We Need to Talk About Sports Betting Because It’s Getting Out of Hand
The betting apps are everywhere. The consequences are too. Photo: Unsplash
Look, I love sports. I’ve played sports my whole life. I’ve written about sports for years. But I need to talk about something that’s been bothering me and I don’t think enough people in the sports media world are being honest about it. The sports betting explosion is creating a public health crisis and we’re all just pretending it’s fine.
When the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, Americans legally wagered less than $5 billion on sports annually. Last year? According to STAT News, they bet $150 billion. That’s not growth. That’s an explosion. And young men are the primary casualties.
I know guys my age—32, college athletes, former athletes—who can’t watch a game without having money on it anymore. Not for fun. Not because it makes the game more exciting. Because they NEED to. They check the apps first thing in the morning. They check the lines between meetings. They can’t concentrate when their bets are losing. That’s addiction, man. That’s not “engagement.”
Marcus’s Take:
A UC San Diego study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found a dramatic increase in gambling addiction help-seeking since 2018. The researchers are calling for federal action because states simply don’t have the resources or jurisdiction to protect consumers from what they call “excessive and abusive offers.”
Here’s what kills me: 90% of bets are now placed on phones, not at casinos or racetracks. More than half are live bets, placed while games are in progress. You don’t need to drive anywhere, get cash from an ATM, or even get out of bed. The friction that used to exist between “I want to gamble” and “I am gambling” is completely gone.
According to NPR’s reporting, before sports betting took off, 1-2% of Americans already struggled with gambling disorder. Now? The rate among online sports bettors showing signs of compulsive gambling is as high as 16%. Another 13% show warning signs but don’t yet meet clinical criteria. That’s nearly 30% of online sports bettors experiencing some level of gambling problems.
Real Talk:
The financial impact is staggering. Research shows sports betting addicts accumulate an average of $27,500 in gambling-related debt before seeking help. Nearly 25% of sports bettors have been unable to pay a bill because of their wagers. Some are gambling away rent money. More than 15% have taken out personal loans to fund bets.
A Massachusetts state representative is pushing a bill that would create affordability checks to cap how much money some gamblers can lose. The logic is simple: if you’re only allowed to gamble $100 a day because that’s an affordable amount, you’re not going to go broke. The gambling industry is lobbying against it, obviously.
What Could Help:
I’m not saying ban sports betting. That ship has sailed and prohibition doesn’t work anyway. But we need to acknowledge what’s happening. We need to stop pretending this is just “entertainment” when it’s destroying people’s finances, relationships, and mental health. We need to ask hard questions about why the NFL and NBA have embraced gambling partnerships so enthusiastically.
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, the National Council on Problem Gambling has a helpline: 1-800-522-4700. There’s no shame in getting help. The apps are literally designed by teams of psychologists and engineers to be as addictive as possible. You’re not weak for struggling against that.
Ard, that’s all I got. Watch the games. Enjoy the competition. But maybe—maybe—don’t open that betting app every single time. Your wallet and your mental health will thank you.
