Thursday’s news regarding the latest, and to date most consequential, NBA gambling scandal has brought unprecedented focus to the various problems flowing from legalized, normalized, and heavily monetized sports wagering.

The biggest problem rarely if ever is discussed.

Craig Carton, whose gambling issues previously resulted in incarceration, recently expressed a valid concern regarding the NFL’s looming acquisition of a 10-percent equity stake in ESPN.

“ESPN needs to divest immediately from ESPN Bet, and here’s why,” Carton said Friday, via Sean Keely of AwfulAnnouncing.com. “The NFL owns a piece of ESPN, meaning by default, they own a piece of the sportsbook. Well, you can’t have it both ways, because if the NFL benefits from you losing your wager, then they’re incentivized to control

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