…College sports at the highest level (meaning Division I revenue programs) is mostly about money. Those at the top of professional and major college athletics — whatever pure PR stance is taken, and has to be — understand gambling is part of why their sports thrive. Bottom line, it adds to the interest…
University of Toledo: You Can Bet on It!
May 15th, 2009 at 6:28PM
Admittedly, I have no interest in gambling and don’t understand why people do it. I also think that gambling rationally (is that a contradiction?) would interfer, not help, one’s interest in sports. But, with that said, I am astonished that two people could bet $400,000 in one year on Toledo baskeball.
May 15th, 2009 at 9:16PM
Hmm…
Gambling is a disease. Or a tax on the poor. Or harmless amusement if you have the right attitude.
To a scientist, the odds are just not that attractive. As a kid, my grandmother used to send me to the candy store to bet on the numbers in Pittsburgh. At that time the racket was endemic and the cops ignored it, presumably because someone paid them.
But the pay off was 600 to 1 on 3 digits, i.e. the honest hots were 1 in a thousand that you would hit. So the people running the show were making 40%. Not a bad racket.
Too bad about Toledo. We actually had a national crystallography meeting there about 20 years ago and there is a helluva nice museum there. I know some good folks in the chemistry department.
Properly run, the institution could be a terrific state university. This situation is just disgusting.
Thanks UD for keeping an eye on these folks. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.