Scrapbook Item 1: Sports Gambling Continuing to Grow like Sport Business

Link to the article: http://www.lvrj.com/business/leader-predicts-fast-growth-for-sports-gambling-in-state-121433514.html

During class on September 1, 2011, we talked about different reasons on why we should study sport in this day and age. One that really stuck out to be was that sport gambling was still such a growing business even though it is done legally and illegally within the country. Throughout Coakley's text on pages 21-26, it talks about the interaction of social life with sport. Although our economy has been a down slope and slowly making its way back up, sport has still stayed high up in making a profit with sales and gambling as well. Many people come together on betting around the big events such as bowl games, championships, rivalries, etc. and hope to leave with a big amount of money once the contest is completed. Most states though do not have the clearance to participate in these activities, so many citizens will travel or do it illegally. The business doing it legally makes around 24 billion dollars but when done illegally it is about 380 billion dollars. That is a huge difference in outcome with people participating in the business around the United States.

Nevada is the main place for these gambling activities to take place. Many travel to the city of Las Vegas particularly just to place all their bets way in advance on certain games in the future especially rivalry and bowl games for collegiate football. Within the article, it talks about how the gambling world is growing and getting more high tech within the United States and is a huge business over in Great Britain. Although we sometimes have to do it secretly and illegally, Britain has bookies on the street corners all over the nation. Since our economy is growing and starting to rise again, businesses will begin to get better as well and you can bet that the gambling business will be getting much higher.

Although it is illegal, many people find it fun and the risk take gets them going which is why so many still participate in it every sports season. The gambling world is just one reason that is very intriguing to why we should be studying sport in the 21st century. It is something that has been going on for quite sometime and it will continue to grow as long as sports are still being played around the world. The sport business is growing still and it has created its own little gambling business that will continue to grow as long as the athletes continue to play in the games every week of the year. When the players on the field do well, the gamblers and bookies will end up winning and losing as well; either way on each end of the spectrum, sport is a billion dollar industry that needs to be studied by all.