DENVER — As online sports gambling explodes and intertwines with the league, Tim Donaghy, the disgraced NBA referee and expert on the pitfalls of corruption, wants players and umpires to follow in his footsteps. I don't think that I will inherit it.
Instead, Donaghy sees lower-level employees as conduits for inside information to gamblers.
“I think players make too much money. Given my situation, I don't think referees are referees,” Donaghy told the Post. “I think it's up to the trainer or someone who has the information to make a decision about a player's illness or injury before it's released to the general market. I think that's how information leaks out.''
Online gambling, which provides financial benefits to the NBA and other leagues in the form of sponsorship fees, is still in its relative infancy as a legal business in most parts of the United States, but it has come under increased scrutiny in recent days. has been done.
The NBA fined Rudy Gobert $100,000 last week for inferring in a gesture and subsequent interview that referees were being rewarded.
On Tuesday, the NBA unveiled a new option that allows League Pass viewers to track betting odds while watching games on the app, while also providing links to bets with the league's partners FanDuel and DraftKings.
On Wednesday, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed that he and his family had received threats from gamblers via personal cell phone messages.
In baseball, Shohei Ohtani, a big name in the sports world, is currently embroiled in a $4.5 million gambling scandal with an interpreter.
Despite many fans and players questioning his ability as an NBA referee, Donaghy said NBA officials don't take issue with him, even if it's just because he's become a symbol of the outcome. I reiterated my belief.
Donaghy went to prison in 2008 following a federal investigation into match-fixing.
He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and transmit gambling information through interstate commerce.
“There was no education or warning as a group during preseason meetings that something like this could happen and to stay away from this. They should have educated the referees in preseason camp. is 1711061769, tell them they can go to jail and lose their jobs, and it will be a complete disaster,” Donaghy said. “And I'd like to think that one of them won't end up in the situation that I found myself in because they earn a good amount of money.
“I think if someone is going to leak information that they should be earning, it's like trainers. Even ball boys. Some of these ball boys are 20 or 25 years old. They’re in the locker room.”
In fact, injuries in the NBA are a secret and a potentially valuable currency in the world of gambling.
Teams often wait until the last minute to announce a player's condition, and the deadline for injury reports is 5 p.m. the day before a game.
Still, the “questionable” status on the injury report doesn't have to be updated until 30 minutes before tipoff.
The NBA has partnered with FanDuel since 2014.
In 2021, the league announced FanDuel and DraftKings as “Joint Official Sports Betting Partners.”
Donaghy said it's ironic that he's being vilified at a time when the NBA is fully embracing gambling, but added that he's not in a position to judge.
The NBA, like any other company, values money.
“This is a situation where I shouldn't have been near the line that I was approaching. And not only was I near, I jumped over it,” Donaghy said. “So it's kind of weird to question what they're doing after what I did. I think the bottom line is they're going to do whatever they can to raise the cap and increase revenue. .”
