| | |  | Last Updated: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 |  | | | Gambling on Sports Not Without Controversy
- Sunday, 22 Jan 2006
In recent years, online gambling firms have made huge profits on running sports gambling events. Today a sports fan can choose to place his bets on nearly every major sporting event at a gambling site online instead of visiting traditional land based bookmakers. Gambling firms target fans by providing state of the art graphics on their sites, along with fast, convenient betting facilities and real time results on a variety of events. However not everyone shares the opinion that gambling firms provide a valuable service.
Some sporting authorities are concerned that gambling sites are using players for promotional purposes without paying clubs or individuals for the service. A recent case in French courts brought by Real Madrid players David Beckham, Ronaldo and Luis Figo against gambling firms Ladbrokes, William Hill and Sportingbet drew particular attention to the use of top sports team’s names and the names of players on sports gambling sites. Real Madrid lawyers argued in court that sports gambling sites should be made to pay a license fee for the right to use names or remove the names from their sites.
In their defense, the gambling operators claimed that they report factual events and the names are not used for commercial purposes. After finding in favor of the sports gambling sites, the French court dismissed the case, setting a precedent for future conflicts. Although Real Madrid is yet to contest the case, the controversy continues with the club insisting that gambling operators are under obligation to players and clubs and should pay accordingly for their services.
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