You Should Think Twice Before Gambling on This in Massachusetts

If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, I urge you to reach out to Gambler’s Anonymous. But what you’re about to read should also make you think twice about your betting.

It was revealed this week that New England-based World Wrestling Entertainment has approached states with legalized gambling about allowing people to vote on matches.

Scripted matches.

What’s next – betting on what happens on a soap opera? Because that’s essentially what you’re doing.

Could Massachusetts be far behind? With the state legalizing gambling on just about everything (and WWE’s long history in the region, and one Boston-area restaurant in particular), it seems a lock.

I briefly wrote for WWE (where I was not a great fit). Once a character I pitched on was gone and another TV assignment ended, I was pretty much useless (and likely the least-informed and least-knowledgeable person on the writing staff).

And even I knew what was gonna go down. I didn’t always know how, but I knew who.

And while I respected my employer enough to keep a secret, others do not.

Former Head Writer Brian Gewirtz even tweeted about this just recently:

I wonder if Brian knows if The Rock's first title belt is still in a New Hampshire river...

Anyway, the odds are 100% that at least one person in the know would try to manipulate the market. Could be just one writer, but that’s all it takes. It is human nature to try and make more money.

WWE knows this, so the news got even crazier when they indicated that moving forward, writers would not know the outcome of matches.

Sorry, but there's no way this could work. In order to write a scripted show, you need to know where you are going next – something longtime WWE executive Bruce Prichard has talked about on his award-winning podcast.

Match producers need to be able to work with the wrestlers involved to map it out step-by-step so it plays well, no one gets injured, and it ends with an agreed-upon finish.

Camera operators need to be in position to get the right shots as a match ends. The director needs to be able to call camera switches. It is, as Vince McMahon himself says ad nauseam: sports entertainment.

So before WrestleMania pops up on your phone as something you can bet on in Massachusetts, consider how difficult it would be for WWE to operate without the fix being in.

And, how often Mr. McMahon likes to change plans at the last minute when he senses that fans are onto what’s planned.