NBA Fixing the NBA

But thats the thing. There wouldn't, or at least shouldn't be, any real bad teams. I've mentioned my idea on previous post about teams actually having to win to be eligible for top picks. Playoff teams in my scenario are excluded (mentioned that in one of these pages) so OKC and Minnesota won't be eligible to get a top pick. And yes I am all for parity because to me it makes for a better product.
There are only 1,230 Wins per season to go around. In this world where there are no real bad teams, that also means that either 1) there will also be no really good teams or 2) there will be a bunch of mediocre teams and a handful of good teams.

Doesn't sound like a better product at all to me, in fact it sounds pretty terrible.
 
There are only 1,230 Wins per season to go around. In this world where there are no real bad teams, that also means that either 1) there will also be no really good teams or 2) there will be a bunch of mediocre teams and a handful of good teams.

Doesn't sound like a better product at all to me, in fact it sounds pretty terrible.
So you don't think every game should be competitive? In any scenario you are always going to have teams that will be better than the pack and teams that are just bad. I rather watch competitive ball, even if it means the Spurs lose a few more games. than a one sided snooze fest to be honest. Don't get me wrong I don't mind the occasional blow out win but I think you get my point.
 
So you don't think every game should be competitive? In any scenario you are always going to have teams that will be better than the pack and teams that are just bad. I rather watch competitive ball, even if it means the Spurs lose a few more games. than a one sided snooze fest to be honest. Don't get me wrong I don't mind the occasional blow out win but I think you get my point.
The most purely competitive outcome would be for every team to go 41-41... and to me that is not the most compelling product.

I don't think sport is made more interesting by the outcome coming down to variance or luck. Sport is made interesting by certain teams or competitors being better than their opponents either by virtue of skill or strategy. I enjoy that different styles of play have varying degrees of success, I like front officers being better than others because they are better strategists. I do not want sports to be some perfectly competitive environment... I like sport because there are winners and losers in a low stakes (on a macro scale... no one will live or die, feast or famine, etc. on the sporting field) environment.

So no, I don't think every game should be competitive. I think there will be times where one team is clearly better than the other and it will be lopsided. That's what makes underdog victories so exciting, because they are unexpected.

I will use F1 as an example because to me it is the most clear cut.

The season where Red Bull won something like 23 of 26 races and Verstappen ran away with the title was not interesting. That's an example of over-exaggerated dominance. However, the most interesting title race ever (IMO) was when Verstappen and Hamilton came down to the last race of the season (although my guy lost and it was complete bullshit the way he did). Verstappen and Hamilton combined to win 18 of the 22 races that season. It was still completely dominated by two teams and specifically two guys... it was not really competitive for the other 8 teams or 18 drivers... but it was still the most interesting. Would it be more interesting if it were perfectly competitive and the results were more evenly spread out amongst the 20 drivers? IMO, no... not at all.
 
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And thats my point and why tanking shouldn't be rewarded in my opinion. Are these teams that are bad really that bad or they're bad on purpose. By having a system when the worst records are rewarded you're always going to have teams that are going to shoot for the worst record. You're not going to know have bad or good they really are.
well i think the league should crack down hard on teams gaming the system in-season with unethical benchings
 
The most purely competitive outcome would be for every team to go 41-41... and to me that is not the most compelling product.

I don't think sport is made more interesting by the outcome coming down to variance or luck. Sport is made interesting by certain teams or competitors being better than their opponents either by virtue of skill or strategy. I enjoy that different styles of play have varying degrees of success, I like front officers being better than others because they are better strategists. I do not want sports to be some perfectly competitive environment... I like sport because there are winners and losers in a low stakes (on a macro scale... no one will live or die, feast or famine, etc. on the sporting field) environment.

So no, I don't think every game should be competitive. I think there will be times where one team is clearly better than the other and it will be lopsided. That's what makes underdog victories so exciting, because they are unexpected.

I will use F1 as an example because to me it is the most clear cut.

