Sports Betting & Pickleball: What Should We Know as Pickleball Enters Sports Gambling?
If you follow Bartsool Sportsbook or DraftKings, then you have somewhat of an understanding of sports betting. Before sportsbooks and online tools though, sports betting was done “underground,” or in secret. Now? Betting is entering the world of all sports, and this will include pickleball soon.
Pickleball was marked as one of the fastest growing sports, because of its social nature. However, with new developments like Major League Pickleball and pro rankings constantly changing with new players entering the scene, it will become an exciting sport for sports betting.
However, with Pickleball being a newer sport, and its rules constantly being developed, sports betting may raise some issues.
Historically, sports betting was banned in the 90s by a 1992 federal law that forced gamblers to operate in underground markets.
But this all changed in 2017, in Murphy v. NCAA. Here, the Supreme Court argued that the 1992 federal law was unconstitutional because it commandeered or dictated what states can and cannot do. When a federal law dictates what a state may or may not do, it violates the Tenth Amendment.
You would think it being a constitutional issue, this would have been resolved a long time ago. However, this 2017 law is great news for pickleball.
Yet - there are still some issues to consider:
First of all, not every state has to let you gamble.
The law merely allows states to make their own decision. And by that I mean - California and other popular pickleball destinations have not legalized sports betting.
It will be difficult to implement sports betting for a sport as small as pickleball when its most popular destinations do not allow for sports betting. Gamblers will have to travel to Vegas.
Despite Florida making ways with potential legislation; such legislation on legalizing sports betting is not even fully developed yet.
One solution to this was online sports betting. However, that has yet to be successful in California.
Second, match fixing is still an issue.
Match fixing can happen in any sport. However, it is more of an issue in bigger sports like basketball or football. It is still worth a mention.
Let’s look back at the Tim Donaghy scandal. This was where an NBA referee was bribed by sports better, James Battista, to manipulate the games he reffed. If we know one thing about sanctioned pickleball tournaments, it is that referees do have a lot of power in their hands when it comes to calling out faults. The same can be said of line judges, which so often appear in pro matches. This can actually be a huge topic of concern.
However, it is worth nothing that the Tim Donaghy scandal was during a time when not many states allowed sports betting. Gamblers during that time literally had to bet through an underground market.
Perhaps, with sports betting become more widely available, monitored, and done through proper networks – like DraftKings, it won’t be a problem. This is especially true in a world where playback videos during games are used, so players can challenge calls. We also live in a world where smart phones are used – everything is streamed. It is much harder to fix a match in today’s technologically advanced world. I would not be so concerned about this in the world of pickleball either since its being a small community doesn’t allow one to get away with much. No referee would want their reputation ruined in such a small community where news spreads quickly either – that’d be tough.
However, as the sport grows, it would not be a bad idea of USAPA to implement guidelines or rules on this.
Third, there is the issue of insider trading, which can happen anywhere and at anytime.
Insider trading can actually happen on accident. It does not always have to have ill intent.
What is it? It’s when a person uses and gambles with information that has not yet been publicly announced. The whole point of gambling is for there to be a fair advantage – and using information you know before it’s announced publicly would create an unfair advantage.
While there is a general law against insider trading, states have not fully implemented such laws themselves, which is much more important as sports betting is legalized.
Insider trading is seriously tracked down and controlled in other countries like the United Kingdom and by sports organization like the Premier League or FIFA, which also have sanctions against insider trading.
We saw one case a while back with a former Tottenham soccer player get caught texting his friends about his potential transfer to Atletico Madrid. He texted his friends before the information was even out and told them to bet on him. Not only was he criminally investigated, but was also punished by FIFA.
The same can be a topic of concern in the world of pickleball, where almost everyone is acquainted with one another. If you know one person, they are likely to know someone else you know in the community. That’s how small it is, despite its growth. If insider trading can happen in the Premier League, it can happen in pickleball.
So how do we control this? How will this work in a community where pros, fans, and amateurs are friends?
States are jumping onto the train of legalizing sports betting, but legislation on insider trading has yet to be fully implemented as mentioned. Though there is a general law against insider trading, some states have passed laws prohibiting any type of confidential, nonpublic, insider information sharing when placing bets.
Perhaps if pickleball enters the world of trading, USAPA can implement laws that regulate sports betting and avoid insider trading. USAPA can also impose sanctions or bans depending on the situation.
