CLEVELAND — Sports betting can have a dark side, and Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has experienced it first hand.
Bickerstaff, speaking before the Cavs' matchup against the Miami Heat Wednesday night, detailed some experiences he's had with sports bettors, including one startling revelation that included phone calls and threats to his own house last year. The threats were also directed to his children.
"I have had my own instances with some of the sports gamblers," Bickerstaff said. "They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live, and my kids, and all that stuff. It is a dangerous game and a fine line that we're walking, for sure."
Bickerstaff informed the league after receiving these threats, and the situation was handled, he said. No charges were filed, but the offender was identified. But it was certainly a scary situation that popped up just as sports gambling in Ohio was being legalized. It is now legal in 39 states.
Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton recently spoke about feeling like a "prop" for bettors hoping to make money off his games night after night, hinting that it has had a psychological impact on his own play. Thus, the conversation of sports betting and its impact on those playing or coaching in these games has again been brought to the forefront.
"I think we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it, because it does carry a weight," Bickerstaff said. "A lot of times, the people who are gambling, this money pays their bill or their rent, and then there are emotions that come from that."
It isn't only an issue with threatening phone calls. Bickerstaff said fans will yell things from their seats about certain bets or game lines hoping to influence decisions.
"No doubt it's crossed the line," Bickerstaff said. "I'm standing up there and we may have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so that we can cover the spread. It's ridiculous. I understand the business side of it and the nature of the business of it, but it's something I believe has gone too far."
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has had similar incidents with sports bettors in the stands.
"I think it treads on a weird line," Spoelstra said. "We had an incident behind our bench last year with [Victor] Oladipo. Somebody was screaming. Security had to take him away. The game was already over, and evidently, [Oladipo] didn't shoot an open 3 at the end of the game. The game was already decided, and this fan was totally beside himself, and he was a gambler. He had money on whatever the score was.
"There's just a lot of unintended consequences with that from a security standpoint that I'm not sure everybody totally understood."
Players, of course, also bear the brunt of it all.
"That's just part of having social media nowadays," Cavs center Jarrett Allen said. "People are always worried about their parlays hitting, and you will get some threatening messages in your DMs. That's the truth. Everybody goes through it."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff sports betting experience details
