Illegal sports betting surges as March Madness nears
By mdelaney
Johnny Law might have a problem with sports gambling, but the general public only grows more fond of it in the build-up to March Madness.
Illegal gambling on the NCAA basketball’s March Madness is estimated to hit $10.4 billion for this year’s tournament, up 13 percent from last year’s estimate of $9.2 billion, per USA TODAY Sports.
A staggering 97 percent of all the bets placed are done so illegally, with only $295 million of bets being placed legally within the state of Nevada. The 70 million total NCAA tournament brackets that are expected to be filled out will also exceed the number of people who voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in this November’s past presidential election. Whether it’s utilizing websites based outside the U.S. or contacting your local bookie, people are finding ways to place their bets. Talk about a cause we can all get behind.
The American Gaming Association’s CEO Geoff Freeman told USA TODAY Sports that “the federal ban on sports betting is an utter failure,” and have repeatedly criticized the government’s outdated view on sports betting as a whole. The proof is in the pudding here if people are taking advantage of gaping loopholes to gamble on upcoming games. And that’s in light of the fact that a vast majority of those gamblers will have their dreams of striking it rich dashed after this weekend determines Sweet 16 entrants.
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On the flip side, this days leading up to March Madness aren’t the most joyous for some. Gambling addicts have a tendency to relapse this time of year, per Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Richard N. Velotta. Problem gambling experts told Velotta that they receive four times more calls for help during lead-up to March Madness. According to Arnie Wexler, a problem gambling expert and author on the topic who spoke with Velotta, roughly 5-percent of Americans are considered gambling addicts. So while the most of us look forward to ruffling the feather’s of the law, this time of year entices others to feed their destructive habit.