Scandals, some changes in public perception highlighted the year for sports betting

In the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to offer sports betting, each successive year has set a record for the amount of money wagered legally.

Another new high-water mark of close to $130 billion is expected by the end of 2024. It coincides with what has been a year of reckoning rocked by high-profile scandals.

The bad publicity included former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA after a league investigation found he disclosed confidential information to bettors and faked ailments in games to fix proposition bets related to his own performance. There was also the case of Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani who pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud in a case in which prosecutors said he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball star to pay off illegal gambling debts.

Ohtani was cleared of any wrongdoing, but his proximity to such malfeasance heaped negative attention on baseball's biggest name.