Bob Seger’s first introduction to the American public was his 1968 hit “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”, a song about a man living his life at the tables, living for the big win. Who knew that 55 years later, that song could have such wide-meaning outside the blackjack and poker tables of neighborhood casino?
The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation announced last Wednesday that 4 Iowa State student-athletes, including the Cyclones starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers, and 3 Iowa student-athletes, had been indicted in a gambling scandal with the charge of “tampering with records” in regards to online sports betting.
Dekkers, being the quarterback of one of the state’s two FBS programs, was alleged to have placed 366 wagers on sporting events, including 26 wagers on Iowa State events and a sole bet on a game he was involved in when Iowa State defeated Oklahoma State in 2021 (Dekkers was the back-up quarterback). In all, Dekkers wagers totaled nearly $2,800, seems like a lot…until you look at the totals from the other Iowa State athletes. Reserve offensive lineman Dodge Sauser is alleged of placing bets on 12 Iowa State football games last season against Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, as he totaled $3,075 in wagers on all his bets, while Cyclone wrestler Paniro Johnson wagered a total of over $45,000 on 1,283 bets, 25 of those bets placed on Iowa State.
Former Cyclones weren’t absolved either, as former Cyclone defensive end and current Denver Bronco Enyi Uwazurike was also charged in the sting, accused of betting on games he played in at Iowa State and placing 32 (!!) wagers on Broncos games and players last season. Uwazurike could see up to 2 years in prison if convicted.
For Iowa, former baseball player Gehrig Christensen was charged with the similar “tampering with records” violation, as well as backup placekicker Aaron Blom, and former Iowa point guard and current Nebraska point guard Ahron Ulis. Christensen and Blom’s numbers were “tame”, with Christensen only placing 559 wagers that totaled over $2,400, and Blom placed a single (albeit underage) bet on the 2021 Iowa-Iowa State football game. Ulis, however, placed over $35,000 in wagers, including a wager on one Iowa sporting event.
Altogether, the news of these indictments broke the most publicized collegiate athletics gambling scandal since the Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal of the late-70s. Now, is this as big a problem as that was? Absolutely not, there is no Henry Hill, Jimmy Burke or Lucchese Crime Family involvement in this, nor is there any suspected or confirmed point-shaving, seen as one of the cardinal sins of gambling in sports.
However, betting on games that you, as an athlete, are involved in, regardless whether you are playing in said game or riding the pine, is about as smart as…well….nothing, really. It’s been proven time and time again that you will be caught, just ask Pete Rose or Tim Donaghy, you will always be found out.
In this day and age of technology, thought, these athletes will be far from the last to deal with this sort of issue surrounding online sports betting. Heck, with the time I took to write this article, I could’ve made an 8-leg parlay that could win over $1,000 tonight and I’d only have to throw down $5 on it. Just like everything else in this era, the good, the bad and the ugly are all available at your fingertips.
Now, in my book, I don’t believe sports gambling is a good, nor a bad, or even an ugly. It’s really a gray area with how terminology such as “lines” or “spreads” or “over/under” has become as common as the terminology’s of “touchdown” or “three-pointer” or “home run”. It’s been embroidered into the youth of America’s brain thanks to the now-constant pushing of the gambling aspect, which used to be more cleverly and subduedly dropped by legendary broadcasters such as Al Michaels and Brent Musberger.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve partaken in sports gambling, but never once did I wager money on a game I broadcast when I was covering Iowa through college radio. As a matter of fact, I know athletes that placed sports wagers while they were competing in college, and you know what, those college athletes are simple college kids like you were and like I was. Young people do dumb things, while there needs to be accountability held for those that 1) gamble underage, and 2) place bets on contests they, themselves, are competing in, the other 90% of sports gambling college kids do is harmless, at worst.
If a college athlete wants to put $20 down on Bulls to cover a 6.5-point spread against the Pelicans on a meaningless Tuesday night in February, why can’t they be like the rest of us? Even placing a bet on a college game, I don’t have a problem with it. I openly told my friends who were athletes whether I had money on their game in some fashion after the fact, quite a bit. They didn’t think about it for 2 seconds it afterwards.
There is no one, 1000% correct opinion throughout this whole scandal, those that have been around sports enough know that there is nuance to this. An athlete should never EVER have money on a game he or she is competing in or has a role in, it puts the integrity of the game at stake, and puts livelihood at stake. From the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, to the basketball gambling scandals of CCNY, Kentucky, Boston College and Tim Donaghy, and to the Pete Rose scandal, that type of gambling is the gambling that the public should be fighting to keep our favorite past times sacred.
As for the 19-year old redshirt freshman that wants to put $10 down on the Carolina Panthers cover a 10.5-point spread against the Dallas Cowboys at 3 PM on a Sunday afternoon? The actual harm-level is about as high as you stepping on a roach.
(Photo Credit – Iowa State Athletics/Wesley Winterink)