There is the stereotype of debtors getting beat-up or thrown into the river if they don’t pay up. The anti-gambling establishment will point to bankruptcy and corruption as reasons to stamp out illegal gambling. Politically it can’t hurt the cops, D.A., etc. to bust a gambling ring prior to an election. It won’t be beneath the cops to bust even the smallest of small time players.

 

This can be very frustrating to the sports gambler. Breaks are part of the game and you can never predict which way they will go. In the 2006 Super Bowl, I personally picked Seattle +3. I figured right on this one. Everyone was favoring the tough Steelers and wasn’t giving Seattle much credit. I knew that Seattle was an underrated underdog and a good bet. Well, guess what? The refs did their best to take that game away from Seattle making lousy calls at critical times. I lost my money.

 

These are the easiest people for the cops to get, which will lead them to bigger fish to fry. Although society puts a low priority on it, it is best not to sports gamble illegally. The Refs 2005 was a particularly bad year for the referees, umpires and officials. They tended to make mistakes in big spots, sometimes being suckered by players into making bad calls.