As the line between sports analysis and sports gambling content continues to blur, ESPN finds itself in a tricky gray area, especially with the recent launch of ESPN Bet, the network’s own sports betting platform.
ESPN host Rece Davis on Sunday offered a clarification for a comment he made earlier on “College GameDay” during a conversation with ESPN Bet analyst Erin Dolan.
Davis contended that “most recognized my comment was tongue-in-cheek” when he said Dolan’s advice to bet the under on Northwestern’s point total in its upcoming men’s basketball tournament game against Connecticut was “a risk-free investment.”
“Obviously, there are risks,” Davis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Though I’m not a gambler, I strongly encourage those who do partake, do so with prudence, care, caution, fiscal and personal responsibility and never over-extend.”
The timing of Davis’ remark was unfortunate, coming on the heels of a brewing scandal in Major League Baseball over alleged illegal gambling activities by superstar Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter.
Predictably, Davis faced a barrage of criticism on social media shortly after the segment aired, with one commenter pointing out that even sports betting companies in many states aren’t allowed to use the term “risk-free” in their ads anymore.