Special Olympics bets

"Gamble On" had a short discussion about there being betting available on the Special Olympics going on I believe now. One of the hosts said he had a special needs kid (thought the kid was no athlete) and that being treated as "normal" is the goal. OTOH, it is an amateur event which some people are against betting on and despite all the mainstreaming you can have, it is still the Special Olympics.

Discuss. Would you bet it assuming you knew what or who to bet?

Refs are quitting regular youth games because parents are irate and threatening and out of control. Don't add betting to it if you don't want gamblers threatening athletes. There's so many TV shows where gamblers get amateur athletes to throw games for a bookie debt. There's no place for gamblers in this sport that won't corrupt the sport. Just go to Draft Kings and bet on whatever they've got going on there.

Quote: AZDuffman

"Gamble On" had a short discussion about there being betting available on the Special Olympics going on I believe now. One of the hosts said he had a special needs kid (thought the kid was no athlete) and that being treated as "normal" is the goal. OTOH, it is an amateur event which some people are against betting on and despite all the mainstreaming you can have, it is still the Special Olympics.

Discuss. Would you bet it assuming you knew what or who to bet?
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Why not? They already have betting on ‘amateur’ events like college football and baseball and basketball. I doubt I’d bet because I have no familiarity with any of the athletes, nor any interest in competition. But if a good enough bonus or other offer is available I’d make a bet.

Quote: AZDuffman

"Gamble On" had a short discussion about there being betting available on the Special Olympics going on I believe now. One of the hosts said he had a special needs kid (thought the kid was no athlete) and that being treated as "normal" is the goal. OTOH, it is an amateur event which some people are against betting on and despite all the mainstreaming you can have, it is still the Special Olympics.

Discuss. Would you bet it assuming you knew what or who to bet?
link to original post

I can think of a bunch of different reasons why betting on the Special Olympics offends the dignity of the games and the participants.

For decades my parents always bought Oldsmobiles. When the stopped making them my Mom went to a Chevy dealership and test drove an equivalent model. The salesman said that it was the same car made in the same factory but just made by Chevy now. Mom said, "When you close the doors and drive it you can tell the difference," She now drives Toyotas,

there should be a law that says any bets made on any person that the person gets a cut... duck the sports betting industry in this case

Quote: GenoDRPh

Quote: AZDuffman

"Gamble On" had a short discussion about there being betting available on the Special Olympics going on I believe now. One of the hosts said he had a special needs kid (thought the kid was no athlete) and that being treated as "normal" is the goal. OTOH, it is an amateur event which some people are against betting on and despite all the mainstreaming you can have, it is still the Special Olympics.

Discuss. Would you bet it assuming you knew what or who to bet?
link to original post

I can think of a bunch of different reasons why betting on the Special Olympics offends the dignity of the games and the participants.

Name a few, please. Isn't the fastest runner still the fastest runner?

Quote:

For decades my parents always bought Oldsmobiles. When the stopped making them my Mom went to a Chevy dealership and test drove an equivalent model. The salesman said that it was the same car made in the same factory but just made by Chevy now. Mom said, "When you close the doors and drive it you can tell the difference," She now drives Toyotas,
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They did used to make the interiors a little nicer as you went up the line. And the Olds Bravada had its own 4WD system its twins did not have.

Quote: heatmap

there should be a law that says any bets made on any person that the person gets a cut... duck the sports betting industry in this case
link to original post

I love this idea for the players. I think they would pass off the costs to the sports bettors. I have no doubt they would come up with some BS reason why thays a conflict of interest. IIRC they didn't want to allow pro sports teams in Vegas because of sports betting.

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: heatmap

there should be a law that says any bets made on any person that the person gets a cut... duck the sports betting industry in this case
link to original post

I love this idea for the players. I think they would pass off the costs to the sports bettors. I have no doubt they would come up with some BS reason why thays a conflict of interest. IIRC they didn't want to allow pro sports teams in Vegas because of sports betting.
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Only reason is that there is no reason for it. Why should they get a cut? They are not party to the transaction.

I believe PA bans player prop bets on college ball. I can see that, talk about easy to fix. A kid could pay his tuition on one game.

