Newswise — Central Michigan University faculty member Tim Otteman, a nationally quoted authority on sports gambling, is available to speak with media regarding the FBI's investigation into allegations that 13-year National Basketball Association official Tim Donaghy has bet on NBA games during the past two seasons.
A few of Otteman's initial thoughts:
Regarding a historical perspective of sports gambling scandals:
"Sports gambling scandals have mirrored the growth of intercollegiate and professional athletics throughout history. From the Black Sox scandal and the 1919 World Series to a major point-shaving scheme in college basketball in the 1950s to gambling by baseball's Pete Rose in the 1980s and, more recently, hockey's Rick Tocchet, point shaving, game fixing and gambling by players involved in the game has been a recurring issue. The current investigation of NBA referee Tim Donaghy is, unfortunately, just the latest black mark in a long list of scandals."
Regarding sports gambling by officials:
"There is no one greater threat to sport leagues and governing bodies than to call into question the integrity of the sport itself. The key concept is 'unknown outcome': Americans watch collegiate and professional sports because they do not know who is going to win. When an individual questions, or even entertains the thought, that the outcome of a game may have been predetermined, they will no longer care about the game and will no longer support that team or league. To call into question that an official may have been gambling on games in which he or she was officiating or was altering the outcome of the game is the worst possible scenario for a sport or league."
Regarding the potential role of officials in sports gambling:
"Can an official truly change the outcome of a game? Absolutely, especially in a sport like basketball, which includes a large amount of possessions and is played at a fast pace, requiring an official to make hundreds of judgment calls per game. From calling technical fouls, which add points, to calling or not calling other fouls to increase or decrease the number of points scored, an official can very subtly change a game based on the point spread and the total points scored in relation to an over/under wager."
Otteman is an authority in the areas of sports gambling, sports administration and management, commercial recreation, and recreational programming. He also has leisure activities expertise, with an emphasis on games.
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