Bradley Beal in hot water for hitting fan after NBA game

Washington Wizards player Bradley Beal has been in hot water for an event that happened after one of the team's recent games. Here is a look at the incident and how sports betting is involved.

What Happened: Wizards guard Beal hasn't played in a game since March 21th, when they lost to the Orlando Magic. While Beal was out due to a knee injury, his time off coincides with a police investigation into sports betting.

While some players in major league sports have found themselves the subject of improper sports betting, in this case it was a fan who has been betting that has drawn attention to the NBA and Beal.

The Wizards lost the matchup with the Magic on March 21 at the Amway Center in Orlando by a score of 122 to 112.

Beal had an off night, where he put up 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists. While the rebounds and assists were above his season average, the 16 points were less than Beal's 23.2 points per game average.

Beal was 4 -- for 15 on field goal attempts, including 0 -- 4 on three-point attempts.

After the game, Beal was headed to the locker room when comments from a fan caught his attention.

According to a police report, you made me lose $1,300, a fan yelled at Beal.

Beal went towards the fan and knocked his hat off of his head, making contact with the fan's head. The NBA player told the fan that basketball is his job and he takes it seriously. The fan told Beal that he did not intend to offend him, despite the fact that he was apologizing on the police video.

I don't give a f about none of your bets or parlays, bro. That isn't why I play the game, Beal told the fan, according to TMZ Sports.

The incident lasted less than a minute, according to TMZ.

The fan filed a complaint with the Orlando Police Department about 24 hours after the game, saying he was hit in the head and wanted to press charges. The police haven't found a cell phone video of the incident, and haven't found surveillance video from the arena.

The NBA and the Wizards are aware of the situation and have issued statements.

Mike Bass, a spokesman for the NBA, said they were aware of the report and are in the process of gathering more information.

TMZ Sports said Beal's attorney provided an update on the story.

Bradley's name will be cleared soon, and we are cooperating with the investigation, the attorney said.

Why is it important to know that sports betting was legalized in 2018 with states able to decide if they would offer online sports betting and retail casino-based betting.

Since 2018, 33 states have launched sports betting for consumers.

The example of the fan could put a negative spotlight on the sector, as fans are expected to bet only what they can afford to lose or bet in small amounts.

Athletes have been called out for their performance, causing bets to hurt or lose a person's fantasy sports team in a weekly matchup.

Florida has not legalized sports betting, which means the fan could lie, place the bet in another state or mean daily fantasy sports.

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