Former Terps Player Warns: 100% Chance Of College Betting Scandal In Future
Former Maryland Terrapins basketball player and congressman Tom McMillen warns that “there is a 100% chance” that loosened sports betting laws will lead to a “major gambling scandal” at one or more US colleges in the near future.
McMillen, retired from government, spoke directly to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, urging the state’s political leaders to take a hard-line stance on all things sports betting. Because state legislators are rushing to introduce sports betting legislation (which could be possible without a public referendum if wagering is directed by the state lottery), McMillen is worried that such bills will not offer enough oversight or protection from a potential scandal.
Just Another Bid For “Integrity Fees”?
McMillen, who is president and CEO of the LEAD1 Association (an industry advocate for NCAA athletics departments), is not recommending that collegiate sports wagering be banned in MD or any other state. Instead, he seems to be pushing the controversial (and mostly discredited) idea of an “integrity fee” that sportsbooks would pay to state universities as part of their tax obligations.
The “integrity fee” concept has been promoted by all major leagues since the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018. The argument is that with legalized sports betting, there will be greater chances for match-fixing and point-shaving than there are with black market or underground sports betting.
However, the logic is questionable. Black market sports betting is considered to be an industry already moving upwards of $50 billion or more in the US. Legalizing sports wagering will not increase participation but merely bring much of that participation into the light, regulated by the government. Why a government-regulated industry would be more prone to fraud than an underground industry has not been demonstrated.
McMillen The Player: Once Bitten, Twice Shy?
While his concerns are not entirely without merit, McMillen’s dire warnings are perhaps more a result of his own experiences with corruption in the sports world than they are a pressing inevitability in today’s world. During his playing career, McMillen starred on nearly every amateur and professional level, playing in almost every league.
McMillen was a high school All American, a college star at Maryland, an ABA draftee, an NBA journeyman, and a member of the 1972 US Olympic team that “lost” the Gold Medal game to the Soviet Union in Munich, Germany. While not a betting scandal, the Soviet Union’s gifted victory is considered by many to be the worst corruption scandal in the history of the Olympic Games.
In this context, it is easy to understand McMillen’s concern. Unlike many in a position to lobby for integrity fees, McMillen’s motives seem to align more with actual integrity than with mere financial consideration. The question, though, must still be asked: Shouldn’t the game’s integrity -- particularly when it comes to the potential for any gambling corruption of student-athletes -- be a priority regardless of whether or not sports wagering is legalized?
The question of how to prevent match-fixing is a long-running concern, and many in government believe that legal sports betting will lead to more opportunities for the crime. The integrity fee is one idea to combat this, but it isn’t necessarily the best one. Though with legal wagering still in its infancy, don’t expect the debate to die down any time soon.
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