The popularity of sports betting has exploded in recent years with multiple betting sites like DraftKings, PrizePicks, and Underdog, making it as accessible and easy to bet as possible. This is a double-edged sword for the betting world. On one end it makes it easy for people new to betting to learn how to make parlays and individual bets, lessening the learning curve to the betting, in theory, causing fewer “bad bets.” On the other hand, the almost gamification of betting can cause people to not think about the fact that it’s real money that’s being spent and not fake money massively increasing the likelihood of addiction with the idea of “I just need to win back what I lost” being almost supported.
This can hit especially hard on youths as they’re more likely to become gambling addicts the National Institute of Health says the primary age group for gambling addictions to start is 17 through 24.
Several universities including Mizzou are considering making bets by faculty, staff, and students of a school from wagering on that school’s sports while NCAA president Charlie Baker calls for a ban on college prop bets. Baker said to ESPN, “This is to protect “the integrity and competition” of the game as well as stop the harassment of student and professional athletes.”
Addiction is bad no matter what light it is in, but gambling is one of the most glaring examples of how bad it can be. According to the National Institute of Health, “19.2% of pathological gamblers have filed bankruptcy” People have literally gambled their lives away. However, many sports betting companies put maximum bet limits on new users to help prevent addiction as well as provide the ability to set personal max bet limits that are unable to be changed for a set period. These betting apps and websites also provide both their hotlines and the federal hotline for help with gambling. While this doesn’t prevent addiction, it can be a real resource for those who are struggling.
A major flaw with the betting industry is when athletes themselves begin betting on events. Almost every professional sports league has rules banning athletes from betting on any sporting event due to either the ability to physically sway the results by performing worse deliberately or via their influence and offers of parts of the potential winnings. Twenty-three athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, and PGA have been suspended because of their gambling habits, with former San Diego Padres shortstop Tucupita Marcano and Mizzou alumni and former player for the Toronto Raptors Jontay Porter being banned from playing in the MLB and NBA respectively for life.
This has led to more investigations and tighter regulations on betting which unsurprisingly has found more athletes illegally gambling. College has cracked down on betting as well with 175 infractions being found and more currently being investigated. Punishment for the betting hasn’t been light either with the entirety of Notre Dame men’s swim team having its activities suspended for a year.
