Anything but a safe bet

USA TODAY, July, 2007

In an age when billions of dollars are bet on pro and college sports, the obvious question is: Are games fixed?

Until a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't asked often, much to the relief of those who oversee the various leagues.

But news last week that NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under federal investigation for betting on games and sharing inside information with gamblers changed everything. Fans now have good reason to be suspicious. Perhaps they always should have been.

Much about big-time sports tempts just this sort of criminal behavior -- so much opportunity, so little real deterrence, so much money to be made.

In Nevada alone, where betting is legal, more than $2.4 billion was bet in 2006 -- $635 million of it on pro and college...