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: heatmap

there should be a law that says any bets made on any person that the person gets a cut... duck the sports betting industry in this case
link to original post

I love this idea for the players. I think they would pass off the costs to the sports bettors. I have no doubt they would come up with some BS reason why thays a conflict of interest. IIRC they didn't want to allow pro sports teams in Vegas because of sports betting.
link to original post

Only reason is that there is no reason for it. Why should they get a cut? They are not party to the transaction.

I believe PA bans player prop bets on college ball. I can see that, talk about easy to fix. A kid could pay his tuition on one game.
link to original post

NY bans it also. It is of course a stupid rule. If you are allowing bets on the result of the game, the pointspread, the over/under, which all can be ‘fixed’ by a player, you should allow prop bets on players. There are laws with pretty severe penalties for fixing games.

Quote: SOOPOO

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: heatmap

there should be a law that says any bets made on any person that the person gets a cut... duck the sports betting industry in this case
link to original post

I love this idea for the players. I think they would pass off the costs to the sports bettors. I have no doubt they would come up with some BS reason why thays a conflict of interest. IIRC they didn't want to allow pro sports teams in Vegas because of sports betting.
link to original post

Only reason is that there is no reason for it. Why should they get a cut? They are not party to the transaction.

I believe PA bans player prop bets on college ball. I can see that, talk about easy to fix. A kid could pay his tuition on one game.
link to original post

NY bans it also. It is of course a stupid rule. If you are allowing bets on the result of the game, the pointspread, the over/under, which all can be ‘fixed’ by a player, you should allow prop bets on players. There are laws with pretty severe penalties for fixing games.
link to original post

Fixing an entire game is much harder. Even the Henry Hill Boston College fix was not what it was made out to be. You need several players in on it and you need other things to go your way. A single player prop though, easy as telling a boxer "in the fifth your ass goes down." Or a smart player just seeing what their over/under is and dogging the whole time, getting fouled out on purpose, whatever. And much harder to prove, assuming the kid is smart enough to get a beard to place the bets.

I would have no problem betting on the Special Olympics assuming I believe that I had an edge. I will bet on anything for small fun wagers. I have bet on odometer readings on cars being Odd or Even, I have bet on if the next patron to come into the bar will be male or female.

I know very little about the Special Olympics.

However, my concerns about betting on it are:

Are the contests sincere?

Are the rules applied differently for players with different circumstances/ level of disability?

To what extent do man-made technological devices have an influence on the performance of the athletes? Are there different "generations" of technology being used by the athletes?

Quote: gordonm888

I know very little about the Special Olympics.

However, my concerns about betting on it are:

Are the contests sincere?

Are the rules applied differently for players with different circumstances/ level of disability?

To what extent do man-made technological devices have an influence on the performance of the athletes? Are there different "generations" of technology being used by the athletes?
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It depends on the level and what you mean by "sincere," but if you mean, are they competing against each other rather than just in it for the competition/athleticism, remember that the first three words of the Special Olympics athletes' oath are, "Let me win." ("...but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.")

I assume the only betting is for events at the Special Olympics World Games. I am under the impression that, at "local" levels, while there is some competitiveness, the most important part is taking part.

Your mention of technology makes me think you are confusing the Special Olympics, which I am pretty sure is limited to athletes with mental disabilities, with the Paralympics, which is mainly for physical disabilities. Note that, while the Paralympics are run by the International Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the Special Olympics are not, although it is one of very few organizations that the IOPC allows to use the word Olympics in competition. (Ever hear of the Gay Games? The first ones, in 1982, were called Gay Olympics, but the IOPC (just IOC at the time) threatened a lawsuit as the name implied an official IOC sanctioning of the event.)

Quote: ThatDonGuy

Gay Olympics

First one to their Miata wins?

Quote: ThatDonGuy

I assume the only betting is for events at the Special Olympics World Games.

That is what the podcast said it was for, in Spain IIRC.

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: ThatDonGuy

Gay Olympics

First one to their Miata wins?
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Hey now, not all of us that owned Miata's are gay.