Steve,

This has been on the news since yesterday. Big question on folks' mind is whether Gretzky will go the way of Pete Rose. Hope that's not the case!

Posted by: DaveO at February 9, 2006 07:21 PM

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From just reading the snippet you quoted, what's the problem with Gretzky's wife betting on a football game?

Posted by: Jonny_eh at February 9, 2006 07:24 PM

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I'm waiting for more news to develop on this.

Posted by: Steve Janke at February 9, 2006 07:45 PM

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The problem, was that Grezky said he knew nothing about the ring. Only their is a wiretap of Grezky discussing it with someone...Oooops...

Press conferences are not under oath, so his trouble is PR, not legal.

Posted by: Curtis at February 9, 2006 08:10 PM

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So much for Mr. Clean Canada.

Stupid question...

Doesn't these bozo's and bimbo's have enough money?

Guess this could explain why the Calgary Flames lost in the Stanley Cup final a couple of years ago.

Remember a certain ref...?

cheers
tom

Posted by: tomax at February 9, 2006 09:37 PM

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Say it ain't so, Wayne!!

Posted by: Captain Ned at February 9, 2006 10:41 PM

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Steve, this is breaking in my back yard.
I'm quite leery of the Star-Ledger report, based on a single source. The Star-Ledger is North Jersey-based... and all the crap is coming down in South Jersey.
The Daily News of Philadelphia (accessible via philly.com) tends to be a more reliable source for crime material. They've quoted multiple unnamed sources as saying Janet was placing bets for Wayne (visit the homestead for more).
The Philly Inquirer's top organized crime reporter, George Anastasia, has produced nothing on Gretzky at this point.
The worst may still come to pass, but I'm a little leery of this latest piece of info.

Posted by: bob at February 9, 2006 11:17 PM

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Wayne Grezky, has been mr clean for the NHL.

I dont think he had any involvement.

Posted by: Curtis at February 10, 2006 01:52 AM

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Regardless of the evidence, he must be clean.

Now I'll stop pretending to be a Liberal voter. In Gretzky's case, initial reports of wiretaps appear to be pretty damning.

Posted by: Chris from Victoria, BC at February 10, 2006 08:38 AM

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Organized crime runs betting operations. Las Vegas exists via the proceeds of gambling. There's millions of people world-wide that gamble regularily. Hundreds of card game sites on the internet.

I think this scandal has more to do with tearing apart our stars and heros. Somehow makes us feel above what we really are, a bunch of holy hypocrites.

I don't see a problem at all with this issue. Gamble on wayward sons and daughters.

Posted by: Libertarian Ron at February 10, 2006 09:28 AM

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The mob did start Las Vegas (see the movie 'Bugsy' about it) however, back in the 1980's wall street took notice of all the money to be made out in Las Vegas, and bought up all the major resort properties. Gambling is now a mainstream activity.

I gamble regularly. (play po.ker a lot) I bet on the super bowl (the stupid proline thing) for the first time ever this year. (damn seahawks)

I think the government looks more and more hypocritical, on the one hand running a lottery (the mob used to call it running numbers) and then on the other throwing other organized gamblers in jail. Gotta wonder about who the organized crime figures are now.

What? you can't say po.ker?

Posted by: Curtis at February 10, 2006 10:45 AM

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You should be able to say poker now.

Posted by: Steve Janke at February 10, 2006 10:50 AM

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The Cliff's Notes version:
Yes, the Mob built Vegas, but basically got run out of the picture in the 70s and 80s by various FBI prosecutions (see books by the late William F. Roemer Jr., a former FBI agent specializing in the Chicago mob family).
Roemer wrote that gambling -- the numbers, sports bets, horse racing (which I don't really consider a sport) -- was the lifeblood of the mob. It provided the capital for such stuff as bribery, infiltration of labor organizations (the Teamsters' Central States Pension Fund was often referred to as a bank for the mob), etc.
The Mob still exists, though at nowhere near the level of influence it had in its heyday.
In fact, the ranking Philly organized crime reporter is questioning how much influence the local crime family had in this case (see Gretzky and the Sopranos? at my blog for more details).
Still, it don't look good for Gretzky and the NHL, eh?

Posted by: bob at February 10, 2006 11:58 AM

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poke who?

Yeah it is a bit amusing, when we got state controlled lotteries. But it's like booze. You can't stop man's lustful side, so try to at least control it.

Lottery as one person put it, is a tax on the poor. But then again looking at what happened to these big shots, guess it's a tax on the rich too.

Only difference, the rich can 'influence' the outcome sometimes, if not always.

The hockey game as I knew it died when Gretzky got traded for cash by Peter 'Pork'ington, so not surprized if this incident is just the tip of the iceberg.

But you got to admit the timing is interesting. Like I said, the rich can influence the outcomes.

cheers
tom

Posted by: tomax at February 10, 2006 12:01 PM

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To quote a famous X-file line...

1 person:
..."you influenced the 1980 Lake Placid game???"...

Cancerman:
"...why, don't you believe in miracles?"

Posted by: tomax at February 10, 2006 12:04 PM

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Nevada, is an entire state, where the economy depends on people, good at math, take advantage of people who are bad at math.

For gambling, horse racing is the best sport. Football, hockey et'all depend on people. People get distracted - a player breaks up with his girlfriend, and the blow-out victory turns into a tie or a loss. Horses are simpler, they run to the best of their abilities at every race. They can be mathematically modeled - the best horse will win - most of the time. (see the pilot of 'john doe' - they show horse racing as math model of "absolute probability")

Posted by: Curtis at February 10, 2006 12:56 PM

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I see this as a little like Martha Stuart. I think many agree that her crime wasn't all that terrible, she got a tip and acted on it. The trouble is she lied about it. If it was an innocent mistake, as with Wayne, why did she lie about it?

Same for Goodale and all those involved in the income trust scandal. If there was nothing wrong with that why all the lies and cover-up? It's sure funny what Media and their viewers/readers seems to pick apart and/or excuse. Funny what morals standards are acceptable. And the cheek turning for certain heros, celebrities.

Everyone is ripping apart Harper, Emerson et al, but hardly a whisper on the Great Gretz.

Posted by: Cheri at February 10, 2006 02:29 PM

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I don't think he's involved here.

The one issue that cause some trouble is taxes. I presume that Janet was wagering largish sums of money, she must have won occasionally. In the United States gambling income is taxable. Did they file jointly, and did they declare winnings?

They may have to pay a fine, and some back taxes, but that would be the extent of his problems...

The difference between Martha Stewart is, Gretzky's statements where at a press conference, not to an agent of the state. As much as the press would like to elevate themselves, lying to a reporter (or many reporters) is not a crime.

Posted by: Curtis at February 10, 2006 03:01 PM

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He said. She said.

I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics on CBC today and there was a great deal of emphasis on the gambling scandal and how it might affect the Canadian Olympic Team (this is in its entirety, not just hockey).

What a bunch of crap. HOW???

So far as I see it, this is just another case of the media trying to CREATE a story on a slow news day.

If they are that bored perhaps they should be investigating some of the real scandals of our previous government. There is plenty of real evidence of this. But I guess if you are too lazy too look it's just not worthwhile.

Cheers

Gerry

Posted by: gerryinmontreal at February 11, 2006 03:00 AM

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Just another case of media and the judicial needing a story to take away focus on the real crimes being purportrated by ours and other governments in the world today. Watch my left hand.

Posted by: Rick at February 11, 2006 11:38 AM

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