Senators C Shane Pinto’s suspension comes even though NHL found no evidence he bet on hockey gamesGetty Images
The NHL suspended Sen. C Shane Pinto “for activities related to sports betting,” even though it said in the release that there was “no evidence that Pinto had bet on hockey games,” according to Wayne Scanlan from SPORTSNET.ca. Scanlan: “Welcome to the delicate line the NHL walks: jumping headfirst into the world of gaming, TV ad dollars and 24/7 betting apps, while committing to keeping its own players under control” (SPORTSNET.ca, 10/26). In Montreal, Pat Hickey wrote, given the league’s current relationship with the gaming industry, “the punishment appears to be excessive.” Hickey: “The NHL, its member teams and broadcast partners accept millions of dollars from online betting sites to encourage the public to bet on games, but will not allow a player to bet on other sports? (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 10/27).
A NEW GENERATION: Pierre LeBrun of THE ATHLETIC asked: “In a world now increasingly open to legalized online sports betting, have we failed a young man like Pinto? Pinto “clearly crossed the line.” LeBrun: “But was anyone really shocked to learn that an NHL player was finally suspended for this? » The league, its teams and the NHLPA “benefit” from legalized online sports betting “financially, as do sports television networks on both sides of the border.” This suspension of Pinto “serves as an opportunity to ask more important questions.” LeBrun wrote that he believes people, “especially in his age range, are vulnerable to the lure of online sports gambling.” LeBrun: “Have we created a world now, with legalized online sports gambling and athletes in their 20s, where we’re just waiting for the next suspension of gambling? Many NHL teams have “lucrative deals with sports betting companies” because it’s “significant revenue.” It is “all around us” and it is “the ecosystem that has been created” (THE ATHLETICS, 26/10).
