In a brief interview on Tuesday, March 19, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton commented on the proliferation and embrace of sports betting.
Haliburton was asked about his decision to frequently speak with a sports psychologist, which he said has helped him even when he's not been struggling. "Obviously, what happens on the court is what happens on the court," he shared. "Not everyone cares to hear how we feel... To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I’m a prop."
He said that most of his social media consists of sports betting content now. "I think it's important for us to have someone to talk to," he continued. "I think all that stuff, it can be funny sometimes when somebody's like ‘I lost a thousand dollars now.’ I don’t give a fuck. I do think that it's important for us to just have conversations with people who value us as human beings."
Sports betting has gotten significantly more popular in recent years, especially with the rise of DraftKings and other similar platforms. It's not just a form of additional income for some fans, but the key way they make money.
Some have unfortunately taken things a bit too far, though, as Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff explained after Haliburton's comments. He said that gamblers directly made threats against him during the last season, which he reported to the NBA.
"They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff," he shared, per Associated Press. "So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure." He said that one of the gamblers who made the threats was located, but no charges were filed.
“It brings added pressure,” he added. “It brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, everybody that’s involved in it. And I think that we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it. ... A lot of times the people who are gambling like this money pays their light bill or pay their rent, and then the emotions that come from that. So I do think we’re walking a very fine line and we have to be extremely careful in protecting everybody who’s involved."
Despite some concern shown by players and coaches alike, the NBA recently announced that it will bring in-app live betting to NBA League Pass. The league is teaming up with Sportsradar, FanDuel, and DraftKings Sportsbook to allow betting in states where gambling is legal.
