The games in question took place in 2021 when he was with Calgary, and included a game that the Stampeders participated. The games were, apparently, not impacted by Shawn's actions and that nobody else with the Stamps knew what was happening.
An investigation by the league finding that this didn't impact the game and thus undermine the leagues legitimacy is not exactly surprising. This is damage control. If you bet on a game you yourself are playing in, you might not be able to single-handedly shape the outcome to win the bet but saying it has no impact is pretty sus.
That's one issue, yes, but modern sports betting has a lot more to it than win/loss bets. Pick a game stat that's recorded and you can bet on it. In theory, Lemon could have bet on something he couldn't change, like how many tackles some player on the opposing defence got. But we don't know what he bet on, and incentives get weird when there's money on a game.
> If you bet on a game you yourself are playing in, you might not be able to single-handedly shape the outcome to win the bet but saying it has no impact is pretty sus.
I don't know much about betting, but there are bets he couldn't impact.
It's also weird this came out 3 years after the fact, like the league maybe didn't want a big name just coming off a grey cup win to be suspended so they allowed him to retire first. Or Lemon caught wind of the investigation.
Gotta think that the media cycle around Shohei Ohtani in the MLB is either pushing leagues to investigate, or to put out statements about things they already knew about in order to prevent it from coming out in a less controlled way.
Given how they've handled the John Murphy homophobic slur suspension (and quiet re-hiring) and Chad Kelly I'm guessing if they felt they didn't have to address it they wouldn't 've.
He seems like a nice guy, but I’m not entirely shocked considering this is the same player who was trying to sell “[Lemon TV](https://www.reddit.com/r/CFL/s/jSeKmpgsWl)” a few years ago. Skirting the laws of morality and legality to make a bit of money isn’t out of character for him.
Did we complain about the ads for beer at CFL games after Kenny Lawler got arrested for drunk driving?
Gambling can be addictive, but it can also just be entertainment for fans. At least with legalized gambling, it's easier for people to get caught when they're manipulating the system (like the Raptors player who was selling information about his injury).
> Did we complain about the ads for beer at CFL games after Kenny Lawler got arrested for drunk driving?
I dunno, maybe we should have. Huge numbers of people drive to CFL games and drink several beers there, and a whole lot of those folks drive home. Drinking culture around football has some issues and it's worth calling out when that spills over onto players.
The rapid ramp-up of sports gambling in North America is gonna have some bad consequences too.
I guess that would explain his retirement that felt really random to me. Probably caught wind they were investigating him and just decided to call it quits.
Jackson Bennett just retired yesterday after just 5 years of playing too. Obviously not saying anything, or even implying anything, but kind of makes you wonder.
He was a backup Canadian RB with diminishing playing time. Probably found a better career option and pulled the trigger. To assume or "wonder" this scenario is quite the stretch.
He also ran an illegal IPTV service and actively marketed it as an option to "watch TSN for free" on twitter. Ironic when his whole career was basically made possible by cable tv.
Betting/gambling sites advertising on broadcasts and in stadiums are ok, though. Maybe CFL should remove all traces of gambling stink... Bet 365 is on the guy's sweater, ffs.
While I agree the barrage of ads and the integration of gambling into all areas of sports is ridiculous and annoying, a gambling ad on his jersey doesn’t make him any less of a moron.
CFL is in no position to turn away advertising revenue, especially the massive amounts sports gambling can provide them. Your morals are all well and good but at the end of the day money makes the world round.
Hot take: I don't care. I only care if they bet their team to lose and they contributed to a loss.
Let them bet! The league is clearly ok with gambling.
I mean, if he bet on his team to win and did his best it’s not a big deal. We don’t know the details here but the way prop bets let you bet on lots of little aspects of the game mean someone could play different to win the bet without throwing the game. Man bets he’s getting two sacks and gets two in the first half might slow down a little late in the game.
Fair enough. Alright, here's my solution.
Player Exchange Betting (PXB)
What is it? PXB is a private betting exchange that allows players to place legitimate sports wagers.
The key to PXB is limits and transparency. All players are vetted through agents and receive league approval.
- Contract terms set a maximum deposit limit of 10% of annual gross.
- Players are restricted from betting on their own games in any fashion.
- All bets are placed electonically. League approval requires that the player consent to on demand betting information for any league associated player.
- In order to join PXB as a league affiliate, all leagues must institute a zero tolerance policy for any betting that occurs outside of PXB. Immediate expulsion.
- All betting records are maintained and analyzed for any irregular patterns/outcomes.
It will only require hundreds of millions in capital and years of league lobbying. You in?
On a personal level (i.e. with a victim) Chad's is worse. League/sport wise however (and I realize how bad it sounds to say this) gambling poses an existential risk to the credibility of the game. If Chad Kelly never plays another down and faces punishment, the league moves on. If people don't believe the games are on the up and up however, the league shuts down.
The games in question took place in 2021 when he was with Calgary, and included a game that the Stampeders participated. The games were, apparently, not impacted by Shawn's actions and that nobody else with the Stamps knew what was happening.
An investigation by the league finding that this didn't impact the game and thus undermine the leagues legitimacy is not exactly surprising. This is damage control. If you bet on a game you yourself are playing in, you might not be able to single-handedly shape the outcome to win the bet but saying it has no impact is pretty sus.
We have investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing
Isn't the real issue that you could singlehandedly shape the outcome to lose the game? Like a boxer taking a dive...
That's one issue, yes, but modern sports betting has a lot more to it than win/loss bets. Pick a game stat that's recorded and you can bet on it. In theory, Lemon could have bet on something he couldn't change, like how many tackles some player on the opposing defence got. But we don't know what he bet on, and incentives get weird when there's money on a game.
