Fans' Questions Mount Over Stat-Counting Inconsistencies, Especially with Regards to Gambling
The NHL's reversal on sports betting has proven to be a lucrative enterprise both for the sport and for the sportsbooks with whom the league has partnered. Undoubtedly, the gambling industry is a major component of the revenue increases the league has boasted recently, but there are several concerns.
The two big ones are: 1) the bombardment of gambling advertisements during games and 2) inconsistencies in stat recording that end up costing people money. The former -- in my opinion -- is a Pandora's Box situation. There is not putting that genie back in the bottle. The latter, however, needs to be addressed.
As gambling has become more and more common, shot prop bets (where you bet over or under a specific shot total for an individual player) have become quite popular, especially among our analytically-driven friends. But when we have three separate counters registering three different numbers, how do we know which one is a) correct and b) official?
Considering people's money is on the line, this is a serious issue. These inconsistencies leave open the possibility of nefarious activity within gambling enterprises, which was always a concern from the start.
As such, the NHL should really prioritize getting these reports accurate and doing right by their fans.
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