Saturday, February 24, 2007

With the NBA All-Star Game taking place in Las Vegas this past Sunday night,
the issue of moving a NBA team to Las Vegas has come to the forefront of NBA
conversation. Commissioner David Stern is just now opening discussion about
fielding a Sin City franchise. What was his reason for neglecting mention of
moving a team to one of the fastest growing cities in the country for so
long? Stern did not want the NBA to be associated with sports betting
because he knows that it is an addictive problem that has been growing in
popularity just as quickly as the city of Las Vegas. Sports betting is not
only a problem for the image of the NBA front office, but also is a problem
for the most casual of sports fans. One of the most popular places to find
sports betting is right here on a college campus. Thirty to 45 percent of
college students gamble on a weekly basis. It is an addiction as popular as
drugs or alcohol and is just as serious. Gambling has grown drastically
because of the Internet, making online poker and sports betting
multi-billion dollar industries. The accessibility and ease of online
gambling is especially attractive to college students. With extra free time
and illusion of instant fortune, many students turn to betting for fast
money. The NCAA reports that more than one out of every three male college
students bets on sports. Today we are at the height of casual gambling. The
Super Bowl, which took place a few weeks ago, is a betting feast day. Those
who are not even football fans place bets on various game-related events:
obviously the winner, the over-under of the score, individual performances,
and even such trivial matters such as the number of times commentator Phil
Simms uses the telestrator.