The Reasons for Lakers to Support Responsible Gambling

Lakers hold an unusual position in sports entertainment. The team has grown into one of the biggest brands to grace our basketball courts, and this reputation has given them one of the largest fan bases in the world. Of course, this brings the pressure to maintain standards, but it also comes with some benefits.

One of the unlikely benefits of becoming such a famous brand is that the Lakers get to influence their fans’ perspectives on specific areas. When they lend their weight to an idea, brand, or product, their fans all over the country will consider the same position. It is so much responsibility, but this time it is a good one.

Over the years, the Lakers have endorsed some important brands and also determined consumer behavior in several industries ranging from fashion to hospitality, health care, and even finance. Signing their players to be brand ambassadors or merely putting up publicity materials for these brands is one of the ways the Lakers guide consumer decisions.

Gambling is another area of modern entertainment where the Lakers are making an impact. Nowadays, millions of players place bets online, some of them use popular NonGamStopSlots sports sites that aren’t on GamStop, while others prefer local bookmakers. But all of those operators looking for places where they can promote and it is not surprising to see bookmakers courting the Lakers and offering partnership deals; the concern is addressing gambling among their fans.

Americans have been gambling for longer than we realize or are willing to admit; the culture of making money off unlikely odds was already in our society long before we created laws around them. The Lakers’ involvement with gambling will not deter gamblers, but it could play a role in managing gambling addiction.

How Did The Lakers Join The Gambling Industry?

Before 2014, most professional and amateur sports industry people were skeptical about gambling and online sports betting because of its effect on sports activities. Several professional athletes and sports executives held strong opinions on how sports betting could taint the game and reduce its value to spectators. 

However, the NBA was one of the first institutions to revert this position in 2014. That was the year Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, implored Congress to reconsider their stance on online gambling or support New Jersey’s attempt to repeal the PASPA Act. According to Silver, sports betting would bring America into the leagues of most European countries that already had booming online gambling industries. It did not take long for some other sports executives and athletes to take similar positions, and their demand got a fitting response. 

In 2018 the Supreme Court repealed the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Professional Act (PASPA) and gave all states the right to regulate sports betting within their borders. The ruling also implied that sports organizations could get directly involved with gambling activities.

The Lakers were not the first American sports team to partner with a gambling brand, it is essential for iGaming brands that want to build a strong name around the world. But there has never been a better representation of the gambling industry. The Lakers have the reputation and fan base to help any gambling provider increase their patronage, perhaps even help punters make more responsible choices.

Why Lakers Should Support Responsible Gambling

The Lakers’ involvement with the gambling industry spells some benefits for the teams and their gambling partners, but the concerns about gambling addiction are still unanswered. Some observers demand that the Lakers should also advocate responsible gambling, and these are some of the reasons they think the team would be ideal for responsible gambling:

Gambling Endorsements Can Incite Addiction

The trend of sports organizations signing partnership deals with gambling institutions and athletes wearing gambling trademarks, giving their celebrity endorsements, or even becoming brand ambassadors to these gambling providers has increased the popularity of these brands among regular sports fans. By boosting gambling awareness among their fans, the Lakers are partly responsible for their interactions with the gambling industry. 

While they cannot determine how the fans wager or spend time gambling, the Lakers’ endorsement of any gambling brand is one of the reasons their fans will consider the brand. Lakers are not responsible for what the fan wins or losses while gambling, but it is fair to state that the fan may not consider the brand if their favorite team did not endorse it.

Lakers Can Influence Responsible Gambling

The Lakers’ position as one of the most influential brands in modern basketball is the best place to help their fans, and other sports enthusiasts learn about gambling. Some in-game or Lakers-sponsored details about gambling addictions, self-exclusion, money management, and gambling responsibly will help their fans or other users dealing with gambling addiction.

Conclusion

Supporting responsible gambling will be huge news and it is the Lakers’ role in helping their fans deal with gambling. The responsibility to offer this balance became necessary when the Lakers and its players made their first endorsement of a gambling brand. Supporting Responsible Gambling does not stop the Lakers from endorsing gambling brands, but this balance will improve their image.