Society Is Becoming Addicted to Sports Gambling

As the MLB season ramps up and NBA season winds down, both leagues are making headlines with rather bizarre gambling scandals. ESPN revealed last month that at least $4.5 million was sent to an illegal bookmaker from the bank account of baseball’s best player, the Los Angeles Dodgers’s Shohei Ohtani; his interpreter and longtime friend took responsibility for the bets, and was promptly fired. In the NBA, meanwhile, Toronto Raptors benchwarmer Jontay Porter is being investigated after there was an unusual surge in prop bets on his performance (points, rebounds, etc.) for two games earlier this year in which he exited early due to injury or illness.