NBA stars are undisputed leaders, the elite of basketball. Each of them came to the sport for the drive, the victories, and the thrill that accompanies every game. And when that thrill is no longer enough, PayID pokies Australia no deposit bonus comes into play. If an athlete approaches such games irresponsibly, it can turn into a scandal for the entire league. We have studied the most high-profile incidents involving NBA athletes and will reveal the dark side of professional basketball — gambling addicts and their influence on the league’s current policy on casino games.
Shawn Kemp — obsession and financial crash
Kemp was one of the brightest stars of the NBA in the 1990s, known as the face of the Seattle SuperSonic team. However, between 1997 and 2005, the athlete slowly started to lose his form, bringing failure to the team. The basketball player had discipline problems and numerous lawsuits were filed against him for non-payment of alimony, among other things.
Although this was not the only problem, betting played a role in the star’s downfall. Kemp gained a reputation as a celebrity who burned himself out due to an incorrect lifestyle and fell from his pedestal as a star to the position of a reserve player. The NBA, in turn, drew conclusions and implemented a systematic approach to mental health issues. Today, the league is heavily involved in financial literacy programs for young people to overcome addictions including for PayID pokies and also funds rehabilitation projects.
Charles Barkley — one of the biggest losses
The next high-profile scandal spanned 2006-2008. Barkley, known as an NBA legend and one of the most successful game commentators, publicly admitted that he had lost more than $10 million. The scandal erupted because the athlete called it just an expensive habit and refused to comment on it from the position of the guilty person. The cherry on top was a lawsuit filed by Wynn Casino, which accused him of owing $400,000.
Overall, the situation was resolved quite successfully. Barkley managed to pay off his debt, kept his job on TV, and made the topic of gambling addiction public. The NBA, in turn, began to work more actively with teenagers in the area of gambling addiction prevention. The league also paid attention to the public image of its stars, limiting gambling advertising in the context of image contracts with PayID pokies operators.
Gilbert Arenas — explosive incident with a card game
Every team has its own traditions and entertainment away from the public eye. In the Washington Wizards’ locker room, it was a simple card game, which the athletes played in a friendly manner, but still bet money for added excitement. After one such game, Arenas quarreled with an opponent over a money debt, and the dispute quickly escalated into mutual threats. The result was that Gilbert brought a firearm to the locker room, which was the height of absurdity.
As a result, today it is forbidden to gamble in all NBA team facilities. The league’s policy is very simple: no gambling on its premises, even on athletes’ personal phones. The initiator of the scandal was punished for his behaviour immediately. He was disqualified from 2009 to 2010, the Wizards terminated his contract, ending his All-Star career, and criminal charges were brought against him — after all, a conflict involving a firearm is no joke.
Antoine Walker — another crime action
During the same period, another star found himself in an equally scandalous situation. Walker, known as an NBA champion, three-time All-Star and key player for the Boston Celtics, lost $110 million — practically his entire earnings from his stellar career. What’s more, because of his huge debts, he resorted to crime by writing empty cheques — and was sued for it. In 2010, the athlete declared himself bankrupt, having lost almost everything.
But that didn’t break Walker. He managed to find a solution and climb out of the debt pit. The athlete returned the money by making deals with gambling operators, and today he is doing everything he can to ensure that no one else ends up in his situation. He is an ambassador for a financial literacy program for young athletes and publicly tells his story as a warning. The NBA, in turn, is more actively supporting such initiatives and has also launched a project to study the risks of gambling addiction for pokies PayID and card games among professional sportsmen.
A history of glory and fallings
All these scandals are real proof that professional sport goes hand in hand with gambling. And this is just the tip of the iceberg — we have only highlighted cases related to games, without touching on bookmakers. There are even more scandals in sports betting — both athletes and even NBA referees have repeatedly tried to make money in this way, which, of course, ultimately led to failure and serious sanctions. Therefore, we would like to remind , that gambling always involves risk, regardless of a person’s status, so it is necessary to gamble responsibly, without violating existing rules and laws.
