Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may take calculated risks on the field, but he’s apparently not much of a fan of gambling outside the sport.
The sports world has been rocked by a series of major scandals involving sports gambling, which has ensnared athletes from the MLB and NBA in criminal investigations. The NFL has already cracked down on gambling among players and is considering further measures to limit wagers on the sport in the wake of the scandals.
Mahomes added his input this week, saying he doesn’t see the appeal in gambling.
Patrick Mahomes ‘Stays Away’ From Gambling
When asked about the recent arrests this week related to sports gambling, Mahomes said he makes sure to distance himself from the gambling world and recognizes the dangerous potential of sports gambling.
âThey let us know, the NFL and NFLPA tell us all the different rules that you can and cannot do,â Mahomes said, via Pro Football Talk. âI just stay away from it. I donât want to put myself in that position. Your life is so great, why mess with it?â
Sports gambling has long been a controversial topic, dating back to MLB great Pete Rose’s lifetime ban for betting on the sport. There have been a series of troubling developments recently, including the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in October for their role in an alleged gambling ring.
Mahomes said there is another dark side to gambling — the intense pressure, and often abuse, that players suffer from fans who have money tied to their performances.
âIt gets weird sometimes when fans talk about it,â Mahomes said. âYouâre just trying to live your life and play the games and they get really attached â even more than the regular fans â because they have money on the line. To them, I would just say donât do anything that you canât recuperate or live without. Itâs a crazy world we live in these days and see all that happen, but I think you just focus on the football, focus on the sport you love and why youâre here and you wonât have to worry about that other stuff.â
NFL Could Crack Down More
The NFL has enacted new, stricter rules on gambling in recent years. That includes a ban on gambling in all team facilities — which extends to hotels when teams travel.
In the wake of the recent developments, the NFL is reportedly looking to restrict certain forms of sports gambling. CBS Sports reported that the league sent a memo to teams saying they have engaged decision-makers “to limit — and where possible [prohibit] altogether — prop bets in the NFL.”
As the CBS Sports report noted, prop bets have been at the center of the recent sports gambling controversies.
“The latter two categories are types of bets that have created controversy in baseball and basketball. In MLB, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were indicted this week on conspiracy charges related to the players allegedly working with bettors on specific types of pitches they would throw.”
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