Iowa withheld some athletes from competition

I was surprised when this news broke to find out that college athletes on scholarship are prohibited from betting on ANY professional sports, and any college sports where a championship event is held, if I remember correctly. That's pretty much a blanket ban from betting on sports, something that all other U.S. citizens over 18 are allowed to do (if their state allows it).
First thing that comes to my mind is that this ban will be challenged in court soon, if something isn't in the pipeline already. Given that the vast majority of sports gambling is done on-line, it's hard to come up with a rationale why a baseball player in Iowa shouldn't be able to bet on the Warriors/Lakers game on FanDual. In the old days these bans made some sense, because you had to engage in illegal activity -- and potentially engage with shady bookies -- to place your bets. Those days are long gone...it's not like FanDual is going to try to blackmail or pressure an Iowa baseball player because of their bet on an NBA game.
 
Looks like Keith Murphy, sportscaster for Channel 13 spoke with Brian Ohorilko, head of Iowa Racing and Gaming and he advised no evidence of point shaving or match fixing on any Iowa or Iowa State games. Maybe it's UFC fights or March Madness?
 
I'm a raging libertarian. And also a degreed armchair economist.
When it comes to gambling, I'm the robot that spins around shouting "does not compute does not compute" before blowing to bits.

Me: You should be able to gamble.
Also Me: Legalized gambling and lotteries have some of the most awful externalities offered to society and should probably be illegal.
 
dagdaj said:
I'm a raging libertarian. And also a degreed armchair economist.
When it comes to gambling, I'm the robot that spins around shouting "does not compute does not compute" before blowing to bits.

Me: You should be able to gamble.
Also Me: Legalized gambling and lotteries have some of the most awful externalities offered to society and should probably be illegal.
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AI will make money obsolete within the next 30 years, imo, so we only have to worry about it for a while. :)
 
99topdawg said:
That's why I sit at school and post on message boards all day....






or maybe I'm at the oral surgeon while my kid gets his wisdom teeth out.
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If track, soccer, and golf could ever get finished we could have a real baseball practice.

But then it'll just rain instead.
 
I think it's strange that this is isolated to Iowa and Iowa State. No one at Drake? UNI? This is isolated to 2 university's where there are 4 D1 schools and countless #'s of other colleges that don't allow kids to gamble.
 
Fryowa said:
If track, soccer, and golf could ever get finished we could have a real baseball practice.

But then it'll just rain instead.
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That's what I had last week. I have 1 kid out of 24 that's not in a sport. 2 track meets and a church night both weeks. Practiced Tuesday, but had to get out early because of a concert. We got rained on Friday and Saturday. Couldn't go inside because of a cheerleading clinic. Practice tonight, but we have to take pictures because there's nothing else going on...until awards night. Looks like rain again on Friday and Saturday. Game Monday. Whatever. I've already decided that the 10 guys that played in our spring league are the 10 that are starting the first game.
 
99topdawg said:
That's what I had last week. I have 1 kid out of 24 that's not in a sport. 2 track meets and a church night both weeks. Practiced Tuesday, but had to get out early because of a concert. We got rained on Friday and Saturday. Couldn't go inside because of a cheerleading clinic. Practice tonight, but we have to take pictures because there's nothing else going on...until awards night. Looks like rain again on Friday and Saturday. Game Monday. Whatever. I've already decided that the 10 guys that played in our spring league are the 10 that are starting the first game.
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Yeah that’s where I’m at. We’ve had 3 nights where track, soccer, and golf all had away meets. Rain a couple nights but had a band contest in our gym.

I only had three starters who played some winter/spring ball, but to be honest the rest of our guys will be fine because they hit and threw two days a week all winter. Our freshman that came out are absolutely terrible and they need practice, but honestly I can’t turn them into ball players with two hours of practice. The older I get I feel like half of it is just hitting and throwing during the off season as long as they know the fundies and it won’t take long for them to get back in the groove. You either know the game or you don’t at this point, and if you can’t hardly hit a ball off a tee, no amount of high school practice a couple hours a night is going to turn you into a hitter. Private individual coaching would help, but no one’s going to go that far where I’m at.
 
InGoodCo said:
I think it's strange that this is isolated to Iowa and Iowa State. No one at Drake? UNI? This is isolated to 2 university's where there are 4 D1 schools and countless #'s of other colleges that don't allow kids to gamble.
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Exactly.. I'd mentioned to my buddy talking about this that if you look for it you'll find it. I have no doubts this is going on everywhere. For whatever reason(s) they've singled out them so far... Wonder if we'll ever find out the genesis of it.
 
InGoodCo said:
I think it's strange that this is isolated to Iowa and Iowa State. No one at Drake? UNI? This is isolated to 2 university's where there are 4 D1 schools and countless #'s of other colleges that don't allow kids to gamble.
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Saw on Twitter (no idea if it's true so don't blast me if it ends up false) that one of the things was some fantasy football going on between players at each school.
 
