Gambling and Disc Golf: the Pros and Cons

So, I was just perusing the Internet today when I saw a CNBC article where the headline read: “WWE in talks with state gambling regulators to legalize betting on scripted match results”. First, are you serious!? Only in America! Second, it made me think about the rising trend of gambling in disc golf, and the many pros and cons that it brings. Third, I wanted to talk about fantasy disc golf and the pros and cons associated with this fast-growing facet of the sport.

A very brief history: Gambling on sports in America has a rich and controversial history. According to legalsportsbetting.com, staring in the early 19th century, “betting on horses was the most popular sport amongst gamblers.” However, the more traditional sports betting we see today began after professional baseball took root around 1876. During this time, sports betting was generally considered an acceptable activity, even though it was very illegal. The Chicago Black Sox scandal didn’t help matter, but over time, sports betting continues to grow. Then in 1949 Las Vegas opened its first official sportsbook (or ‘turf clubs’), and that eventually evolved into the massive online betting sites like MGM Grand, DraftKings, and PrizePicks, just to name a few.

And in recent years, sites like PrizePicks have become the go-to for daily betting on disc golf. Their simple interface and easy over/under betting format make it easy for beginners and veterans alike. You can pick as little as two bets to win up to 3x your money or push it and really try to win some big bucks. For example, make four accurate picks and you can win 10x your bet. All of this sounds very exciting, but the real question is: should we be betting on disc golf?

Please note everything from here forward is just my opinion, and you may or may not agree with it, but that is what this blog is for, to start healthy and civil conversations. I will try to cover both some pros and cons surrounding this issue, and to be quite honest, I’m not even sure I have a definitive opinion.

Pro #1: Betting brings legitimacy to the sport. One could argue that by allowing sports betting on disc golf, it brings a certain confirmation that disc golf is, indeed, a sport and not ‘just a game’. People who haven’t heard of disc golf may be exposed to the sport just because their favorite sporting app now offers the option. This brings more of the limelight to the sport, and that is a net positive.

Pro #2: It’s fun! If you have ever bet on anything, you know the thrill of the potential of winning. You are more invested in the outcome of an event, and when you win, the endorphin rush is like nothing else. Whether it’s $5 or $5,000, that feeling is the same. Why not bring another level of excitement to an already exciting sport?

Pro #3: It’s another way to compete with friends. (I think this applies more to fantasy disc golf.) Who doesn’t like a friendly wager between friends? I’m sure plenty of us have participated in a ‘five-dollar holler’, where everybody ponies up $5 on a casual round, and winner takes all. This is another way to challenge your friends to some friendly competition.

Con #1: Betting is a slippery slope. Yes, betting can be fun, but it can also be very negative. Losing never feels good, and if we’re not careful, we may find ourselves betting bigger to recoup our losses. Betting can also be addictive, and so we must be aware of this and be sure that we don’t find ourselves owing more than we can afford or selling discs just to bet on the next ‘for sure’ bet. 

Con#2: You’ll lose your love for the game. Just like Pro#2, if you are losing, it doesn’t feel very good at all. Do this consistently and we may find that our passion and love for the game has been tainted. Our focus is on winning, and not enjoying the spirit of the game, and this can be detrimental not only to our mental health, but our ability to play well when on the course.

Con#3: Potential for corruption. It may not seem like an issue now, but imagine the World Championships, hole 18, and your favorite pro has an 18-foot putt to win, and he doinks it! Then you find out later that some guy some place just made $250 on some impossible bet that just happened to work out because of that putt. Then six months after that you an investigation discovers that the pro in question was colluding with this winner and received 50% of the winnings. It’s the Black Sox all over again, and while highly unlikely, a scenario like this would kill the sport.

These are just tips of the icebergs, but I just wanted to briefly explore the pros and cons. To close I want to speak briefly about fantasy disc golf, which is a bit different than just betting. I think fantasy disc golf has a big future in the sport. For many of us we already follow many of the pros, and it makes sense to take our fandom and put it into a competitive format. (Oh yeah, if you don’t know about ‘fantasy sports, this is not the time to learn, google it!). The main difference between ‘just betting’ and ‘fantasy’ is there with fantasy there is much more strategy and planning. You must know what players from your roster are playing that week, and you must look at the full season big picture to develop a winning strategy. Dedicated fantasy disc golf platforms like SkipAce, and this year, HyzerBase, give players a nice platform to host leagues and play each week. I am playing in three leagues this year, all for free with no money or prizes on the line, and I’m having a great time with it! I enjoy seeing the results each week and planning for the next event. There is still a ton of room for improvement on these platforms, but fantasy disc golf is here to stay and will only get better in the coming years.

So where do you stand on this issue? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment here or post a comment on Twitter @DiscGolfHunter! Thanks for reading, see you next time.