The House Always Wins - A College Student’s Experience with Sports Betting

What I remember the most, once I began noticing them, was the seemingly randomness of the ads… it was slow at first, a pop-up or a junk email every once in a while, but then more often. I noticed them on my favorite podcasts and content creators’ pages, offering me a ‘free bet’, or money that ‘wasn’t mine’, at ‘no risk to me’, and usable ‘in one click’. Then it was the lifestyle, I saw it in every piece of content… the cars, the penthouses, models and celebrities, but it all seemed slightly off.

“Importantly, younger viewers, the demographic most targeted by digital advertising, are also the ones saying the ads are in their face the most. A majority of 18–34-year-olds (52.7%) say the volume of ads is excessive… Younger adults (18–34) are far more likely to say gambling advertising influences their likelihood to place a bet (47.5% report ‘a great deal’ or ‘some’ influence). Younger viewers are also more likely to feel overwhelmed by the frequency of betting ads. Older Americans, meanwhile, express greater concern about youth exposure and about the long‑term impact on competitive integrity. This divide shows younger viewers are both the most targeted by, and the most reactive to, sports betting advertising.” (Sacred Heart University)

Finally, I understood, a few Google searches told me the truth, we are fish in a barrel. They find us at our most competitive season of life, when we are at the age of highest testosterone, immersed in sports culture, with the most neurological risk tolerance, in colleges surrounded by other men who treat betting like a game and not a wager, and give us access frequently and privately. I saw it working on my friends and classmates, because it was easy and everyone was doing it. But at what cost? 

As a 24-year-old man, I now carry an understanding that I am a high-priority target for this market. My friends, my coworkers, those who share this phase of life, are those hunted by the predatory sports gambling industry. Their persistent targeting of young men, like me,  is blatant and disturbing. It should concern not only the young men who are just beginning to enter the most important stages of life (18-34), but also loving mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends who care deeply for those affected by the mental and financial burdens of gambling addiction. 

So why is this introduction into ‘casual’ sports gambling so dangerous? Because the plan is to create lifelong addicts. Seeing friends, co-workers, and classmates fall prey to the malintent of the gambling industry is not only disheartening for the short term, but for the future of our generation. These targeted attacks on vulnerable demographics lead to remarkably negative implications for individuals. The development of gambling disorder is becoming more common and harder to treat effectively. 

“Gambling disorder (GD) was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) category Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders in 2013 after growing scientific literature revealed that GD shared clinical features as well as underlying neurobiological mechanisms with substance use disorders (SUDs), and it is still the only behavioral addiction recognized in the DSM-5. The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) classifies gambling disorder under “disorders due to addictive behaviors,” alongside gaming disorder. Top risk factors for developing/maintaining GD are being male; being young and single or married for less than 5 years; living alone; having a low level of education; and struggling financially. Like people with drug addiction, people with GD experience cravings and withdrawal symptoms and develop tolerance, needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement. Generally, a person with GD cannot control their gambling and experiences significant negative consequences, typically financial and relationship problems, because of it. The indebtedness and shame experienced by people who gamble can lead to self-harm and suicide or suicide attempts.” (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

These people, who are majority male, young, unmarried, financially unstable, and with unfinished educations, are the people the gambling industry fights over, because they are long-term consumers of sports betting. They are also the most vulnerable to substance abuse and suicide attempts related to mental disorders connected to gambling. 

“Gambling disorder falls in the same diagnostic category as drug and alcohol use disorders. One in five people with a gambling disorder attempt or complete suicide, an even higher risk than with other substance use disorders. Gambling tends to occur alongside other behavioral health conditions, such as problem alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, adds Christopher Welsh, MD, medical director of the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling. Plus, mobile sports betting skews heavily toward younger male users, a population already facing higher rates of suicide and loneliness.”  (Johns Hopkins - BSPH)

Sports betting is detrimental to young men ages 18-34, preying on their situations, mental health, and financial vulnerabilities, via peer influence and cultural pressure, all leading to addiction, debt, and even suicide. I have seen it myself, not only on college campuses but in workplaces and online communities.

So what is the solution? An outright federal ban on all gaming commissions, products, and advertising would eliminate this evil industry and slow the bleeding of cultural perversion from gambling. More immediately, we must take action now in South Carolina to protect our sons, nephews, friends, college students, young workers, and the future of our state from gambling addiction and mental health crisis.

Many young men are not aware of the fact that they are being targeted and intentionally attacked by a multitude of companies within the gambling industry. On behalf of these men, and many people around the world who have suffered for the sake of the bottom line of the sports betting industry, I urge you to take a vocal stand against gambling of all kinds. We must start in the State House in South Carolina and keep the sports betting predators out of our pockets.