Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers and four other current or former ISU and Iowa athletes have pleaded guilty to underage gambling, a reduced charge, after a state investigation into sports wagering.

Dekkers, offensive lineman Jake Remsburg, former Iowa State player Dodge Sauser, former Iowa kicker Aaon Blom and former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen all entered guilty pleas. They and other Iowa State and Iowa athletes had been charged with tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor that carried a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

The underage gambling charge carries a fine of $645. None of the men will face further criminal penalties.

“The original records tampering charge against these young men never fit this case, either legally or factually,” attorney Mark Weinhardt, who represents Dekkers, Remsburg and Sauser, said in a statement. “Hunter, Jake, and Dodge are not and never were guilty of that charge. The charge has nothing to do with gambling. Other than the fact that Hunter, Jake, and Dodge placed some bets before they turned 21, nothing about those bets was a crime under Iowa law.”

Weinhardt said the athletes can now “focus on the educational and eligibility aspects of this matter.”

Dekkers currently is not participating in team activities for Iowa State.

Rest is here…

David Purdum, ESPN

More than 1 in 4 American adults could bet on the NFL this season, a significant increase from last year, according to survey results released Wednesday by the American Gaming Association.

Approximately 73.5 million Americans — 28% of the adult population — are expected to bet on the NFL this season, the survey indicated. The estimate is a 57.7% increase from the results of the AGA) survey in 2022 and is an example of the rapid growth sports betting has experienced over the past five years.

The United States is entering its fifth football season since legal sports betting began spreading around the nation. Licensed sportsbooks have launched in 34 states, including heavily populated jurisdictions such as Massachusetts and Ohio, which opened earlier this year. Kentucky also is rushing to launch betting for the NFL season.

Rest is here…

Marc Raimondi, ESPN

UFC will use the program ProhiBet to expand its compliance with gambling regulations by catching fighters and others around the sport trying to place bets, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Through ProhiBet, wagers made by prohibited bettors — described in a release as UFC athletes, coaches, employees and officials — would be flagged by regulatory bodies and organizations.

UFC said ProhiBet, an encrypted system launched earlier this year, was “designed to safeguard sports integrity and ensures the adherence to state-specific regulations.” ProhiBet is a joint venture between Odds On Compliance and U.S. Integrity, the latter of which is UFC’s official betting integrity partner.

“ProhiBet’s cutting-edge technology provides a secure and transparent method for sports properties, both professional and collegiate, and sportsbook operators, to ensure that athletes, coaches, and league/school administrative staff remain compliant with the intricate web of state regulations that govern sports betting activities,” UFC said.

UFC’s use of ProhiBet comes on the heels of an investigation launched by the FBI last year into suspicious betting activity surrounding a bout between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke on Nov. 5.

Minner, his coach, James Krause, and his teammate Jeff Molina have all been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for their alleged involvement, pending multiple government investigations. UFC told fighters in December they must not train under Krause or they would face a ban. ESPN reported in January that Krause worked for an offshore bookmaking operation for years.

Rest is here…

The Associated Press and Stephen Whyno

(AP) – When the NFL season kicks off this week, Kentucky residents and visitors — for the first time — will be able to legally place sports bets on something other than horse racing. When they do, some of that money will also fund the state’s first program for people with gambling problems.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for legalized sports betting five years ago, nearly three-fourths of the states have moved swiftly to allow it. State funding for problem gambling services has not kept pace, although more states — like Kentucky — are requiring at least a portion of sports wagering revenues to go toward helping addicted gamblers.

“The funding is starting to flow, but the amount is still clearly inadequate in most states,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. He added: “Most of these amounts are token.”

Legal sports betting operators took in $220 billion during the past five years, generating $3 billion in state and local taxes.

