A legendary broadcaster’s upbringing led him to take such a hard stance against sports betting that he’s “refused to read gambling promos.”
Key Takeaways
- Longtime NBC Sports broadcaster said during a "Meet the Press" interview that sports betting will inevitably “ruin some lives.”
- Costas grew up with a father who had a habit of betting on basketball, football, and baseball.
- Costas wants to see more regulation and believes sports betting has diminished games “to some extent.”
Bob Costas, known for announcing Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the Olympics, said his father routinely bet on sports, which helped fuel the broadcaster’s career, but also showed him a darker side to the gambling, Costas said during a recent interview on NBC’s "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker."
“On both the Major League Baseball Network and when I did a handful of games on Turner, I refused to read the gambling promos,” said Costas, who retired from the booth at the end of the 2024 MLB season. “They had to have someone else read them or use a 'voice of God' type person to read them.
“I just couldn't in good conscience encourage people to do something which I know, for some of them, it's obviously just a little recreation and it's fine, but there's an insidious aspect to it that I didn't want to be part of.”
Sports betting is legal in 39 U.S. states and operational in 38. Sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB, and their teams have advertising deals with numerous online sportsbooks like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM.
Issues with gambling
With the rise of sports betting, Costas called for more regulation nationally during the interview and believes it’s inevitable that wagering will eventually be legal in all states, which he says will lead to major issues.
“If in fact gamblers didn’t lose more than they win, no back-alley craps game, no casino in Atlantic City or Vegas, not racetrack, and now BetMGM, DraftKings, whatever it is, would ever exist,” Costas said. “In the big picture. The house always wins.
“Some will become addicted to it. It’s going to ruin some lives. It’s inevitable.”
Costas also believes that sports betting has diminished games “to some extent,” and said it’s more “transactional” for some of the audience.
“You got a bet on the game, you have a different relationship to how that game plays out than if you're just rooting for your team,” said Costas, who now serves in a sports broadcasting emeritus role with commentary for CNN and special appearances on MLB Network.
Growing up with sports (betting)
His background greatly affected his stance on sports betting. Costas described his father as an “inveterate gambler,” and his habit led to “a lot of trauma in our family life because he had a volatile temper and the mortgage was often riding on how his bets went.” Costas said his dad exclusively bet on sports, like baseball, football, and basketball.
“I bonded with him by following those games (he bet),” Costas said. “I'm sure I would have been a sports fan anyway, like most of my fans, but I became even more knowledgeable. I became granularly knowledgeable because he was following all this so closely, and I was by his side.”
Costas began worked for NBC Sports from 1980 through 2019. He covered the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Costas hosted NBC’s broadcast of 12 Olympic Games and the Kentucky Derby from 2001 through 2018.
