’ve had 16-year-olds post on the subreddit. I have noticed that the college age demographic tends to gravitate towards sports betting, online poker, trading cryptocurrency, that sort of thing.”
Despite Silver’s hand-wringing over the proliferation of sports betting ads, the NBA in March said it had joined up with Sportradar to provide NBA League Pass users with the chance to look at live odds throughout games.
“Where sports betting is legal, users can opt-in to have the convenience of viewing and selecting bets directly on NBA League Pass. When ready to place a bet, they are directed to FanDuel or DraftKings, the NBA’s official betting partners, through a seamlessly embedded link,” the Sportradar statement read.
Maloney, however, points to the opportunities technological innovation offers the betting industry and its customers.
“I think the pace of innovation right now, particularly as it relates to fan engagement and betting, and in play betting and live betting will continue to increase,” said Maloney.
“I believe that the embrace with leagues, teams and industry partners will continue,” he added.
Whyte’s concern is that most sports bettors “when they get deep into in play [betting]” have no idea of the true odds and that it’s nigh impossible to calculate the true odds within the required 30 seconds you need to place an in-play bet.
The betting industry also points to its continued emphasis on “responsible gambling,” saying three quarters of what it describes as “traditional Super Bowl bettors” report seeing a responsible gambling message in the last year, up from 71% in 2023.
Sporting integrity
Recently the NBA banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the league after an investigation found that the 24-year-old had violated betting rules, the league said.
The NBA said its investigation found that Porter had “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
With the rise of sports gambling, this could become more common and it’s something that NBA commissioner Silver is concerned by.
“It’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of, in the NBA, and the ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game,” said Silver.
“There’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling and betting on our games, and that is a direct player involvement,” added Silver.
In late March, the NBA said it was “looking into” anomalies involving prop bets pertaining to Porter. Reportedly there were two specific games in which DraftKings Sportsbook flagged prop bets involving Porter in its daily betting insights.
A DraftKings spokesperson told CNN after Porter was banned: “We have no comment on this story. In general, it is important to note that one of the many benefits of legal and regulated sports betting is that sports betting operators identify and report suspicious activity and the integrity of sport is therefore protected in a manner that does not exist in the illegal market.”
How the US became hooked on sports betting – and the cost it’s having on lives. By Thomas Schlachter on CNN, Fri May 3, 2024.
A ‘massive explosion’
It was in 2018 that the US Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law, which had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting.
Fast forward to 2024 and the gambling industry is engrained in US sports culture with leagues, franchises, players and networks now partnering with betting organizations.
Nevada was the lone state able to provide sports betting in 2018, but it’s now legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia, with active legislation surrounding sports betting in a further six states.
In February, when the Super Bowl was staged, Americans bet $10.49 billion on sports, a 24.8% year-over-year increase, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) gaming revenue tracker.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, the AGA was predicting a record 67.8 million American adults (26%) would bet an estimated $23.1 billion on the event, a 35% increase from 2023.
And, overall, nearly $120 billion in legal bets were made last year.
“In America, as long as there have been sports to bet on, people have been betting on sports,” AGA senior vice president Joe Maloney told CNN Sport in an interview.
“Democrats and Republicans, if there’s one thing that they could agree on, illegal betting was already happening.”
Maloney says the 2018 decision was an opportunity to bring betters into the legal marketplace – and for politicians to capture tax revenue.
In 2023, more than $11 billion in state taxes were brought into state coffers.
According to the US Census, New York state is by far the leader in taxes collected.
“There was this rush by state government, quite frankly, to capitalize on gambling revenue and the gambling industry was happy to play along,” Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), told CNN Sport.
The legal market
It’s estimated that 2.5 million adults in the US “meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem in a given year,” according to the NCPG.
Maloney maintains that one of the advantages of legalized sports gambling is the measures that are put in place to help those who suffer with gambling addictions.
“The illegal market has flourished for probably four to five decades in this country … and there was never any problem gambling resources at any serious level to support those that are demonstrating problematic behavior,” Maloney says.