The season where Red Bull won something like 23 of 26 races and Verstappen ran away with the title was not interesting. That's an example of over-exaggerated dominance. However, the most interesting title race ever (IMO) was when Verstappen and Hamilton came down to the last race of the season (although my guy lost and it was complete bullshit the way he did). Verstappen and Hamilton combined to win 18 of the 22 races that season. It was still completely dominated by two teams and specifically two guys... it was not really competitive for the other 8 teams or 18 drivers... but it was still the most interesting. Would it be more interesting if it were perfectly competitive and the results were more evenly spread out amongst the 20 drivers? IMO, no... not at all.
Well it would never obviously be 41-41 across the board. And like I mentioned you will always have dominant and not so dominant teams so you can get your lopsided wins because like you mentioned its not just the players playing but how well the front office constructs the team. I just think purposely tanking and providing a poor product to fans isn't the way to go. And a persons interest in sports varies. Yours is what you stated and others may differ. We're just going to have to agree to disagree bud lol :vic-cheers:
 
@Sugus - thought this was an interesting from the Sam Quinn article. I'd like this, if they could somehow come up with a clear and easy to follow set of rules that constitute what is punishable.

Fining with a different currency​

When the Jazz were fined $500,000 for conduct detrimental to the league, longtime Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman argued that the Jazz were fined with the wrong currency. Rather than taking away money, they should take away lottery odds. That could either be done by adding wins to their record, or, I think more plausibly, taking away lottery combinations.

As a refresher, here's how the lottery works: there are 14 ping pong balls and the lottery machine spits out four of them. There are 1,001 possible four-number combinations between 1 and 14, and every team in the lottery is assigned a certain amount of combinations based on how bad their record was. The worst teams get 140 of them. The team that owns the first combination that the lottery machine produces gets the No. 1 pick. This process is repeated three times for picks No. 2, 3 and 4.

In theory, the league could set up objectively definable "tanking" behavior. That could mean certain players missing certain games, or not playing enough minutes within those games. Whatever it is, it would just have to be defined in advance. And then, if any team commits that behavior, it would simply surrender a predetermined number of combinations. If one of those combinations is called, the lottery would just be redone. This doesn't necessarily end tanking, as some teams might determine that there are more total combinations to be gained by tanking than would be lost through violations unless the punishments were overwhelmingly draconian, but it at least creates some sort of deterrent.

The tricky part here would be defining what constitutes tanking behavior. It would have to be objective and no two situations are identical. How would the league differentiate between an injury that a player could and couldn't play through? Who's to say an unconventional coaching decision wasn't in good faith? There are so many ways to lose games if a team wants to badly enough, and any sort of "you know it when you see it" standard would be ripe for selective enforcement and conspiracy theorizing. This isn't crazy; it would just need to be fleshed out and thoroughly vetted.
 
When the players make more than ever, coaches make more than ever, front office people make more than ever, and teams sell for more than ever...I'm not so sure anything needs "fixing".

Exactly. This is a league with a $76 billion dollar TV contract, that projects to do up to $14 billion in revenue this season, so don't believe the hype or in this case, agenda.

They can enact whatever convoluted, cockamamie idea they want in a futile attempt to pacify said crowd, but in the absence of it hurting the bottom line and with the understanding of the impact a single player can have in this sport, it's not going to change much, if anything.

In the eyes of the gambling companies, what separates the two types of tank is advance knowledge. This is why the league is now requiring teams to do so much more injury reporting.

When a team tears everything down, everyone knows they will be bad before the season even starts. When the Jazz build a lead and then tank only the 4th quarter, it throws off anyone who bet on the game, especially with regard to player props, score by quarter and so on.

I agree that both types of tanking are still tanking, and neither is more ethical than the other. Also that gambling has way too prominent a place in the league.

Disagree. Stripping your team down and rebuilding like the Spurs did or trying, however misguided, to be competitive and sucking (like the Pelicans and Kings), shouldn't be confused with what the Jazz, Wizards, etc. are currently doing and many have done in recent years.
 
if they could somehow come up with a clear and easy to follow set of rules that constitute what is punishable.
That's the key. For all its flaws, the current lottery system is purely objective. It is based only on team record and going into the season everyone knows how the lottery combinations will be apportioned. Introducing any subjectivity, like the lottery committee or my idea of assigning combinations based on roster quality rather than record, can easily cause more problems than it solves. That is why I don't like Silver's fine on the Jazz, because it only discourages teams from pulling that exact stunt rather than anything that resembles it.
 
