Last week was characterized by a slew of gambling scandals surrounding US sports, but Jay Kornegay, Executive Vice President of Race and Sports Operations at Westgate LV’s SuperBook, has cautioned that they might not be the last US scandals of this nature.
His warning was made after multiple MLB players were handed bans for sports betting, including Tucupita Marcano, who received a lifetime suspension from MLB. Last week also saw Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, plead guilty to bank fraud since he stole millions from the baseball star. In addition, several individuals were charged by the Federal Court of Brooklyn for their alleged involvement in the Jontay Porter spot-fixing and sports betting scandal.
Porter’s case, in particular, prompted many to raise concerns regarding sports’ integrity amid the widespread legalization of sports betting in America and the ever-present illegal gambling market. Situations such as this are inevitable, however, according to Kornegay, even though much effort has been put into tackling black market betting and many rules dictate how betting among players is regulated. As established, he also believes that we are likely to see similar situations happen down the road.
He did tell Front Office Sports that operators of gambling businesses “have a vested interest” in keeping sports games fair and that wagers on predetermined outcomes are something they do not wish to accept. Indeed, sportsbooks are typically the ones that alert regulators of suspicious betting activity.
The Repercussions Surrounding Betting Misconduct
It is worth stressing that regulators, both in the US and abroad, are proactive in investigating instances of gambling-related transgressions and strict when enforcing penalties on players, staff members, and other individuals. Punishment typically involves suspensions that are either temporary or permanent, and in some cases, players who are set to be unbanned must also undergo therapy for gambling addiction. This was the case of Premier League player Ivan Toney, who was successful in curing his gambling addiction with professional help and has been able to continue his career.
In some cases, harsher punishment is warranted, with the Jontay Porter scandal being an example, as the player himself is no longer permitted to play for the NBA. Moreover, since his situation also involved the manipulation of prop bet outcomes, some individuals are even facing criminal charges for allegedly defrauding sportsbooks due to Porter leaving specific games so that the bettors could enjoy guaranteed prop bet winnings.
The co-conspirators who allegedly benefited from this scheme have been caught, including Ammar Awawdeh, the fourth and final individual believed to have conspired with suspects Mahmud Mollah, Timothy McCormack, and Long Phi Pham. Unlike the other bettors, however, he turned himself in on Friday. He was released on a $100,000 bail and is to remain under house arrest until further notice.
Another country that was recently rocked by a betting scandal is Australia. In May, three players of the Macarthur FC club were arrested by the New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) for accusations surrounding betting corruption. Authorities allege that they have manipulated the issuing of yellow cards during several games. A verdict has not yet been reached.
