Rece Davis issues statement over his sports betting comments
Jan 10, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; ESPN commentator Rece Davis following the Alabama Crimson Tide game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2022 CFP college football national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Rece Davis issued a statement via X on Sunday after drawing negative attention for what he said on ESPN’s “College GameDay” earlier in the day.
Davis was co-hosting a segment for ESPN Bet with Erin Dolan where she offered her gambling picks for Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second-round games. Dolan provided analysis of the UConn-Northwestern game and said she would take the under for the point total.
“You know what, some would call this wagering, gambling. I think the way you’ve sold this, I think what it is, is risk-free investment,” Davis said.
"You know what? Some would call this wagering, gambling; the way you've sold this, I think what it is, is a risk-free investment," said ESPN's Rece Davis after an ESPN Bet segment with Erin Dolan. pic.twitter.com/257daMIBON
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2024
Gambling comes with huge risks, so it was obviously wrong for Davis to call Dolan’s picks “risk-free investment.” He received criticism for describing the pick as such and issued a statement on X in response.
“During a segment this morning on @CollegeGameDay, due to @ESPNBet picks hitting yesterday, I joked the advice was more like ‘risk free investing.’ As we all know, such a thing does not exist. Obviously, there are risks. Though I’m not a gambler, I strongly encourage those who do partake, do so with prudence, care, caution, fiscal and personal responsibility and never over-extend. Sports are unpredictable. Wagering is tricky. So let’s agree to manage monetary risks appropriately. I’m sure most recognized my comment was tongue-in-cheek. Just to clarify,” Davis wrote on X.
partake, do so with prudence, care, caution, fiscal and personal responsibility and never over-extend. Sports are unpredictable. Wagering is tricky. So let’s agree to manage monetary risks appropriately. I’m sure most recognized my comment was tongue-in-cheek. Just to clarify
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) March 24, 2024
Davis’ remarks were not too different from someone calling a pick a “lock” and telling others to “bet the house on it.” However, there are clear regulations that say sports betting advertisements must come with disclaimers indicating the risk involved.
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara just allegedly racked up a $4.5 million gambling debt that cost him his job and could get both him and Ohtani in legal trouble.
Most people who gamble lose money. Some who gamble lose even more than just money, like Mizuhara.