That's the key. For all its flaws, the current lottery system is purely objective. It is based only on team record and going into the season everyone knows how the lottery combinations will be apportioned. Introducing any subjectivity, like the lottery committee or my idea of assigning combinations based on roster quality rather than record, can easily cause more problems than it solves. That is why I don't like Silver's fine on the Jazz, because it only discourages teams from pulling that exact stunt rather than anything that resembles it.
i think the fine on the jazz was absolutely warranted and i wouldnt be mad if penatlies got more severe. i'd like to think that tanking is a front office decision. you trade away players for picks, clear up cap room, potentially rent out cap room for draft capital.

when day to day coaching decisions (or fraudulently holding players out) are throwing games, i'd draw the line there. i think the example i'll keep harping on is that nobody got mad that Utah traded Mitchell and Gobert, but they got mad when they benched Lauri and JJJ in the 4th quarter to throw a game.

if utah wants to bottom out for a pick, then go trade Lauri. holding Lauri, benching him all the time, and then hoping for a good pick as a result is having your cake and eating it too. meanwhile, the league is deprived of having a star player like Lauri on the court
 
Can't remember if I've said it here or not, but if Ballmer and the Clips don't get severely punished for what they did, the league is dead anyway.
 
i think the fine on the jazz was absolutely warranted and i wouldnt be mad if penatlies got more severe. i'd like to think that tanking is a front office decision. you trade away players for picks, clear up cap room, potentially rent out cap room for draft capital.

when day to day coaching decisions (or fraudulently holding players out) are throwing games, i'd draw the line there. i think the example i'll keep harping on is that nobody got mad that Utah traded Mitchell and Gobert, but they got mad when they benched Lauri and JJJ in the 4th quarter to throw a game.

if utah wants to bottom out for a pick, then go trade Lauri. holding Lauri, benching him all the time, and then hoping for a good pick as a result is having your cake and eating it too. meanwhile, the league is deprived of having a star player like Lauri on the court
I'm okay with the distinction you are making - just so long as it's made clear ahead of time. I don't like punishing teams for "unwritten rules". If you want something to be against the rules, make it a rule. (For the record, I'm fine with the $500k fine, because that's relative peanuts for these teams... but hopefully they've communicated clear guidelines for teams going forward and then if they violate them, hammer them).
 
I'm okay with the distinction you are making - just so long as it's made clear ahead of time. I don't like punishing teams for "unwritten rules". If you want something to be against the rules, make it a rule. (For the record, I'm fine with the $500k fine, because that's relative peanuts for these teams... but hopefully they've communicated clear guidelines for teams going forward and then if they violate them, hammer them).
it doesnt even have anything to do with tanking. if a team is purposely throwing a game midgame by sitting their key players to allow the other team to comeback, how is that anything but point shaving? it completely ruins the integrity of the game
 
it doesnt even have anything to do with tanking. if a team is purposely throwing a game midgame by sitting their key players to allow the other team to comeback, how is that anything but point shaving? it completely ruins the integrity of the game
I think it comes down to motive and intent. Is there a difference between an intent to the throw the game because you are (A) tanking versus (B) throwing the game for gambling purposes? I'd argue there is a big difference. I'd also argue that if the intent is to lose games for tanking purposes, then there is actually less difference in doing it (C) before the season starts via roster manipulation than (D) during the game versus rotation manipulation.

So, in my opinion (and only my opinion... which is not worth anything), [A - B] > [C - D].

With that said... I'm okay with deciding that we don't care what your intent is, and we will view any in-game tanking the same whether it is done for tanking purposes or done to shave points. All I'm asking is that it be made clear.

Next, I'd ask whether the Player Participation Policy is robust enough. Right now it only really applies to a specific subset of players. But if the intent is to protect the integrity of the game, then make the Policy align with that intent.

Basically, I would prefer to eliminate the Commissioner's discretion to decide who is crossing the line versus who isn't. It's not even anything against Adam Silver... I just don't think we should have one all-powerful protector of integrity who is the lone arbiter of what is right and wrong in a secret deliberation after the fact. I'm okay with the Commissioner having the power to say "from this point forward, the rules have changed" - but I'll go ahead and claim to be a Constitutional Originalist (I am actually not) here and say that I stand on Article I, Section 10 and want a strict bar on ex post facto rules.
 
