It’s been only two weeks since the biggest scandal of the _bet!-bet!-bet!_ era emerged. It has been largely forgotten, thanks to a stream of bright, shiny sports objects to attract the attention of our collective goldfish brain.
The situation continues to unfold. On Wednesday, for example, NBA officials met with a Congressional committee regarding the sweeping indictment that alleges both a scheme to rig prop bets and a series of high-tech rigged poker games sponsored by the mafia.
Via David Purdum of ESPN.com, it was an “[informational sit-down](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46860601/sources-nba-congressional-committee-meet-amid-gambling-probes)” with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (The use of the term “sit-down” is both fitting and ironic.)
The meeting was expected to include discussions about the “league’s partnerships with sportsbooks and measures to prevent illegal use of non-public information.”
Both topics are important, for all American sports leagues that take millions from sportsbooks. (The NFL allows owners to own up to five-percent of any company that operates a sportsbook, too.) The situation is rife with potential and actual conflicts of interest.
Likewise, the inside information is rampant. It’s virtually impossible to keep it from trickling out of the building. All sports leagues should strive to minimize the amount of inside information, while also maximizing efforts to get players, coaches, and others to zip it.
Through it all, another scandal feels inevitable. Each one will further erode public trust in the integrity and legitimacy of athletic competition.