By Gage Roberts, of the University of West Florida
An ever-growing practice, sports gambling has seen profound growth in recent years. S&P Global reported that Americans alone wagered a record $119.84 billion on sports in 2023 according to the American Gaming Association.
With more states legalizing sports betting every year along with online gambling companies making it easier than ever to wager, record numbers can only be expected to grow.
Looking beyond the dangers that sports gambling potentially brings to the sports themselves, the individuals participating in the process are quite vulnerable as well.
Harry Levant is an internationally certified gambling counselor who has had his own unique battle with gambling addiction as he was convicted for gambling away $2 million of stolen money in 2015.
“Gambling disorder is an addiction on the same level as heroin, opioids, tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine,” says Levant. “Gambling addiction is not about money. It’s about the way the product makes you feel.”
While financial gain is a significant reason why people gamble, gambling itself has shown to be an addictive process. The thrill of placing a winning bet is a feeling many people find almost impossible to give up, and with such high gambling numbers, sports betting has grown far beyond simply putting down some money on a certain team to win a game.
Now, you can place bets on almost anything imaginable related to a sporting event.
For March Madness, one of the biggest gambling events of the year, DraftKings offered a lucrative amount of live in-game wagers, as well as prop bets, for users to wager on. Such as what type of field goal will come next in the game, who will be the one to score it, and whether the end score will be an odd or even number.
The idea behind these bets is to give the bettor as many opportunities to participate as possible. They require the participant to be fully engaged and on their toes at all times ready to make bets at high speeds, which can play into that addictive feeling that many develop towards gambling.
Relatively, Florida has seen a large spike in gambling helpline calls recently. The Florida Council of Compulsive Gambling is projecting to receive 40,000 calls this year. Almost double the amount of calls received in 2023.
While sports betting has grown in popularity for people of all ages, perhaps the most substantial and alarming growth has been seen among the younger generation.
In a 2023 survey conducted by the NCAA, results concluded that sports betting is quite widespread among 18–22-year-olds. Finding that at least 58% have engaged in at least one activity related to sports gambling, while 67% of students who live on college campuses are bettors and tend to bet at a higher frequency.
In response, the NCAA launched a new campaign titled “Draw the Line” prior to this year’s March Madness. The goal of the campaign is to educate students on the many dangers of sports betting.
Additionally, some of the largest gambling corporations in the world are coming together to help fight against problem gambling. FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Penn Entertainment, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, and bet365 are in the process of forming the Responsible Online Gambling Association to promote safe and responsible gambling practices.
Their efforts will also consist of an independent data clearing house. Allowing them to share information with each other in relation to consumer protection.
Major players, and competitors, in the gambling industry working together marks a substantial step forward towards a future of healthy sports wagering. Their efforts, along with Florida’s helplines and the NCAA’s campaign, may prove such a future is not that far away.
