The sports betting and gambling industry has been dealing with a significant and predictable amount of drama recently due to the news surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, and the type of language that Rece Davis used on Sunday morning in an ESPN BET segment will only serve to cause more potential issues.
"You know what? Some would call this wagering, gambling; the way you've sold this, I think what it is, is a risk-free investment," said ESPN's Rece Davis after an ESPN Bet segment with Erin Dolan. pic.twitter.com/257daMIBON
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2024
After ESPN BET analyst Erin Dolan delivered her rationale for wagering on a team total ahead of Sunday's UConn vs Northwestern game, Davis responded jokingly that, "some would call this wagering, gambling; the way you've sold this, I think what it is, is a risk-free investment."
Davis' faux pas quickly caught the attention of social media users, including some in the media who pointed out the irresponsible nature of his statement. He later clarified his risk-free comment on social media.
"As we all know, such a thing does not exist," Davis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday. "Obviously, there are risks. Though I’m not a gambler, I strongly encourage those who do partake, do so with prudence, care, caution, fiscal and personal responsibility and never over-extend. Sports are unpredictable. Wagering is tricky. So let’s agree to manage monetary risks appropriately. I’m sure most recognized my comment was tongue-in-cheek."
In full transparency, I do believe that most viewers would see this as a joking comment, the type that you'll frequently social media, with analysts stating a certain play is a "lock," a "whale" or whatever term one wants to use.
You could make the argument that those Tweets, which can also reach a younger audience that doesn't understand the humor in them, are inappropriate. But on ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports media, you would surely expect better.
Again, it's hard to picture Davis truly believing that this wager is a "risk-free investment," but using this type of wording in front of an audience that can range anywhere from adolescents to young adults will lead to problems, even if only a few individuals can't pick up on the attempted humor in the comment.
The rapid legalization of sports betting and gambling in general in the United States is opening the country up to a host of gambling-related problems, and while there are many educational and resource-based benefits with bringing sports betting into the regulated world and away from illegal markets, the reality is that people are now consuming betting content at an exponentially greater rate than before 2018, when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was overturned.
Particularly considering the fact that ESPN itself is partnered with a sportsbook that presents the ESPN name in the title, we have to expect content providers to be more thoughtful about how they are presenting gambling.
This is not just true for Davis and ESPN, but for everyone involved in the industry, including the Action Network.
If we want sports betting to be as safe as possible, these types of comments can not fly.
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