Vote: The Deep End of Betting Pools

Updated: Jun 12, 2003, 11:44 AM


	Neuheisel's bet was a no-win situation.

For the past two years, Washington head football coach Rick Neuheisel has taken part in a NCAA Tournament betting pool. He put up $6,400 and won $12,123 (thanks to the Maryland Terrapins). But as a result, he lost his job and his $1.2 million annual salary.

More than $2.5 billion is bet on the NCAA men's basketball tournament each year, according to the FBI, and of that, only about $80 million is bet legally -- that means more pools than in every backyard in America combined.

But if you are a collegiate head coach, those betting pools are as dangerous as a stripper at an out-of-town charity golf tournament. They can cost a coach his job, his reputation, even his career.

When does a betting pool go from an innocent game among friends to a "serious violation of NCAA rules"?

Cast your vote and see how your opinion stacks up to the rest of SportsNation.