Recent Allegations In The Tennis World Make This Move Necessary
A betting scandal could be brewing in the tennis world, and every major sports commissioner has been forced to make a bold statement about gambling. Leagues like the NFL, NCAA and MLB are strict about gambling, but gambling in golf has long been seen as someone businessmen do on private courses while shooting well over 100. Betting on the game could cause changes to the outcomes of tournaments, and that is something the R&A takes seriously.
How Could Gamblers Change Golf?
Golf is a game of minute differences. A golfer who barely hits a ball askance could see their ball fly several yards from the intended target, and it does not take much to ruin an entire round of golf with some bad shots. Golf regulators are concerned that golfers could be convinced to throw whole rounds in convincing fashion. Every golfer has had a bad round, and every golfer has missed the cut at a tournament before. It would be difficult to know if a golfer was cheating or not, but the R&A plans to investigate all irregularities.
Watching Golfer Activity
There have been golfers in the past who have been accused of having massive gambling debts, but these golfers were never accused on throwing tournaments. The R&A wants to investigate all irregular behavior from golfers, and the PGA could follow suit once the R&A makes a decision. Golfers will be under much more scrutiny than they were in the past, and any scandal could be averted with a little diligence.
Why Do Something Now?
The world is changing, and everyone has information. It does not take much for a reporter to uncover a scandal that could rock the R&A to its foundation, and the R&A would prefer to uncover these problems on its own. The R&A will be given credit for finding gamblers who are trying to fix tournaments, and the golfing establishment can say that it is tough on gambling. Anyone who is caught gambling on the game could be suspended or banned under rules the R&A has not yet passed.
Gambling in golf has not been a major concern at any time, but gambling in sports today takes up much more of the public discourse than golfers would like. The R&A will not allow a betting scandal to take over the sport, and they will begin to investigate anything that could be construed as a gambling problem, point shaving or cheating scandal.