You can bet on anything these days. From the Super Bowl to celebrity scandals. But just because you can bet on everything under the sun, doesn't mean you should.
That's not a handicapping tip – it's a moral statement. One that online sportsbooks are making by passing on booking odds for the proposed boxing match between rapper DMX and George Zimmerman. Zimmerman sparked a racial wildfire in the U.S. after being acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old African American high school student Trayvon Martin in February 2012.
"There are different kinds of famous. Justin Bieber famous and Casey Anthony famous. And George Zimmerman famous," renowned boxing oddsmaker Joey Oddessa tells Covers. "Gambling is off the map on many peoples' moral compass but odds on something like this justifies the negative stereotypes people have about offshore gaming."
Zimmerman (30) is tentatively scheduled to face DMX – AKA Earl Simmons (43) - in a charity boxing match on March 1, organized by celebrity boxing promoter Damon Feldman, the man responsible for putting B-List celebs like Danny Bonaduce, Jose Canseco to Dustin Diamond in the ring. If this wasn't in bad enough taste, Feldman announced the fight on the eve of what would have been Martin's 19th birthday.
"I don't know who would pay to watch the bout but many would tune in out of curiosity," says Oddessa. "Unfortunately, if you can watch an event you will wager on it for entertainment and it fuels headlines and free press."
"Books may or already are offering it as a 'loss leader.' Low limit, get you in the door so you bet something else and lose money," he says. "George has been training. Odds are he'll beat DMX in an amateur boxing match."
Oddessa believes, even with the bout taking place for charity, nothing good will come of fueling a fight with racial tension. The match is already being bashed by the media and protested by numerous groups, sparking a petition on Change.org.
"If you would put odds on anything related to the event, you would have to make the 'Will never take place' a big favorite," says Oddessa. "It's definitely sensitive. Meant for velvet gloves, not boxing gloves."