A soccer coach from Conestoga High School, David Zimmerman, has been suspended after it was found that he was making prop bets on basketball students. The nationally recognized coach didn’t have students using apps like FanDuel or DraftKings, but a tiny operation that apparently exchanged as little as $10.

What appears to be a small bit of fun between coach and players has spiralled out into scandal, as prop bets become a more scrutinized element of sports. Prop bets are a form of gambling that focuses less on wins and losses, but more on actions taken during a game. According to the Inquirer, it was done via “little slips of paper”. No money was made, outside of the $10 exchanged.

Now, the school has updated its code of conduct to include a ban on any form of gambling on campus grounds. The main concern around the prop bet scandal is the encouragement of gambling to students, which some officials believe could lead to gambling addiction.

Rise of prop bets concerning, according to officials

Quoted in the Inquirer, Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at Northeastern University’s Public Health Advocacy Institute, said:

“If someone in a position of respect and authority is introducing kids to an addictive substance and somehow normalizing that or minimizing its significance.

“That person either doesn’t understand the human brain and how addiction works or they’re disregarding their position as a person in authority.”

“Neither would be acceptable to me.”

Sports gambling has become a prevalent issue, with adolescents becoming involved with it sooner, thanks to the rise of gambling apps like the aforementioned DraftKings. Additionally, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is seeking to ban prop bets by lobbying the federal government. It’ll be an uphill battle, as the form of gambling has become immensely powerful over the last few years.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons

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