Fryowa said:
Yeah that’s where I’m at. We’ve had 3 nights where track, soccer, and golf all had away meets. Rain a couple nights but had a band contest in our gym.

I only had three starters who played some winter/spring ball, but to be honest the rest of our guys will be fine because they hit and threw two days a week all winter. Our freshman that came out are absolutely terrible and they need practice, but honestly I can’t turn them into ball players with two hours of practice. The older I get I feel like half of it is just hitting and throwing during the off season as long as they know the fundies and it won’t take long for them to get back in the groove. You either know the game or you don’t at this point, and if you can’t hardly hit a ball off a tee, no amount of high school practice a couple hours a night is going to turn you into a hitter. Private individual coaching would help, but no one’s going to go that far where I’m at.
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I made a list this weekend of the things I am able to cut out for the first game. If a team runs a 1st/3rd play or bunts against us, we're screwed. We aren't going to pick anybody off, etc. All we're doing is hitting, fielding, throwing, and pitching. If we can do all of those things on Monday, we'll be fine. I just hope we can do one of those things. We won't even be able to use the gym this weekend because it'll be set up for graduation so we'll have to set up relays in the lunchroom. Hopefully they can remember a bunch of this stuff from last year.
 
Here is the thing I don't get about all this. If there is no evidence of point shaving or nefarious outcomes, then why the hell is the Iowa Gaming Commission investigating this at all???? Its not their rule that prohibits athletes from gambling. Its the NCAA. This does not add up to me. Gaming commissions investigate illegal gambling or cheating.

I agree with another poster that the NCAA gambling prohibition will probably be challenged and it should be. Unless it is directly related to the sport the player is in, these young adults should be able to piss their money away gambling just like the rest of us.
 
Fryowa said:
I don't understand gambling in general. Honestly.

If I put down $100 on a team I'd be so scared shitless of losing my hard-earned money that it wouldn't be enjoyable to me. When it first got legalized in Iowa I put $50 in a DK account and it lasted me like 3 months. Placed some small bets of like $20 and some obvious parlays because I was too scared to make anything bigger. I have friends in my same age group who have a few grand in their accounts and they are constantly up or down throughout the year. I don't know how they do it...I'd be petrified.

My gambling history consists of $60 at a Meskwaki blackjack table in probably 2002 or 2003, $20 in a slot machine at Wild Rose during Ragbrai in 2012 ish, and the Draft Kings stuff a couple years ago that I mentioned earlier.

I 100% understand that people do it for the adrenaline rush, but my brain doesn't work that way. I don't get a rush, I get a feeling of remorse and stupidity and that's just with placing a total of $130 in my entire life.
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I don't get it either. If you bet on a favorite with your $100, you don't get double that $200 back. You prob get $120 or something so to me it doesn't really make it worth it. Now if you put $50 on a long shot and it comes thru, that's another story but again, that is a true guessing game and lucky if happens so that doesn't excite me either as most times you are going to be out your $50 and trying to make it up. I don't know enough to care to educate myself on it.

I'd so much rather take my chances at a Blackjack table, something I would have a little bit of control over.
 
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NorthKCHawk said:
Here is the thing I don't get about all this. If there is no evidence of point shaving or nefarious outcomes, then why the hell is the Iowa Gaming Commission investigating this at all???? Its not their rule that prohibits athletes from gambling. Its the NCAA. This does not add up to me. Gaming commissions investigate illegal gambling or cheating.

I agree with another poster that the NCAA gambling prohibition will probably be challenged and it should be. Unless it is directly related to the sport the player is in, these young adults should be able to piss their money away gambling just like the rest of us.
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This exactly came to my mind to. I don't get it.
 
99topdawg said:
I made a list this weekend of the things I am able to cut out for the first game. If a team runs a 1st/3rd play or bunts against us, we're screwed. We aren't going to pick anybody off, etc. All we're doing is hitting, fielding, throwing, and pitching. If we can do all of those things on Monday, we'll be fine. I just hope we can do one of those things. We won't even be able to use the gym this weekend because it'll be set up for graduation so we'll have to set up relays in the lunchroom. Hopefully they can remember a bunch of this stuff from last year.
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I have 3 guys total who've ever thrown a varsity pitch, one is a junior who started last year and the other two are sophomores who relieved. Numbers are just terrible. I'm going to have to use two other sophomores as well who've only ever pitched JV. It's gonna be a deal this year for sure.

I've braced myself for it, I'm going to throw my starters against beatable teams and throw those sophs against the ones we don't have a chance with. Just throw strikes, change speeds, and let the defense play. Whatever happens happens and you live with it.
 
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