Opinion Archives

Opinion | NFL Had No Business Being Anywhere Near Gambling Helpline Data

October 31, 2025

A contentious legal dispute over the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline number appears to be winding down. New reporting has shed more light on what transpired. According to Barron’s, the National Football League-funded National Council on Problem Gambling allegedly had wanted callers in some cases to answer survey questions prior to receiving assistance, according to advocates in several…

Legislation, Opinion

Sports Betting Legalization Surveys: Why To Be Skeptical

Brian Pempus

October 30, 2025

Sports betting legalization surveys can seem significant, but you should usually approach the findings with a grain of salt. Traditional online sports betting is legal in 30 states, with more — such as Georgia, Nebraska, California, and Oklahoma — potentially in the pipeline in 2026. When a sports betting bill is introduced, the online betting…

Law, Opinion

Opinion | The Erosion Of Sport Integrity Just The Tip Of The Iceberg

Brian Pempus

October 27, 2025

Last week, the FBI arrested several prominent figures in the National Basketball Association and unsealed two federal indictments related to gambling. One of the investigations appears to involve an old-fashioned and long-running poker cheating scam involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, which was allegedly coordinated through established organized crime organizations, associates of which…

News, Opinion, Prediction Markets

Polymarket, Kalshi Love Criminal Case Markets—Why None On NBA Scandal?

Brian Pempus

October 25, 2025

So-called “prediction” betting websites Kalshi and Polymarket often offer markets on high-profile criminal cases, including arrests and indictments. But one unfolding scandal is entirely missing from their respective platforms. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted several people in and around the NBA for involvement in alleged “insider” gambling. The government said the case…

Law, News, Opinion

A ‘Trump Online Casino’ In All 50 States Is More Likely Than You Think

Brian Pempus

October 23, 2025

Legal experts have attributed the rise of a controversial form of sports gambling to Donald Trump’s second term as president. Could a new form of online casino gambling be on the horizon? So-called “prediction markets” — gambling platforms that facilitate binary peer-to-peer bets on sports, politics, pop culture, and sometimes even war — have thrown…