In the nearly six years since the broad legalization of sports betting in the U.S., it was almost inevitable that a lifetime suspension like the one handed down by the NBA on Raptors center Jontay Porter (above) would eventually happen.

The last two years in particular have seen both a rising number of threats across sports, domestically and abroad, as well as a rising number of player suspensions across many major sports leagues. Sports data company Sportradar put a finer point on the rising threat, when it said recently that suspected match fixing remains a concerning issue around the world, and that it is increasingly using artificial intelligence to detect fraud. 

Among the recent flash points in what remains a rising tide of gambling-related infractions: 

• The recent federal bank fraud charges levied upon Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, marking a manifestation of a serious sports betting addiction that left Mizuhara more than $40 million in debt. 
• Suspensions of 10 NFL players last year for various gambling-related infractions, highlighted by season-long bans for a trio of Colts players, and following a similar season-long penalty for Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley in 2022. That spate of violations prompted the NFL to heighten its gambling penalty and enforcement structure, with specific rules also in place for this February’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
• The NHL’s suspension last fall of Senators forward Shane Pinto for half a season for “activities related to sports wagering.”
• Former Jaguars employee Amit Patel was sentenced to six-plus years in prison for embezzling more than $22 million from the NFL team, and he said he has been struggling with a serious gambling addiction.
• Even without a specific penalty involved, there have been several other concerning signs, including J.B. Bickerstaff, coach of the NBA Cavaliers, saying he and his family have been threatened by gamblers, and Pacers star Tyrese Halliburton saying he feels like a “prop” and that his social media has been dominated by gambling chatter.

Challenging Backdrop 

These incidents arrive as sports betting overall continues to soar to unprecedented heights, reaching record levels of revenue and total handle in 2023. As nearly every major sports league has built an extensive portfolio of gambling-related business relationships—sparking accusations of hypocrisy among some fans—those leagues have also sought to create a bright line marking what is and isn’t permissible for players. To that end, NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Porter’s conduct a “cardinal sin” threatening the integrity of the league. 

The Porter lifetime ban shows both the powerful allure of sports betting, even for a highly paid NBA player, and the need for constant enforcement vigilance. Perhaps ironically, Silver was the first among his peers to call nearly a decade ago for widespread legalization and regulation of sports betting. And now he again sits in a history-making place.

The A’s hit yet another low point with attendance at the Coliseum, presenting a sign of further challenges likely arriving for the club. 

The team drew a season-low 3,296 on Tuesday for its 3-2 loss to the Cardinals. Midweek games early in the season are often a challenge for any baseball team, and indeed, the A’s had seven crowds smaller than this in 2023, all but one of those happening on weekdays in April and May. 

But with the A’s now officially headed to Sacramento after this season, on the way toward an eventual and permanent relocation to Las Vegas, the latest total offers additional proof of how far down the local affinity for the A’s has fallen. With the team now having severed any lasting tie to Oakland, there is little reason to expect a dramatic turnaround in the team’s upcoming crowds.

The Oakland Coliseum attendance Tuesday was smaller than:

• The draw at 12 of 15 Triple-A games yesterday 
• The attendance at four Double-A games
• The turnout at three High-A and Single-A games 

For the season to date, Oakland’s attendance average of 5,968 is just 40% of the figure for the next-lowest MLB team, the Marlins at 14,766 per game. The average for the A’s is down by nearly half from a comparable point last year. 

Popcorn Threats

As there are far fewer people attending A’s games at the Coliseum, team concessionaire Aramark is levying a new warning to stadium workers regarding speaking publicly about team and company business. Some Coliseum stadium and concessions workers are facing layoffs in the wake of the impending move to Sacramento for the 2025–27 seasons.

A letter to workers obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle said, “it is against Aramark’s business conduct policy to speak to the government, media, or press on behalf of the company, and/or comment on Aramark/client business matters. This includes reporters, written responses, phone calls, video calls, social media, and any other forms of communication,” adding that “violations of this policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.”