Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff warns of 'dark side' to legalized sports betting
Jan. 2—Caesars Sportsbook inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse opened for legalized gambling for the first time ever in Ohio on Jan. 2 — just one more thing for Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his peers in the coaching world to think about.
The Sportsbook inside the FieldHouse was crowded about 90 minutes before tipoff between the Cavaliers and visiting Chicago Bulls, though most of the patrons were sitting at tables, eating, sipping drinks and watching the array of televisions spread around the room. Only a handful of customers were placing bets at the kiosks that are about the size of an in-store ATM.
"You can't hope but notice it and see it's there," Bickerstaff said while referring to the bombardment of commercials aired during NFL games and other sporting events on television trying to convince fans to get in on the action. "It's something I try to stay away from as best as I possibly can.
"I do think it's something that moving forward we're going to have to spend more time on educating ourselves and all of our guys on, because we know the downside or the dark side of it. We have to be careful. There are so many things that can lead to trouble, even that you might see as innocent."
Bickerstaff used as an example he could have been out walking, say in the afternoon before the game with the Bulls. A fan, or a gambler, might recognize him and casually ask if Darius Garland is going to play. Garland missed the game in Chicago on Dec. 31 with a thumb injury. He was listed as doubtful for the rematch in Cleveland.
"In your mind, you don't think about it at the moment," Bickerstaff said. "That guy goes and turns (the information) into a bet and it comes back and is somehow related to you. There are small things we'll have to be sensitive to and more aware of."
Cavaliers' chief lawyer Jason Hillman addressed the team about the perils and consequences of gambling before the season began. Legal or not, players can't get involved in placing bets, and neither can their immediate relatives. Doing so could lead to all kinds of problems.
The NBA and Caesars are partners in the gambling venture. That means more money for all 30 teams the same way television money is divided.
"I'm not opposed to it," Bickerstaff said. "I think it has to be managed properly and people need to be educated about it.
"We are in the business of making money, and it's going to put a bump in the finances for everybody, which is what you hope. I genuinely believe we are part of the best league in the country of the four major sports. They're not going to do anything to compromise the integrity of this league. I have full trust and confidence in that."
Thirty states plus the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting.
