Now that sports betting has become legalized in the United States, the NBA is looking to make sure that players, coaches, and its staff don't take advantage of the rules and ultimately jeopardize the integrity of the league. In a report from ESPN, NBA Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum explained some of the strategies that are being employed to make sure the players don't do anything regrettable.
"A lot of it has to do with education with respect to our players, with respect to our teams," Tatum explained. "We're spending a lot of time learning from the mistakes that were made and what we're seeing in sports betting in places around the world.
Other sports such as soccer and tennis have had match-fixing and betting scandals in the past. For instance, 28 tennis players were arrested recently for allegedly rigging matches, according to ESPN.
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Tatum says these are the exact situations the league wants to avoid. While the league wants to improve education and its gambling policies, they still believe regulated sports betting is a positive development.
"We're trying to educate our fans. We're educating our players and our teams. We're taking a little bit of a cautious approach here. ... But generally, we think it's a good thing for sports betting to be regulated, to be legalized, so there is better information being captured," Tatum said.
The NBA is currently working with the English Premier League to learn more about how to go about educating its players and implementing stronger policies.