 

By contrast, states spent an average of 38 cents per capita on problem gambling services in the 2022 fiscal year, ranging from nothing in nine states to $10.6 million in Massachusetts, according the Portland, Oregon-based consulting firm Problem Gambling Solutions Inc. That money, which came from all forms of gambling, went toward services such as telephone helplines, counseling and public awareness campaigns.

The federal government, which spends billions of dollars on substance abuse prevention and treatment, provides nothing for gambling problems.

Advocates in Kentucky, which has a rich horse racing history, had tried for decades to persuade lawmakers to fund services for people with gambling problems. There was no guarantee they would finally succeed when sports betting was proposed.

In fact, Republican state Rep. Michael Meredith did not originally include any funding for problem gambling in his legislation that legalized sports betting. Meredith told The Associated Press he would have preferred to first launch sports wagering, then come back in subsequent years with legislation earmarking problem-gambling funding from all types of betting, including horse racing.

 

But Meredith couldn’t rally enough support to pass the bill this year until a provision was added dedicating 2.5% of sports wagering taxes and licensing fees to a new problem gambling account, which also can be tapped for alcohol and drug addictions.

Rest is here…

Anyone who has read Gaming the Game or has followed my research on professional gambling (or has simply been interested in the topic, generally), is familiar with gambling legend Billy Walters.  Walters published his autobiography “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk” in 2023, and I was glad to discuss the book on the Unabated podcast.   Co-hosts Thomas Viola and Jason Weingarten were well-informed and the exchange was enjoyable and informative.

Pete Thamel, ESPN

Iowa State was without starting offensive lineman Jake Remsburg for Saturday’s 30-9 victory against Northern Iowa on Saturday, as he is expecting a six-game NCAA suspension amid a gambling investigation that has rippled through the program, sources confirmed to ESPN.

That makes five projected starters expected to miss time for Iowa State, including quarterback Hunter Dekkers, leading rusher Jirehl Brock, tight end DeShawn Hanika and defensive lineman Isaiah Lee. Both Brock and Lee have left the team, while Dekkers and Hanika are still on the roster but have not participated in camp.

Remsburg’s expected suspension was first reported by the Des Moines Register. His betting activity did not include games in which Iowa State participated, according to multiple reports.

Rest is here…

Dan E. Moldea, Mobology

In Billy Walters’ just-released, best-selling book—Gambler:  Secrets from a Life at Risk (with Armen Keteyian, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster)—one of the centerpieces of this fascinating work is his involvement with “The Computer Group,” a remarkably successful, even history-making, sports-gambling operation that wreaked havoc on the legal and illegal gambling communities during the 1980s.

     The Computer Group was the target of a major FBI investigation—until it wasn’t.

     In my 1989 work—Interference:  How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football (Morrow)—the on-then off-then on again federal investigation of The Computer Group was one of the targets of my book in which I had alleged that no fewer than 50 legitimate investigations of corruption associated with the NFL were either suppressed or flat-out killed.

     In the “everything old is new again” category, there is already much discussion in the legal and illegal gambling communities about Walters’ new take on this old case. 

     Here is what Billy Walters wrote about me and my role:

     Life could not have been sweeter, until August of 1989 when an investigative book called Interference stirred the pot in our gambling game.

     Author Dan Moldea reprised the story of the Computer Group investigation and inferred that no one was indicted because Merv Adelson, the head of Lorimar-Telepictures, was involved with the Group. Adelson’s then-wife was television star Barbara Walters, who happened to be best friends with Nancy Reagan, the wife of President Ronald Reagan, a connection that was questioned but never reported by Moldea due to a lack of documented evidence.

     That said, a Justice Department source cited in the book told Moldea: “The problem is that the Justice Department knows it’s an organized-crime operation, with some embarrassing links to major celebrities in the worlds of sports, politics, and entertainment. This whole investigation has been stalled for political reasons.” That inference did not sit well with certain folks in the Justice Department and strike force.

