U.S. professional athletes and legalised sports betting

The US debate on the expansion of sports betting beyond the four states currently permitted to offer such wagering entered a new phase this week with an ESPN poll to assess professional athlete attitudes to the issue.

The poll, which involved 73 players across the national sports leagues, revealed that 63 percent of respondents believe that sports betting should be more widely legalised…a starkly contrasting view to that held by most governing bodies.

58 percent of respondents admitted they had gambled in the past, with 34 percent saying they had bet on sports events. However, 41 percent said they believed that sports betting does represent a threat to sports integrity.

10 percent revealed that they had been approached for inside information on their teams.