NYT/Athletic Poll Finds Only 34% Of NBA Players Approve Of League’s Gambling Partnerships
A poll published in The Athletic last week showcased NBA players’ sentiments on the league’s sports betting partnerships, with those supporting gambling partnerships in the minority.
Just 34% of a 150-player sample (51 players) said that the NBA’s gambling partnerships are good for the league. Meanwhile, 46% (69 players) disapproved of the partnerships, 12% (18 players) were somewhere in the middle, and the remaining 8% (12 players) were undecided.
The poll aimed to highlight players’ views on the cultural integration of sports and sports betting, with seven years having passed since states began legalizing online sports betting.
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Partnerships the Norm for the League and Its Teams
The catalyst for legal sports betting was the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. By 2021, the world had reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns, and the popularity of sports betting had begun to surge.
Sports betting ads showed up during most sporting events, even in markets where it remained illegal. Sportsbook operators began forging partnerships with leagues and teams on the regular, integrating their brands with in-arena signage and, in some cases, building onsite sportsbooks for fans to place in-game bets.
The NBA partnered with the nation’s two largest sportsbook operators, FanDuel and DraftKings, in 2021. The majority of its 30 teams have sports betting partnerships. Four teams have in-arena sports betting facilities:
- Chicago Bulls: FanDuel Sportsbook Lounge
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Caesars Sportsbook
- Phoenix Suns: FanDuel Sportsbook
- Washington Wizards: Caesars Sportsbook
Betting Is Changing Fans’ Priorities (and Behavior)
Sports fans, professional sports leagues, sportsbook operators and states have all welcomed legal sports betting with open arms.
Sports fans can now place wagers on their favorite teams and players. Leagues make money from partnerships, sportsbooks continue to produce new revenue highs, and states collect tax revenue.
However, sports betting presents a dynamic industry with many confounding variables. One possible unforeseen consequence is sports fans focusing more on the outcome of their bet than on their team winning.
Players at the college and professional levels have become the subject of verbal abuse and worse, including online death threats, from losing bettors.
With sports betting fully entrenched in our culture, people can debate the pros and cons of the side of the argument they feel stronger about. The Athletic’s anonymous NBA player poll drew responses on every side from nearly one-third of the league.
One player hit on all sides of the coin, saying:
“I think it brings more eyes to the game, especially in the regular season. Obviously, you have die-hard fans, but you need more people just watching to watch NBA basketball. If that means that’s why they’re engaged and watching that, we want that. Obviously, the complaint is people DMing you, whatever, hate mail and all that. At the end of the day, we make more money based on viewership, so I’d rather have more money and people screaming at me than no one screaming at me and less money.”
Players Speak Out
Many other players responded, all anonymously. Here were some of the responses in favor of sports betting:
- “It’s great. Gambling is great for the league. More money, more eyes, more fan engagement.”
- “I think it brings more eyes to the NBA. I think it brings a little bit of a different fan base and views. And more eyes are always good.”
- “It gets more people involved watching it. Whether it’s for the good or bad, people will engage with the league more.”
- “I think it’s good. It gives fans the outlet to gamble on games, have fun with it. Obviously, you have to do it responsibly. But I think it’s good.”
A few who oppose sports betting said the following:
- “The gambling partnerships are horrible for the league because you guys are selling your soul for the worst type of people in your fan base, and they don’t see us as human beings anymore, which again, they never did.”
- “There is money in it, but I think it makes things really hard on players.”
- “I personally hate gambling. Hate everyone talking about parlays this, parlays that. I hate getting DMs in my Instagram talking about, ‘You f— up my parlay.’ I hate people sending me threats because I messed up their parlay.”
- “I feel like any time you click on TV or NBA TV, you always see something about spreads or gambling. As you know, some players have had problems with it. I feel like it’s kind of antagonizing players to think about it, and also, I think it’s a conflict of interest for the NBA, too. So, I think it’s bad.”
- “I think it’s hurting the soul of the game. I think it’s good financially for the short term, but I don’t think it’s good for the essence of the game over the long term.”
Many more shared their sentiments, particularly regarding the integrity of the game and its fans.