     Six months later, the FBI came calling yet again on the morning of January 5, 1990—just two weeks before the five-year statute of limitations on the Computer Group case was set to expire. I was sleeping off an all-night poker game when a swarm of agents came barreling in at eight in the morning. . . . 

Those of us who were charged faced a total of 120 counts of alleged conspiracy, violations of the Interstate Transmission of Wagering Information, and Use of Interstate Facilities in Aid of Racketeering.

     Because of the sudden resurrection of this controversy, I am going to sit back and watch how all of this shakes out during the coming weeks. 

     I will note that I conducted an exclusive interview for my book with Dr. Ivan Mindlin, the mastermind and founder of The Computer Group, and that I was subpoenaed and deposed under oath during the group’s civil case in 1990 while federal prosecutors prepared for their ill-fated RICO trial.

     Also, my book, Interference, was targeted by the FBI’s notorious Book Review Section because of this and other cases in my book in which I had alleged that federal investigations were suppressed or killed.

    Meantime, here is my last MOBOLOGY post of August 20—“Legalized Gambling Will Destroy College and Professional Sports”—in which I interviewed the top oddsmakers and bookmakers in the country for my book while The Computer Group was driving the gambling community crazy.

     Shortly, I will release my latest archive contribution—”Moldea v. New York Times:  A David and Goliath proxy fight after David published allegations about the NFL and the Mafia.”  The FBI investigation of Interference and my law-enforcement sources, which became an issue in my litigation against the Times, is discussed.

     Stay tuned.

Geoff Zochodne, Covers

How is Billy Walters still going? That’s the question I kept asking myself while reading his autobiography, “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk,” which was written with journalist Armen Keteyian and is officially out today.

Even if you don’t factor in his legal troubles and beatings both mental and physical, Walters put himself through the wringer regularly just by how he chose to make his living: betting on sports. There are a lot of examples to choose from in his book, but how’s this: Walters, arguably one of the greatest sports gamblers of all-time, lost $1.185 million on the 2009 Super Bowl — by halftime. 

While millions were amazed by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison’s iconic interception return before the break, Walters had plunked down $850,000 on the Arizona Cardinals +4 for the first half (among other things) and was seeing that cash go up in smoke as the Steelers went ahead 17-7. 

“As the record-setting one-hundred-yard interception return for a touchdown unfolded on the TV screen in our Las Vegas home, Susan [Billy’s wife] and I could not believe that a 243-pound linebacker was traversing the entire length of a football field with my pretty money in his arms,” Walters writes.  

But this is Billy Walters we’re talking about here. Instead of reacting like most mortals — filing for bankruptcy, dying of shock, etc. — Walters’ handicapping (and he explains his methods in the book) had him expecting a tight game, and he’d wagered $1.5 million on the outcome accordingly. The 27-23 win for Pittsburgh netted him $315,000 for the day, even with the first-half massacre. 

That’s just one of several “war stories” Walters tells in “Gambler,” which could have easily been titled “The Rise and Fall and Rise of Billy Walters (Ad Infinitum)” given its chronicling of his failures and successes, business, personal, and otherwise. 

While he is now a certified legend of sports betting, Walters did not travel a straight line to get there. Billy’s book shows he was at times someone who could be flush by dinner, broke by breakfast, and on his way back up by lunchtime. That wagering happened at casinos, sports betting sites, the stock market, and golf courses. 

“I gambled until I had all your money, or you had all of mine,” Walters writes. 

Rest is here…

Stephen Holder, ESPN

Ten NFL players have been suspended for gambling violations since April, and the infractions have revealed a foundational problem: Many players say they aren’t familiar with the league policy, especially the part that prohibits betting from team and league facilities or while on the road with their teams. And some want that policy to change.

ESPN interviewed 53 players, a full NFL roster’s worth, to find out the prevalence of sports betting, whether players fully understand the NFL gambling policy and what aspects they would change. The players were provided anonymity to let them speak candidly, although some chose to speak on the record.

