This transcript has been edited for clarity.
FRED FLETCHER-FIERRO: It's Morning Edition on KRPS. I'm Fred Fletcher Fierro. Online gambling has exploded in popularity over the last handful of years, and as a result, the Better Business Bureau has received tens of thousands of complaints. Recently, the BBB released a report compiling all this data and the Regional Director of the Better Business Bureau in Springfield, MO Pamela Hernandez joins us this morning to help break it down or at least put a dent in all this data. Pam, good morning.
So let's just throw out some numbers at the very top of this report.
PAMELA HERNANDEZ: Very top of the report, there is so much to get to have to break it down. I mean over 10,000 business complaints going back to 2022 related to online gambling and gaming and it's so confusing. There's a patchwork of laws and legal protections.
I mean, there's so much to get to, that's the thing.
Not to mention what we call the online gray market, which are those platforms, those things that are not licensed in the US, it is so confusing for the average person who just wants to place a bet.
FRED: It is incredibly confusing, and if you're a sports fan like I am, I'll watch the NBA. I'll watch Major League Baseball live. Of course, we'll watch the NFL coming up in a couple weeks. And all the major sports leagues now have affiliations with numerous betting platforms. ESPN. Obviously, you see it all over there too. And like you said, it highlights the patchwork of laws. You know, I live 20 minutes away from Kansas. Betting is legal in Kansas. I believe they have four casinos over there across the state. I'm not even sure betting is legal in Missouri. I even forget whether it is here.
PAMELA: Well, and that's one of the confusing things online gambling is coming to Missouri. It is going to be legal very soon, but most folks probably don't know that there are only two licensed platforms in the state of Missouri. So, do you see these advertisements again, legitimate companies that are tied into different leagues and you see them during games.
And I see it all over the games that the podcast I listen to, but that doesn't mean that you can bet with that platform. You have to know what's licensed in your state, what's allowed, and certainly overseas, these gray market platforms that are not regulated, knowing that gambling is coming to Missouri, they're going to try to prey on that.
FRED: OK, when you say gray market, do you know anything else about that, how these gray market companies operate?
PAMELA: Well, they are overseas companies, so they're offering operations somewhere outside of the United States, which allows them to skirt any kind of protections whatsoever. So, these are the ones that we hear the most complaints about where people aren't getting their money, where there, their one consumer told us that they got their payout in the form. Of a check. But it was a check that wasn't a US check; the information wasn't there so they couldn't negotiate that check with them. Do you think so? There's all sorts of problems that can happen when you use a company that's outside of the United States, you don't have any protection. So you're really kind of out there on your own.
FRED: What I'm hearing from you is when we'll talk about financial stuff you recommend using a credit or a credit card or debit card because of the protections that it has with that company. And to me, what I'm hearing from you is if you're going to place a bet, maybe you want to be in person, placing that bet. And so that you can get the payout. Instead of worrying about this, you know online things, whether it's grey or not, because you don't know when the payout is going to happen and who it's going to come from and in what form.
PAM: Well, so a couple of key things. We'll tackle the first part using the credit card if you're if you're going to use this, say, do anything online or particularly one of these, you don't want it tied to your checking account anyway. You want to use something that's protected, but whatever form you're going to make, any kind of bet online, anything you want to make sure you understand what those terms and conditions are. Understand the rules. That's what happens with consumers. They're using a platform that is a legitimate business that's licensed in the state, but they don't read the terms and conditions. And if they run afoul of the terms of conditions, their account can be shut down. They can be banned and their money is frozen.
FRED: Wow, there's a lot to consider there. I've never placed a bet. Have you ever done any gambling like this, Pam?
PAM: I have not. I have the worst luck. I never win anything, so I'd rather just, you know, hold on to my cash. So I have not, but this certainly doesn't after diving into the study, this certainly doesn't make me want to get involved in any way.
FRE: Yeah. I mean, I see all the advertising, but to me, even all the advertising makes it look very complicated because there are so many different bets and it just seems so stressful also because I value the money I earn.
PAM: Exactly, exactly. I don't need that additional. Stress in me.
FRED: Right. No, no. Look, we can talk about this topic literally for an hour. There's so much to get to in this study, and we'll post that at our website, krps.org, if the listener could walk away with one thing from this study or something else about gambling from the Better Business Bureau, what would that one thing be?
PAM: You know, the one thing would be to make sure you understand who you're dealing with and all the terms and conditions. So just do a quick check on the platform and make sure you understand where they are and that you know what you have to do to be safe and be smart with your bet.
FRED: Regional director of the Better Business Bureau in Springfield, MO, Pamela Hernandez.
Click this link to learn more about the Better Business Bureau and their recent report involves online gambling.
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