Smith said young players are the most vulnerable in terms of getting involved with gambling scandalsOhio State
Gambling scandals have been a "part of college sports for generations," but legal gambling "creates potential issues that probably can’t even be foreseen yet," according to Bill Rabinowitz of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. College administrators are "bracing for its arrival and trying to safeguard against potential abuses that might arise from it." Ohio State AD Gene Smith "mentioned prop gambling" as a "particular worry." He said that he "envisioned a time when apps can issue a prop bet on, say, whether a kickoff goes out of bounds, or in basketball, if a player misses a free throw." Smith said of legalized sports gambling, "It concerns me from the point of view of the athlete -- making sure we protect people. My biggest concern is educating, educating, educating, and then putting in firewalls to protect them.” He said that the most vulnerable players are "young players who may be immature and haven’t fully bought into the team’s culture." Smith: "We know gambling exists now. We’re not naive. But as it becomes more transparent and prevalent, our kids are going to be more susceptible to people trying to influence them to do things. How do we protect them from making a bad decision? ... In my view, we’ll be fine and we shouldn’t overreact. I’m not supportive of (legalized college sports betting), but we are where we are and we have to deal with it" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 7/5).