The season where Red Bull won something like 23 of 26 races and Verstappen ran away with the title was not interesting. That's an example of over-exaggerated dominance. However, the most interesting title race ever (IMO) was when Verstappen and Hamilton came down to the last race of the season (although my guy lost and it was complete bullshit the way he did). Verstappen and Hamilton combined to win 18 of the 22 races that season. It was still completely dominated by two teams and specifically two guys... it was not really competitive for the other 8 teams or 18 drivers... but it was still the most interesting. Would it be more interesting if it were perfectly competitive and the results were more evenly spread out amongst the 20 drivers? IMO, no... not at all.
Even though the other 18 drivers and 8 teams couldn't compete for the title, they were still competing and doing their best every race because there's a reward for every place in the standings.
For reference:
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Maybe spreading the luxury tax payouts based on regular season standings would give the teams more incentive to compete?
As in instead of giving the luxury tax money to teams not in luxury, give it to teams that don't make it out of the first round based on their regular season record?

Another thing I'd do is tie the lottery odds to the worst playoff team in each conference.
Make it so that being worse by more than 10 (or 15) games than the worst playoff team doesn't matter.
For example, last season Grizzlies had 48 wins as the 8th seed.
Make it so that anyone with less than 38 (or 33) wins in the West gets the same lottery odds.
Yes, there would be some taking at the end of the season, but that's acceptable compared to a handful of teams doing a blatant race to the bottom from the opening night.
 
I think it comes down to motive and intent. Is there a difference between an intent to the throw the game because you are (A) tanking versus (B) throwing the game for gambling purposes? I'd argue there is a big difference. I'd also argue that if the intent is to lose games for tanking purposes, then there is actually less difference in doing it (C) before the season starts via roster manipulation than (D) during the game versus rotation manipulation.

So, in my opinion (and only my opinion... which is not worth anything), [A - B] > [C - D].
You do realize you are one of the very few people that thinks that way, right?

Besides the obvious reason that you are literally coaching to lose a specific game, another reason that makes sitting healthy players way worse than trading away those guys is the fact that it prevents the fans from seeing their favourite players on the court.

It's just not the same at all.
 
You do realize you are one of the very few people that thinks that way, right?

Besides the obvious reason that you are literally coaching to lose a specific game, another reason that makes sitting healthy players way worse than trading away those guys is the fact that it prevents the fans from seeing their favourite players on the court.

It's just not the same at all.
Yes. It doesn't change my opinion though.

Also, most people are morons - that doesn't mean I go out of my way to think like them about most things in life. :st-lol:
 
Even though the other 18 drivers and 8 teams couldn't compete for the title, they were still competing and doing their best every race because there's a reward for every place in the standings.
For reference:
View attachment 928
Maybe spreading the luxury tax payouts based on regular season standings would give the teams more incentive to compete?
As in instead of giving the luxury tax money to teams not in luxury, give it to teams that don't make it out of the first round based on their regular season record?

Another thing I'd do is tie the lottery odds to the worst playoff team in each conference.
Make it so that being worse by more than 10 (or 15) games than the worst playoff team doesn't matter.
For example, last season Grizzlies had 48 wins as the 8th seed.
Make it so that anyone with less than 38 (or 33) wins in the West gets the same lottery odds.
Yes, there would be some taking at the end of the season, but that's acceptable compared to a handful of teams doing a blatant race to the bottom from the opening night.
The money idea is interesting (and my idea early on in this thread was about putting monetary incentives in place... to me, that's the only real way to "fix" things, though I wouldn't use the term fix... it's most like just re-arranging incentives to align to differing objectives).

The rest is just moving the goal posts on how teams will game the system. There is no perfect set of rules, and whatever rules you come up with, teams will quickly figure out the best way to exploit those as well. I haven't thought enough about that particular proposal (and I'll be honest, I'm probably going to), but I promise you there is an unintended consequence people will eventually hate as much as what teams are doing now.
 
we will view any in-game tanking the same whether it is done for tanking purposes or done to shave points. All I'm asking is that it be made clear.
this should go without saying. we hear all the time when it comes to things like conflicts of interest that even creating the appearance of impropriety is enough to cross the line. if the players and teams are not both genuinely trying to win a given game, it becomes less competitions and more theater akin to a globetrotters game. theres no place for that

and again, sometimes teams make decisions to play young guys more as the season goes on, and old vets fall out of rotations. but when you are sitting out your key starters in the entire 4th quarter as you lose a lead, nah, theres no ambiguity there, and the league shouldnt have that going on
 
The money idea is interesting (and my idea early on in this thread was about putting monetary incentives in place... to me, that's the only real way to "fix" things, though I wouldn't use the term fix... it's most like just re-arranging incentives to align to differing objectives).
On the other hand, the money idea would be bad for a lot of franchises because we'd have at least 5 more "Bulls" that have no ambition and are content with being a parennial play-in team.

