Should State and National Governments Be More Strict on Sports?

Katie Jenny

Staff Writer

In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, essentially legalizing sports betting. Since then, sports betting has become the new popular form of gambling. According to St. Bonaventure University, 22% of Americans are reported to have betted on sports. While this new form of gambling is extremely popular, there are some negatives to be aware of.

 Obviously, when talking about betting, you have to address gambling addictions. About 2.5 million Americans suffer from a gambling addiction, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. This number could rise greatly due to how easy it is to bet on sports. Instead of having to travel to a casino, you can place a bet on a game from your own home.

When Americans choose to open a sports betting app, there are many things they can choose to spend their money on, from what team will win to what color the Gatorade will be at the Superbowl. The latter is concerning, placing money on a bet that has relatively no odds behind it can lead to more money being lost. If you guess correctly on bets like these, you can feel lucky and might be more likely to spend more money on risky options.

How much are Americans betting though? According to Nerd Wallet, “Americans who bet on sports in the past 12 months say they’ve spent $3,284, on average.” While this number does not encapsulate every single better, some bet much more and some bet much less, it does show that Americans are spending quite a bit on sports betting. And most of these people are losing money. According to Expert Beacon, approximately 95 percent of sports bets end up being a loss, a higher percentage than other types of gambling, like lottery games and table games in a casino.

With how new online sports betting is and with how many applications there are to participate online, it is hard to understand how severe financial dangers are. While I believe sports betting should be more regulated, it is unlikely to happen. So, the best way for Americans to gamble online is to only spend what they can afford to lose and try not to place high risk bets frequently.