“You’re telling me that if I walk 10 feet from the [facility’s] door it doesn’t matter anymore?” one player said. “I just think that’s kind of dumb. It’s pointless. I don’t see how that’s helping anything.”

Another player added: “Why can’t players bet on other sports that don’t compromise the integrity of the game?”

NFL players are permitted to bet on sports other than the NFL when they’re not at team or league facilities or on the road with their team, but several have been hit with six-game suspensions for betting from the wrong location or at the wrong time. When traveling with their teams, they’re prohibited from betting from the time they leave their home until they return.

“I would like to see that changed,” one player said. “[The suspended players] may have just not understood the rule. That is unfortunate.”

The recent violations prompted the league to reexamine how it educates players and personnel on its gambling policy. Based on a new directive for this season, rookies are now obligated to watch an additional training video from NFL compliance that opens with a message about the “importance of game integrity.” NFL compliance officials have been traveling to team facilities this summer, giving presentations on the gambling policy to players and personnel.

“It comes back to, in large part, a couple of rules that have existed as long as anybody can remember,” said Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy. “Don’t bet on the NFL. That’s not new because sports gambling is more available. That’s always been the case.

“And don’t bet when you’re at work, wherever work happens to be in that moment. That’s existed for a long time.”

It may have existed for a long time, but since the Supreme Court struck down a federal statute in 2018 that restricted sports betting mostly to Nevada, the landscape has been shifting rapidly across leagues. The NFL has found a revenue stream with three official sportsbook partners in Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel. And some players are struggling to keep up.

“The crazy thing is it’s so prevalent in our game,” one player said. “There always has to be refresher courses.”

Players’ thoughts, concerns and complaints about how the gambling policy fits in are below.

Rest is here…

Associated Press, ESPN

Iowa defensive tackle Noah Shannon, who has acknowledged his involvement in sports wagering, has been suspended for the season, coach Kirk Ferentz announced Wednesday.

Ferentz told reporters in Iowa City that the school would appeal the NCAA’s decision.

Shannon has not been charged in the state’s criminal investigation of illegal sports wagering by athletes at Iowa and Iowa State. The senior from Aurora, Illinois, has started 28 games and came out of spring listed No. 1 at left defensive tackle.

Ferentz said Shannon made at least one wager on an event involving a Hawkeyes team in another sport, which is an NCAA violation punishable by a permanent loss of eligibility.

Shannon said on Aug. 11 that he had cooperated with the NCAA and provided information.

“They’re taking their time doing their investigation, and I can’t be mad at them for that,” he said. “I mean, I broke a rule. I owned up to it.”

Ferentz said Shannon, who spent the offseason rehabbing an injury, will be allowed to practice and otherwise be with the team. The suspension prohibits him only from playing in games.

“In Noah’s case, he has not committed a crime at all. Nothing criminal,” Ferentz said. “I just feel like it’s a little bit harsh. I think it’s punitive, me personally, and I’m hopeful they’ll reconsider his case.”

Two current Iowa players, kicker Aaron Blom and wide receiver Jack Johnson, have been charged with tampering with records in the gambling case. Both are suspected of making wagers while under the legal age of 21 and placing them on mobile sports wagering accounts registered under the names of other people.

Blom and Johnson are walk-ons, and Ferentz did not provide updates on their status. Blom is suspected of placing a bet on an Iowa football game as well as multiple bets on other contests involving other Iowa teams. Johnson is alleged to have made bets on Iowa football and men’s basketball games.

According to electronic court records, Blom has not entered a plea and Johnson has pleaded not guilty. The tampering charge stems from the players allegedly attempting to disguise their identities as NCAA athletes and being underage. The aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by up to two years in prison and fines.

The Iowa athletic department issued a statement Tuesday announcing 11 athletes will have their eligibility impacted as a result of the investigation. The athletic department said it could not identify the athletes without their consent.

Rest is here…