The rest is just moving the goal posts on how teams will game the system. There is no perfect set of rules, and whatever rules you come up with, teams will quickly figure out the best way to exploit those as well. I haven't thought enough about that particular proposal (and I'll be honest, I'm probably going to), but I promise you there is an unintended consequence people will eventually hate as much as what teams are doing now.
Exactly, there's no perfect set of rules, but there are levels to it.
Someone has to be the worst, but when we have such egregious cases like for example Wizards sitting their entire rookie contract starting lineup in order to lose a game against a direct tanking rival, then something needs to be done.
One thing we all agree on is that pick protections need to go.

Yeah, less picks will be traded, but each will be way more valuable.
I actually don't think the Jazz would be tanking so blatantly if they owned their pick.
They know they can't get into those top5 odds, they just want to keep their pick.

Tanking in March/April will always be a thing, but when teams start tanking on the opening night, it's bad for everyone. Including the development of young players on those rosters.
 
I'll post these two articles (both by Sam Quinn). I think they are important reads for anyone who finds this topic interesting. Every single proposed solution comes with unintended consequences. It's not entirely clear to me that everyone thinks through these, but they need to. A lot of times, the solutions are worse than the problems.


 
this should go without saying. we hear all the time when it comes to things like conflicts of interest that even creating the appearance of impropriety is enough to cross the line. if the players and teams are not both genuinely trying to win a given game, it becomes less competitions and more theater akin to a globetrotters game. theres no place for that

and again, sometimes teams make decisions to play young guys more as the season goes on, and old vets fall out of rotations. but when you are sitting out your key starters in the entire 4th quarter as you lose a lead, nah, theres no ambiguity there, and the league shouldnt have that going on
It might go without saying... but apparently it needs saying to at least one team located in Utah. So let's just say it, and make the punishment clear and known. Let's draw the lines. Because there is a slippery slope. We start with judging the coaches 4th quarter decisions, but why not question his decision to play more young guys as the season goes on? Who is to say that Egor Demin's 25 mpg is better for the team than Day'Ron Sharpe's 18.5 mpg?

Behind this, I actually agree with you. I don't like just tanking the fourth quarter. But I also don't really like gutting your roster to tank either. Or shutting down your vet in February for minor surgery when it probably could have waited until the end of the season and not impacted next year at all. But the line needs to be drawn somewhere... I'm just asking that we draw that line, and then stick with it. I don't like the idea of an ever evolving line that shifts one Sam Presti decides it isn't fair, or when a gambling sponsor doesn't like it so he starts pressuring Adam Silver. If it's truly about the integrity of the game, make a rule that best attempts to preserve the integrity of the game that we are committed to and enforce consistently.

I say this, because right now, this does come across to me as lip service to integrity. Sam Presti complaining about tanking is, for lack of a better term, hilariously fucking hypocritical. And it's already been mentioned in this thread by people who seriously mean it, that the in game tanking messes up gambling. So is it about the integrity of the sport, or is it about gambling?

I'm actually good with wherever the line gets drawn in regards to what is acceptable tanking and what is not. I just want to know where it is and not in some vague, ethereal "in the way that is in the spirit of Dr James Naismith's wicket hoop"... give it to me in writing, because as an armchair GM... I want those written rules so I can immediately go to work on figuring out how to take things right up to the limit.
 
On the other hand, the money idea would be bad for a lot of franchises because we'd have at least 5 more "Bulls" that have no ambition and are content with being a parennial play-in team.


Exactly, there's no perfect set of rules, but there are levels to it.
Someone has to be the worst, but when we have such egregious cases like for example Wizards sitting their entire rookie contract starting lineup in order to lose a game against a direct tanking rival, then something needs to be done.
One thing we all agree on is that pick protections need to go.

