ESPN Betting Analyst Fired Over Anti-Gay Tweets
This week’s gambling news starts off with an ESPN analyst fired over Tweets and ends with a cautionary tale as to how many times Americans could be exposed to gaming ads in the near future. We’ll start there as we recap this week’s gambling news.
ESPN Betting Analyst Fired Over Tweets
Recently hired gambling analyst Kelly Stewart didn’t end up lasting very long with ESPN.
It was just one month after her official hire when she was let go over old Twitter messages. It was reported that ESPN got their hands on old messages from Stewart back in 2012 that were since deleted.
Some of those tweets had anti-gay slurs.
Stewart apologized after being terminated, stating that she understands how hurtful some of her words were and that it was a lapse in judgment on her end. Though she closed her statement by saying how she wouldn’t apologize for standing up to attacks that she and other popular females face on a daily basis.
Stewart was scheduled to take part in ESPN’s Daily Wager podcast along with a number of other projects that they were working on. She had a reputation for being a top handicapper in the ever-growing betting industry as well.
Jon Rahm Situation Leads To BetMGM, Other Books Paying Out Bets
Anybody who wanted to place a bet on the Memorial Tournament, specifically Jon Rahm, was hit with a hard loss recently.
Rahm was leading the tournament after three rounds but immediately after he finished the round and held his six-stroke lead, officials approached him and let him know he tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, he had to withdraw.
Online sportsbooks handled this in a really positive way as BetMGM and a number of other companies actually paid out all of the wagers as winners.
Rahm not only was the defending champion of this tournament but he was also six strokes under par by the time round three ended. At that point, it looked like it was just a matter of time before Rahm would be able to win the tournament once again.
In the end, Patrick Cantlay ended up emerging victorious at the Memorial Tournament. Had Rahm been healthy, he would have likely won but books like BetMGM Sportsbook ended up paying both as it wasn’t a huge liability.
A couple of other sportsbooks simply voided the bet, which – for the most part – made more sense.
Documentary Shows That Gambling Logos Pop Up 700 Times In One Soccer Match
As sportsbooks in the state of New Jersey buy up ad space virtually everywhere, a new study just how much we can expect to see online gaming promotion in the near future.
Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson lets loose on sports gambling during a documentary that showed gambling logos can appear up to 700 times in one soccer game broadcast.
Davidson claims that the industry needs a “radical rethink” and that it is a “parasite that’s taking over the host.”
Davidson’s comments come at a time where the government is reviewing certain betting laws in the United Kingdom while the companies in the United States scoop up every little bit of airspace.
Davidson went further to talk about “cross-selling”, which is when gambling companies hook sports fans on other products like casino games and really rack up the profits.
The Gambling Commission also sent out a report that downplayed the idea that there was a problem. The spokesperson for the Betting & Gaming Council said that “one problem gambler is one too many” and that they are going to keep trying to promote safer gambling and limit the amount of exposure that is on every match.
However, Americans have to be conscious of this as we get more and more exposure to gaming brands.