When it comes to sports, there are many reasons we are enthralled by the product. The talent, the skill, the sense of community, and -- of course -- the opportunity to gamble.
Sports gambling is deeply entrenched in American culture. Stemming from the explosion of horse tracks following the American Civil War of the 19th century, what was once a hobby for only the affluent began to spread across the country to the common man.
Controversy followed shortly thereafter, with the 1906 betting scandal between the Massillon Tigers and Canton Bulldogs. Two of the top teams in professional American football in the early 1900s, this controversy led to the demise of "big-money" professional football for several years.