A growing number of U.S. adults are losing trust in pro and college sports, thanks to the proliferation of online gambling and sports wagering options, according to a new survey.
The NBC News Decision Desk poll, released Friday, showed that 70 percent of respondents believe sports gambling “lessens the integrity of the game.” About 34 percent said they “strongly agree” while 36 percent said they “somewhat agree.”
Nearly 30 percent said they were “very concerned” that the betting is leading to games being fixed, while another 34 percent said they were “somewhat concerned” about game rigging, according to the survey.
The poll comes after a string of illegal gambling scandals that have rocked major sports leagues like the NBA and MLB in recent weeks — including one scheme linked to organized crime.
The sports leagues have promised to tighten internal controls to track suspicious activity and worked with sports gambling partners to cap wager amounts in certain performance-specific bets, which many observers have said are ripe for rigging.
A number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill have also voiced concern with the increasing prevalence of sports gambling, and some of argued the federal government should consider strengthening regulations to ensure the integrity of games.
The NBC poll was conducted from Nov. 20 to Dec. 8 among 20,000 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.