Will Legalized Sports Gambling Change MLB?

[AtlantaWhaler]

The Supreme Court ruling Monday opened the door for states outside Nevada to legalize widespread sports gambling, an action that is expected to lead to billions of dollars moving from illegal sportsbooks to new or expanded legal operations.

The NBA and MLB have been on the ground in all of these states as they combine resources to lobby to get language that would assure them of a gambling revenue stream for years to come. They've hired high-priced lobbying firms, submitted written statements and sent executives to testify in statehouses.

All the pro sports leagues, including the PGA Tour and the NCAA, have been involved, but it has been the NBA and MLB that have been the tip of the spear. And first in the firing line for those pushing back and the desire for a cut of the new proceeds.

With legal sports betting, how will NBA, MLB protect integrity of game?

On local radio this morning, they were discussing this and how the NBA and the MLB are really smart getting ahead of this and that the NFL will be left behind trying to fight against it (though, they will get the benefits soon enough).

My question is how will this change baseball? I assume we'll see stadiums across all sports include books in their stadiums. Though, with somewhat limited scoring, is betting on baseball that big? I'm personally not sure.

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[Bjorn Le]

Quite a few large online books based outside the US that have extensive NBA and MLB bets already so I don’t think much will change. It’s so hard to actually fix a game (and it becomes painfully obvious when it is happening). Don’t see much changing.

 

[rangerssharks414]

The thing with baseball gambling is that the best teams "only" win about 60 percent of their games. I'm not a gambling person at all, but I can't really see how MLB gambling could be that that profitable, even if you know what you're doing.

And yeah, with replay, it's pretty difficult to rig a baseball game now. The only thing that I could really think of is having an unfair strike zone... which obviously can't be reviewed.

 

[Bjorn Le]

The thing with baseball gambling is that the best teams "only" win about 60 percent of their games. I'm not a gambling person at all, but I can't really see how MLB gambling could be that that profitable, even if you know what you're doing.

And yeah, with replay, it's pretty difficult to rig a baseball game now. The only thing that I could really think of is having an unfair strike zone... which obviously can't be reviewed.

Anything can be profitable as long as the odds are in the house favour. The mathematical formulas are beyond my comprehension but I’ve known people with masters in Mathematics who go to work for the OLG or casinos, where there roles are to design books so the house always has a slight advantage.

You can google people who play sports books for a living. They’ve figured out a formula of who to bet on and what to bet on that over the course of the season provides a profit. The books just do that in reverse when designing the odds.

 

[Dr Pepper]

I'm still waiting for them to finally let Pete Rose into Cooperstown where he belongs.

MLB can be quite stubborn about such things, so maybe this new ruling will change that.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I'm still waiting for them to finally let Pete Rose into Cooperstown where he belongs.

MLB can be quite stubborn about such things, so maybe this new ruling will change that.

Pretty sure MLB and Hall of Fame are two different things. They are no doubt influenced by each other but they are separate entities so it's not like MLB can say 'Pete Rose isn't allowed induction in the HoF'

 

[Dr Pepper]

Pretty sure MLB and Hall of Fame are two different things. They are no doubt influenced by each other but they are separate entities so it's not like MLB can say 'Pete Rose isn't allowed induction in the HoF'

I was under the impression that that's exactly what his ban means.

Based on his playing career, which is how most inductees are judged, Rose obviously deserves entry into the Hall. But since it was determined he was betting on his own team (to win) while manager of the Reds and thus breaking their code of ethics, he was basically blacklisted and is not even an option when they send out the ballots.

Which still seems myopic considering where we are now with steriods and whatnot, and who's already in the HOF.

I mean, if I'm wrong on this and it's been the voters keeping him out this whole time instead of the league commissioner just passing down Rose's ban to the next guy, I'd be very surprised.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I was under the impression that that's exactly what his ban means.

Based on his playing career, which is how most inductees are judged, Rose obviously deserves entry into the Hall. But since it was determined he was betting on his own team (to win) while manager of the Reds and thus breaking their code of ethics, he was basically blacklisted and is not even an option when they send out the ballots.

Which still seems myopic considering where we are now with steriods and whatnot, and who's already in the HOF.

I mean, if I'm wrong on this and it's been the voters keeping him out this whole time instead of the league commissioner just passing down Rose's ban to the next guy, I'd be very surprised.

I mean, I'm sure the MLB doesn't want Rose in the hall and have some level of influence in voting habits, them banning Rose doesn't automatically mean he isn't eligible for the HoF. Maybe I'm wrong on this but basically what I'm saying is MLB doesn't dictate HoF voting protocols. Or at least not on paper.

 

[MMC]

Time to unban Pete Rose

 

[SupremeNachos]

I don't think it will change anything. People involved in rigging games will do so regardless if betting is legal or not.

 

[Neutrinos]

Pete Rose has been nothing but an embarrassment to himself since being suspended by MLB

Put him in the Hall of Fame after he dies, but he should never be allowed to profit from that honour while he's alive

 

[robert terwilliger]

rose has been determined ineligible for the hall of fame by the hall of fame itself, not mlb nor its commissioner.

even if baseball starts allowing gambling on its games, rose gambled on games that he was playing and managing, which as i've said here before was basically the only rule baseball had at the time. he broke the only rule mlb had and came clean to sell more copies of his stupid book.

i know revisiting things is the hot new thing of our time but just because legal sports gambling is allowed by a league doesn't mean that we relegislate rose based on what the policies of mlb might become under legal sports gambling. even if people are allowed to bet on sports, i'm willing to "bet" (see what i did there?) that players, managers and anyone else involved in the outcome of a game will be absolutely, unequivocally barred from having any part in any wager, bet, action, parlay, whateverthef***youwanttocallit with regard to mlb baseball games even ones they are not playing in but especially ones they are playing in. rose would fail even being relitigated under those rules.

he's an addict who has sought no treatment, he only wants to be let in because he feels he deserves to be. by the merits of his career, he should be. by the fact that he knowingly wagered on games in which he had a hand in deciding the outcome, he's banned for the rest of his life. that he lied about it initially despite evidence to the contrary is bad. that he came clean to hawk his shitty book is worse. that he was forced to come cleaner when bertolini's notebook was found a few years ago is somehow even worse. he literally sits on a f***ing throne of lies and there are thousands of people who are happy to smell his farts and keep the perpetual bullshit machine going that he should be in the hall of fame and it's all the writer's fault, or the media's fault, or baseball's fault...while ignoring that the only fault is with the f***ing lunkheaded asshole who hasn't learned a f***ing lesson in three decades. f*** him in the neck.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Has a player every been inducted after they were previously banned?