Yeah, less picks will be traded, but each will be way more valuable.
I actually don't think the Jazz would be tanking so blatantly if they owned their pick.
They know they can't get into those top5 odds, they just want to keep their pick.

Tanking in March/April will always be a thing, but when teams start tanking on the opening night, it's bad for everyone. Including the development of young players on those rosters.
I actually don't agree that pick protections need to go. If you eliminate pick protections, I think what mostly happens is that you'll just have a lot of trades not happening, because you've eliminated a vehicle of exchange that matches the value of the other thing. Player X is worth a Top 8 protected pick. By eliminating protections, Player X doesn't suddenly become worth an unprotected pick... he just doesn't get traded.

The concept of going to Top-4 and Lotto-Protected only is interesting, as it will reset the trade market and teams will have to figure out the way it is navigated, but I honestly think it's kind of silly. These teams entered into these trades with the understanding of the incentives at play (or at least, they should have... unless they are morons). When we got the CHA Lotto protected pick in the Dejounte deal, we all should have known that pick was never conveying... at least I did. And it didn't take long before I started talking about how the Chicago pick had a real possibility of not conveying... the Spurs realized this and used it in the best way possible, sending it back to Chicago for value. All these protections do is create value distinctions to a form of currency. Instead of only being able to trade in full dollars, I can now trade in fractions of a dollar. That has real value, and as someone who really enjoys the market valuation side of the NBA, I would hate to lose that... but I do why people would want to do away with it.

To me, the solution remains simple... it's what I've been saying in other posts... just make it clear on what is acceptable tanking and what is not, and punish those who cross the line... and I like the idea of punishing them by removing ping pong balls, not with dollars (the owners have plenty of those). It still won't be perfect, but at least it will be clear.

Tanking in March/April will always be a thing, but when teams start tanking on the opening night, it's bad for everyone. Including the development of young players on those rosters.
What about starting to tank before opening night? As in, in the offseason? Because that's what got us Wemby.
 
There is no fixing this league. They have a shitty commissioner who has zero respect from the players and just comes up with idea after idea to fuck up the league instead of growing a pair and being confrontational.

I mean the dude isn’t even going to punish the Clippers after the bullshit they don’t get Kawhi. Unfucking believable
 
All this revolves around the question of what has to be fixed.

If the idea is to make as much money as possible for the league, then the league should be more corrupt and ethics be damned because that has always proven to be the best way of making money, and fast.

If the idea is to create a better product, then the question is what constitutes a better product? Is it the idea of having the best and purest form of basketball played (which would then lead to other questions)? The best entertainment for the most people? The ability to reach the biggest market? Making the sport expand globally and become the most popular sports?

I would imagine most of us are looking at an angle to creating an entertaining product that showcases basketball as the central selling point, but we all have different ideas of what that is.

What the Jazz is doing, the vast majority of their fans wouldn't like what they are doing right now, but I would imagine most would understand how they are gaming the system to set themselves up for a brighter future, and that makes it acceptable to the fans. Besides, this has been done for years and years. Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, Duncan, Iverson, Lebron, Yao, Dwight, Zion, Wemby, Flagg, Unibrow, teams have been tanking for decades. Again, if you want teams to not tank to game for higher odds for specific players, while still allowing bad teams to get talent, running average wins (for 3 or 5 years) is the best way to go imo.

If you are looking at big market teams outspending others to get all the FA talent, the NBA probably has the best salary cap system in place to avoid these situations (as opposed to MLB).

If you are looking at a balance of offence and defence, I would say the league is swinging between the pendulum and we are at a transitional stage where the league changed too much in favour of the offence (step throughs, no perimeter contact, coupled with an increase in perimeter shooting skills, rip throughs, offence initiating contact being called a defensive foul, etc....). Nobody wants a 72-65 game where the entire game are people shoving others and then missing shots like they did in the late 90s/ early 2000's.

The league cooked itself by letting gambling take the reigns. I recalled (and I could be totally wrong as that was so many years ago) when the NBA was looking at expansion in the early/mid 90s (eventually became the Raptors and the Grizzlies), Stern was quite adamant that the expansion will NOT be in Vegas due to the impact gambling will have on the integrity of the games. I guess he was right.
 
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