Terra Katz

‘Proposition betting’

Experts agree that since gambling was effectively legalized after a US Supreme Court decision in 2018 – it’s now allowed in 38 states and Washington, DC – the industry has boomed with nearly $120 billion put down in legal sports wagers in the US in 2023, one analysis found.

In February, when the Super Bowl was held, Americans bet $10.49 billion on sports, a 24.8% year-over-year increase, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) gaming revenue tracker.

"You can bet on any game anywhere, professional or amateur, and not only on the game itself, but you can bet on the individual plays in the game. And you can do it from a smartphone just by pressing some buttons," says Andrew Zimbalist, tripscan top professor of economics at Smith College.

The popularity of proposition betting, which focuses on individual parts or plays in a game, also opens up numerous possibilities to rig games, according to Zimbalist.

"There are many, many more ways in which gamblers can approach players and say, ‘Look, I don’t need your team to lose,’" he says.

"’All I need to do is have you not score any points in the first minute of the second half … then do whatever you want the rest of the game.’ Well, the athlete is going to feel much more protected in that circumstance than they would if they had to blow a whole game," he explains.

What Zimbalist describes exemplifies the concern of some fans as to whether they can trust what they are watching.

"One of the reasons why people love sports is because of the uncertainty of the competition," adds Zimbalist. "The moment the idea comes in that this is really being rigged, it’s being fixed, it’s being manipulated, then the interest in the sport will decline."