Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletes Learn About the Dangers of Sports Gambling
Texas Tech Athletes Learn About the Dangers of Sports Gambling
November 3, 1998 By Chad Conine, Texas Tech Media Relations - Texas Tech student-athletes came face-to-face on Monday night with the dangers of an addiction to gambling. Kevin Pendergast, a former Notre Dame football and soccer player who conspired with a Northwestern basketball player to fix three Wildcat games in the winter of 1995, spoke to a mandatory meeting of Tech athletes, coaches, managers and trainers. In two sessions at the University Center Matador Room, Pendergast related the events that took him from a $50 bet to a gambling addict. "Gambling is probably one of the strongest addictions and one of the hardest to break away from," Pendergast said. "I had no idea that there was a problem gambler inside of me." At the beginning of the hour-long meeting, Tech's NCAA compliance director Shane Lyons brought to light a set of statistics gathered by the University of Cincinnati. A survey of 648 division I men's basketball and football players revealed that 25 percent gambled on intercollegiate games in general, 24 gambled on the sport in which they participated, and three admitted to some gambling involvement in games they played. Pendergast started gambling seriously as a sophomore soccer player at Notre Dame. He said being a student-athlete gave him a false sense of security that he was a knowledgeable gambler. In reality, he said, the odds are stacked against anyone who is heavily involved in gambling. "If you do gamble, keep track of your wins and losses," Pendergast said. "I promise you at the end of the season you lost." "I hope your status as a student-athlete is something you would never want to risk on a bet." Lubbock FBI agent Bob Matthews opened the meeting by discussing the subtle signs of gambling. Matthews stressed that gambling takes place in Lubbock and that it is easy for innocent people to be entangled in the consequences of illegal gambling. Matthews' experience with gambling in Lubbock included an investigation of a local book maker that led to jail time for the bookie and penalties for other community members who were hardly aware that they were involved. Matthews said that gamblers are constantly looking for an inside source by trying to develop informative relationships. "You're not immune here," Matthews said. "It may be as simple as somebody coming to you and saying, 'how's Stan feeling tonight?'" Along with the two speakers, the group watched a video that emphasized gambling's connection to organized crime. The documentary, which was produced by the NBA, also dealt with the devastating impact gambling has had on college and professional athletes. Tech basketball standout Stan Bonewitz said the content of the meeting was worth the time taken out of the student-athlete's schedule. "It was informative and interesting," Bonewitz said. "I guess the stats say that it's a problem, but I've never come in contact with it. Overall, I think the presentation helped."
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