Eli5: Why are professional athletes typically banned from placing bets that are in favor of their own team/themselves?

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I understand why you would not want athletes to throw games on purpose if they place a large bet for the opposing team to win, however let’s say I am a pitcher in baseball, and I place a bet for my own team to win, wouldn’t that only motivate me to play better because I stand to win more money by doing so?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

A lot of these posts miss something. Athletes who bet on sports will lose. Some will lose big and go into serious debt. Once that happens, their creditors have leverage against them. With that leverage they can force them into outcomes *they* want. It’s an avenue into fixing matches.

It happens a lot more than you think, which is why sports leagues crack down on gambling so heavily.

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