Athletics tend to have risk taking personalities, so it’s no surprise that Operation Slapshot, unfolding in the NHL, is indicating hockey players placed some serious money in an illegal betting ring.

In Canada, sports betting is run by the government, but that doesn’t mean illegal gambling isn’t rampent. In the US Nevada is the only place sports betting is legal.

Rick Tocchet, assistant coach of the Pheonix Coyotes has been charged with money laundering, promoting gambling and conspiracy along with  New Jersey State Trooper James E. Harney.

Possible links to organized crime, possible betting on their own sport, over 1.7 million in bets…the NHL isn’t going to be skating through this one.

Elite athletes are drawn to gambling like moths to a flame and it is a world wide problem.

“If they get into gambling, the fear is they’ll be so obsessed with winning and taking risk. They can’t walk away from it as easily as someone else.”

Gambling has become the sporting world’s pandemic. It’s everywhere, catching in its web star athletes the world over. Actually, it’s not the gambling that is the real problem, it’s what can come with the gambling:

As Germany prepares for the World Cup, Berlin prosecutors charged four referees — including one from the Bundesliga (German soccer’s equivalent to the NHL) — and 14 players with game fixing.

In Brazil, a gambling ring connected with the national soccer team was arrested and the president of the national commission of referees had to resign.

In Poland, a political party based its re-election platform on a pledge to eliminate the rigging of soccer games. If only Paul Martin had known this was an option, but then, that’s a whole different story.

Vietnam - national soccer team
UK - Rugby
US - NCAA
Russia
Baseball - Pete Rose
Basketball - Michael Jordon
NFL - Joe Namath
South Africa - Hansie Cronje
India Kapil Dev