If you’ve recently spent time in a high school or college, or clicked through stories on Instagram or Snapchat, it’s more than likely you’ve heard or seen somebody talking about the bets they’ve been placing on sports.
The insane rise of sports betting in our local communities is due to it becoming officially legalized in Kentucky as of Sep. 7, 2023.
Now, predatory sports gambling companies have been increasingly advertising their services and apps to young people, with enticing offers of seemingly “free money” to new customers to get them started with their first bets.
“Often used as sign-up deals (known as deposit matches), matched bet offers require you to make a deposit and/or place a real money wager first,” wrote Natalie Abele of the website Sports Betting Dime. “The sportsbook will then match the deposit or bet with a free bet up to a certain amount.”
“One out of 10 college students is a pathological gambler, according to one meta-analysis conducted by professors at the University of Buffalo,” reported Oliver Staley in his piece on sports gambling for TIME magazine.
The National Institutes of Health website defined pathological gambling as “a recognized mental disorder characterized by a pattern of continued gambling despite negative physical, psychological, and social consequences.”
The beginning of the snowball effect we’ve seen today began in 2018 when the Supreme Court eliminated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which was a federal ban on sports gambling that had contained the pastime to certain states and Native American territories.
Six years later, sports betting has legally spread to 38 states, as well as Washington, D.C.
“The NCPG estimated that the risk for a gambling addiction rose by 30 percent between 2018 and 2021,” reported Rachel Epstein in her article in Men’s Health, “particularly among men ages 18 to 24.”
Personally, I don’t view gambling as being inherently wrong in itself. I think people should have the freedom to make the decision to spend their money gambling if that’s what they decide they really want to spend it on, without the government intervening.
What I do think is wrong is the way these gambling companies go about marketing their services. Every time I watch a game, regardless of the sport or the channel I’m watching it on, I’m constantly bombarded with advertisements from FanDuel or DraftKings about how I need to download their sports gambling apps.
The fact that we as a nation have regulations in place about how companies are allowed to market addictive products like cigarettes, vapes, or alcohol, but not on gambling services seems foolish and unwise.
Other nations across the world have been taking steps to fix this issue, such as Italy completely banning gambling advertisements and the United Kingdom banning celebrities and athletes from being in them. It seems like the United States should consider following in their footsteps and taking steps toward regulating the excessive advertising we see about it during every game.
According to NPR, there has been a 45% increase in inquiries to the National Problem Gambling Hotline, getting 270,000 calls, chats, or texts over the course of 2023.
If you or somebody you know is struggling with a sports gambling addiction, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER, where you can receive immediate support and help in overcoming this issue.
Sports Gambling Addiction
If you’ve recently spent time in a high school or college, or clicked through stories on Instagram or Snapchat, it’s more than likely you’ve heard or seen somebody talking about the bets they’ve been placing on sports.
The insane rise of sports betting in our local communities is due to it becoming officially legalized in Kentucky as of Sep. 7, 2023.
Now, predatory sports gambling companies have been increasingly advertising their services and apps to young people, with enticing offers of seemingly “free money” to new customers to get them started with their first bets.
“Often used as sign-up deals (known as deposit matches), matched bet offers require you to make a deposit and/or place a real money wager first,” wrote Natalie Abele of the website Sports Betting Dime. “The sportsbook will then match the deposit or bet with a free bet up to a certain amount.”
“One out of 10 college students is a pathological gambler, according to one meta-analysis conducted by professors at the University of Buffalo,” reported Oliver Staley in his piece on sports gambling for TIME magazine.
The National Institutes of Health website defined pathological gambling as “a recognized mental disorder characterized by a pattern of continued gambling despite negative physical, psychological, and social consequences.”
The beginning of the snowball effect we’ve seen today began in 2018 when the Supreme Court eliminated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which was a federal ban on sports gambling that had contained the pastime to certain states and Native American territories.
Six years later, sports betting has legally spread to 38 states, as well as Washington, D.C.
“The NCPG estimated that the risk for a gambling addiction rose by 30 percent between 2018 and 2021,” reported Rachel Epstein in her article in Men’s Health, “particularly among men ages 18 to 24.”
Personally, I don’t view gambling as being inherently wrong in itself. I think people should have the freedom to make the decision to spend their money gambling if that’s what they decide they really want to spend it on, without the government intervening.
What I do think is wrong is the way these gambling companies go about marketing their services. Every time I watch a game, regardless of the sport or the channel I’m watching it on, I’m constantly bombarded with advertisements from FanDuel or DraftKings about how I need to download their sports gambling apps.
The fact that we as a nation have regulations in place about how companies are allowed to market addictive products like cigarettes, vapes, or alcohol, but not on gambling services seems foolish and unwise.
Other nations across the world have been taking steps to fix this issue, such as Italy completely banning gambling advertisements and the United Kingdom banning celebrities and athletes from being in them. It seems like the United States should consider following in their footsteps and taking steps toward regulating the excessive advertising we see about it during every game.
According to NPR, there has been a 45% increase in inquiries to the National Problem Gambling Hotline, getting 270,000 calls, chats, or texts over the course of 2023.
If you or somebody you know is struggling with a sports gambling addiction, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER, where you can receive immediate support and help in overcoming this issue.