Gretzky Gambling Case: Much Ado About Nothing (Unusual)

Why is the Wayne Gretzky gambling story dominating the headlines? Apparently his wife bet on football games. Big deal. Hundreds of thousands – if not millions - of people bet on sports every year. Some do it legally. Many more do it illegally.

In fact, had these very same bets been placed in Las Vegas - where sports gambling is embraced and encouraged by lawmakers - then this wouldn’t even be a story. If I need to ask you where something happened before I decide whether or not I should care ... then I probably didn’t care to begin with. Tell me O.J. Simpson killed two people and you’ve got my interest ... regardless of what state he did it in. Tell me Janet Jones bets on football and I really don’t care ... regardless of what state she does it in.

Now, find out that either Wayne Gretzky or his wife bet on hockey and you’ve got yourself a story ... but we have seen no evidence whatsoever that suggests they were betting on hockey ... and I doubt we ever will. It’s a relatively small ethical leap to place a sports bet that isn’t technically legal -– whether it’s with a bookie, an offshore internet operation or in your office pool. However, it’s a huge ethical leap to violate the one sacred rule of athletics and bet on your own sport.

Right now, all Wayne Gretzky is guilty of is incredibly bad judgment ... and he’s paying for it by having his previously impeccable image tarnished forever. Unfortunate, but he has no one but himself to blame.

However, that doesn’t make him Pete Rose. Rose had incredibly bad judgment AND bet on his own sport (actually his own team!). [Q: How do you know Pete Rose is lying? A: His lips are moving.]

Professional athletes know they can get away with almost anything except betting on their own sport. Rose knew the ramifications and chose to cross that line anyway. Gretzky may very well have broken the law and – if he did – should be punished accordingly ... but he did NOT bet on hockey. At least not according to the latest odds out of Las Vegas ...