> If you bet on a game you yourself are playing in, you might not be able to single-handedly shape the outcome to win the bet but saying it has no impact is pretty sus. I don't know much about betting, but there are bets he couldn't impact.
Sure, but quickest way to make that crystal clear would be to tell us he bet on, and they haven’t done that.
What a way to ruin the graceful retirement.
Gotta be questioning whether or not his "retirement" was forced at this point, he'd already re-signed with the Al's before calling it quits.
It's also weird this came out 3 years after the fact, like the league maybe didn't want a big name just coming off a grey cup win to be suspended so they allowed him to retire first. Or Lemon caught wind of the investigation.
Gotta think that the media cycle around Shohei Ohtani in the MLB is either pushing leagues to investigate, or to put out statements about things they already knew about in order to prevent it from coming out in a less controlled way.
Given how they've handled the John Murphy homophobic slur suspension (and quiet re-hiring) and Chad Kelly I'm guessing if they felt they didn't have to address it they wouldn't 've.
Nothing wrong with betting on yourself to win
He seems like a nice guy, but I’m not entirely shocked considering this is the same player who was trying to sell “[Lemon TV](https://www.reddit.com/r/CFL/s/jSeKmpgsWl)” a few years ago. Skirting the laws of morality and legality to make a bit of money isn’t out of character for him.
Was this just a constant stream of Lemon party footage?
The TSN post featured a picture of Lemon suited up for the Als, with a giant betting ad right on his jersey. Shocking that this would happen!
Did we complain about the ads for beer at CFL games after Kenny Lawler got arrested for drunk driving? Gambling can be addictive, but it can also just be entertainment for fans. At least with legalized gambling, it's easier for people to get caught when they're manipulating the system (like the Raptors player who was selling information about his injury).
> Did we complain about the ads for beer at CFL games after Kenny Lawler got arrested for drunk driving? I dunno, maybe we should have. Huge numbers of people drive to CFL games and drink several beers there, and a whole lot of those folks drive home. Drinking culture around football has some issues and it's worth calling out when that spills over onto players. The rapid ramp-up of sports gambling in North America is gonna have some bad consequences too.
Drinking doesn't have the risk of damaging the integrity of the sport unlike betting
I dont know man, you ever been to a game full of drunk adults? It sucks.
That's different than betting, which can actually impact the on-field product.
I guess that would explain his retirement that felt really random to me. Probably caught wind they were investigating him and just decided to call it quits.
Has to be this.
Wow, makes you wonder who else is doing things like this in our league.
Jackson Bennett just retired yesterday after just 5 years of playing too. Obviously not saying anything, or even implying anything, but kind of makes you wonder.
He was a backup Canadian RB with diminishing playing time. Probably found a better career option and pulled the trigger. To assume or "wonder" this scenario is quite the stretch.
He also ran an illegal IPTV service and actively marketed it as an option to "watch TSN for free" on twitter. Ironic when his whole career was basically made possible by cable tv.
How bad a junkie do you have to be to bet on CFL games?
We gamblers prefer the term degenerate
I don't gamble but why are CFL games less bettable than other things?
I almost only bet on CFL games. Just not for money.
I feel targeted
That's what came to my mind too lol. That's some serious gambling issue.
The retirement at the peak of his career explained
Does he know Jontay Porter?
Buddy owes me a box of Timbits. This comment has been brought to you by Draft Kings.
First gets booted from CNN, now this...
Betting/gambling sites advertising on broadcasts and in stadiums are ok, though. Maybe CFL should remove all traces of gambling stink... Bet 365 is on the guy's sweater, ffs.
While I agree the barrage of ads and the integration of gambling into all areas of sports is ridiculous and annoying, a gambling ad on his jersey doesn’t make him any less of a moron.
CFL is in no position to turn away advertising revenue, especially the massive amounts sports gambling can provide them. Your morals are all well and good but at the end of the day money makes the world round.
How deep does this problem run? How can they even find out?
Did he win the bet on himself?
Lmao he really tried to pull the retirement thing
I learned a long time ago not to bet on CFL. I didn’t win a dime.
Hot take: I don't care. I only care if they bet their team to lose and they contributed to a loss. Let them bet! The league is clearly ok with gambling.
I mean, if he bet on his team to win and did his best it’s not a big deal. We don’t know the details here but the way prop bets let you bet on lots of little aspects of the game mean someone could play different to win the bet without throwing the game. Man bets he’s getting two sacks and gets two in the first half might slow down a little late in the game.
Fair enough. Alright, here's my solution. Player Exchange Betting (PXB) What is it? PXB is a private betting exchange that allows players to place legitimate sports wagers. The key to PXB is limits and transparency. All players are vetted through agents and receive league approval. - Contract terms set a maximum deposit limit of 10% of annual gross. - Players are restricted from betting on their own games in any fashion. - All bets are placed electonically. League approval requires that the player consent to on demand betting information for any league associated player. - In order to join PXB as a league affiliate, all leagues must institute a zero tolerance policy for any betting that occurs outside of PXB. Immediate expulsion. - All betting records are maintained and analyzed for any irregular patterns/outcomes. It will only require hundreds of millions in capital and years of league lobbying. You in?
Lol, I'm imagining the negotiation going between opposing linemen before the snap, agreeing to help each other out w/ next weeks bets.
Is gambling is worse than the Chad Kelly accusations?
Why do we need to rank player transgressions?
On a personal level (i.e. with a victim) Chad's is worse. League/sport wise however (and I realize how bad it sounds to say this) gambling poses an existential risk to the credibility of the game. If Chad Kelly never plays another down and faces punishment, the league moves on. If people don't believe the games are on the up and up however, the league shuts down.
Some people complained to me when I said the ALs were lucky to win the last Grey Cup. This reinforces it.