“We’re really proud of the fact that … there’s more money being devoted to problem gambling in this country than there ever has been.”
Whyte says he is less convinced.
“We’ve seen no evidence of that whatsoever,” says Whyte when asked about legalized sports gambling helping curb gambling addiction. “We think the risk has gone up by about 30%.”
“I’m in the District of Columbia right now. The mayor recently cut every single penny of public funding to prevent and treat gambling problems.
So right where the AGA and the National Council for Problem Gambling is located – the nation’s capital – they abolished all public funds for problem gambling,” adds Whyte.
‘The pace of innovation’
From LeBron James’ NFL partnership with DraftKings to ESPN launching an official sportsbook, it is becoming increasingly hard to watch sport without gambling being part of the viewing experience.
A 2023 NCAA study surveyed young adults aged 18-22. It says that among those who had seen sports gambling advertisements, 52.8% said it made them more likely to want to gamble.
Among higher risk gamblers as many as 80% say the ads they have seen make them more likely to gamble.
Whyte says that these ads aren’t too much of a concern if you’re not in the higher risk groups but the connection among those who are is concerning.
Maloney counters that advertising is crucial in taking gamblers from illegal to legal markets.
“Advertising is very important upon markets being opened legally and regulated to communicate to betters that there is this opportunity to now bet in the legal market,” said Maloney.
The rise of advertisements and promotions is something that concerns NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
“I live in the New York market. It’s constant in terms of promotions for people to bet on sports,” said Silver recently.
“I worry also about young people. It’s, of course, illegal for young people to bet on sports,” added the commissioner.
Ramon Zelaya, the moderator of Reddit’s problem gambling forum, concurs.
“The explosion of sports betting has captured the attention and engagement of younger gamblers. Folks starting in their teens,” Zelaya told the NCPG.
“I’ve had 16-year-olds post on the subreddit. I have noticed that the college age demographic tends to gravitate towards sports betting, online poker, trading cryptocurrency, that sort of thing.”
Despite Silver’s hand-wringing over the proliferation of sports betting ads, the NBA in March said it had joined up with Sportradar to provide NBA League Pass users with the chance to look at live odds throughout games.
“Where sports betting is legal, users can opt-in to have the convenience of viewing and selecting bets directly on NBA League Pass. When ready to place a bet, they are directed to FanDuel or DraftKings, the NBA’s official betting partners, through a seamlessly embedded link,” the Sportradar statement read.
Malek believes that this lack of friction is dangerous.
“Having it right there, really made it just so convenient that I was able to just click a button,” he expained.
Maloney, however, points to the opportunities technological innovation offers the betting industry and its customers.
“I think the pace of innovation right now, particularly as it relates to fan engagement and betting, and in play betting and live betting will continue to increase,” said Maloney.
“I believe that the embrace with leagues, teams and industry partners will continue,” he added.
Whyte’s concern is that most sports bettors “when they get deep into in play [betting]” have no idea of the true odds and that it’s nigh impossible to calculate the true odds within the required 30 seconds you need to place an in-play bet.
The betting industry also points to its continued emphasis on “responsible gambling,” saying three quarters of what it describes as “traditional Super Bowl bettors” report seeing a responsible gambling message in the last year, up from 71% in 2023.
Sporting integrity
Recently the NBA banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the league after an investigation found that the 24-year-old had violated betting rules, the league said.
The NBA said its investigation found that Porter had “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
With the rise of sports gambling, this could become more common and it’s something that NBA commissioner Silver is concerned by.
“It’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of, in the NBA, and the ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game,” said Silver.
“There’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling and betting on our games, and that is a direct player involvement,” added Silver.
In late March, the NBA said it was “looking into” anomalies involving prop bets pertaining to Porter. Reportedly there were two specific games in which DraftKings Sportsbook flagged prop bets involving Porter in its daily betting insights.
A DraftKings spokesperson told CNN after Porter was banned: “We have no comment on this story. In general, it is important to note that one of the many benefits of legal and regulated sports betting is that sports betting operators identify and report suspicious activity and the integrity of sport is therefore protected in a manner that does not exist in the illegal market.”