Devin Booker injury fine shows the wider influence of sports betting

Suns fans got a pleasant surprise on Thursday, as their team got an unexpected boost ahead of their crucial Game 6 against the Pelicans. Around 5:30 p.m. — just two hours before game time — it was reported that Devin Booker would be available to play.

After missing the previous three games in the series with a strained right hamstring, few expected he could return so quickly. But return he did, scoring 13 points in a series-clinching victory.

However, the surprise was not so pleasant for everyone. On Saturday, the league announced it was fining the Suns $25,000 for “failing to disclose” Booker’s status earlier. Granted, that’s practically pocket change for an NBA franchise. So why did they bother?

It’s not hard to wager a guess.

Sports Gambling: Part of the Game?

Not too long ago, the subject of sports betting was taboo in mainstream media. It’s always existed but was rarely acknowledged by anyone with standing. The most you’d ever hear was a commentator winking to fans with a “that will matter to some people…” line after a last-second bad beat.

But since the Supreme Court struck down the federal restriction on sports gambling in 2018, all that has changed. More and more states are now regulating legal sports betting, and with this, the practice has become increasingly destigmatized. So much so that if you’re watching ESPN, you can now see betting lines on the ticker:

ESPN showing lines for games on the BottomLine ticker.

Sports gambling has come a long way. pic.twitter.com/s5Uz60xqQl

— Weston Blasi (@westonblasi) March 17, 2021

The Booker situation is just another example of this trend. In November of 2021, the NBA announced a partnership with DraftKings and FanDuel, making them “co-official sports betting partners” of the league. Since then they’ve made it a higher priority that teams follow standard injury reporting protocol, allowing their partners’ betting patrons to place their wagers accordingly.

If you were wondering, that protocol states teams must designate a player’s specific injury status by 5 p.m. the previous day before a game. In Booker’s case, he wasn’t upgraded from “out” to “questionable” until late Thursday afternoon, mere hours before tip-off.

Does it really matter? Of course not. The Suns will be more than happy to pony up, especially if they think the delayed announcement gave them any sort of advantage in a critical Playoff game. But the NBA — like the NFL, MLB and pretty much every major sports league — has made its position on the matter clear.

Like it or not, sports betting is here to stay. But still, it might take some getting used to seeing it on primetime TV.