annashay 
Six years ago, sports betting was illegal under federal law. Today, it is everywhere.
Professional sports leagues — N.F.L., M.L.B. and N.B.A. included — have embraced gambling and signed lucrative marketing deals with betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings.
Have you ever gambled on a sporting event — whether through an app, a betting pool or a simple pinkie bet? Have any of your friends or family? Is the prevalence of sports gambling today a problem?
In the guest essay “The Price We Pay Betting on Sports,” Carl Erik Fisher, an addiction physician and bioethicist at Columbia University, writes about the rise and the dangers of sports gambling addiction:
When we think about any addiction, we tend to focus on people who are utterly consumed by it — those whose lives are visibly falling apart. Yet gambling challenges our usual assumptions about addiction and risk, as its harms extend far beyond the most severe cases.
Consider a young man from my therapy practice, a former college athlete, who isn’t bankrupt or in crisis but feels stuck in a cycle of unhealthy online sports betting. He repeatedly deletes the betting app from his phone, only to reinstall it days later at the prompting of a well-timed email, a group bet with friends or simply the ads plastered across every sports arena. He does fine at work and mostly keeps to the dollar limits he sets, but his internal preoccupation, restlessness and chasing of losses just feel bad. He wouldn’t call himself addicted, but he doesn’t feel healthy, either. At the very least, he has the creeping sense that he’d feel better if he put his attention and energy toward something more meaningful.
Serious gambling addiction is devastating. Beyond financial ruin, it increases the risk of physical health problems, domestic violence and family rupture. Every year, 2.5 million American adults suffer from severe gambling problems. Many suffer invisibly, silently wagering away their lives on cellphones, perhaps in the very same room as their family and friends.
These severe cases demand attention, but focusing only on them obscures something important. As a physician and someone in recovery from alcohol and stimulant addiction myself, I’m concerned by how we have been conditioned to see addiction in all-or-nothing terms. Beyond the millions of Americans who meet the criteria for gambling disorder, five million to eight million more have a mild to moderate gambling problem that still affects their lives — like my patient. Since the federal ban on sports betting was struck down in 2018, sports gambling in the United States has exploded, with annual wagers now approaching $150 billion.
Today’s surge of sports betting — supercharged by technology and unfettered industry practices — shows how everyone can struggle with self-control to varying degrees. No longer a simple matter of putting money down on which competitor will win, modern technology has transformed sports betting into a high-speed, continuous stream of wagers throughout the game. For Sunday’s Super Bowl, people can place bets on things from the result of the coin toss to the yardage of the next drive, from Kendrick Lamar’s halftime guests to how many times Taylor Swift is mentioned.
The essay continues:
We desperately need more resources for the most severely affected; the National Council on Problem Gambling reports that states currently invest just 0.0009 cents in gambling addiction support services for every dollar generated from commercial gambling. Parents should educate themselves about gambling-like features in their children’s apps and games, remove gambling from shared devices, have open conversations about risks and, perhaps above all, be mindful of what they are modeling.
We need common-sense regulations that address gambling as not just a financial but also a public health issue. In Europe, it is more common to see partial limits on advertising, such as restricting sports celebrity endorsements or stadium advertising. Other moderating forces could include limiting bet sizes, curbing in-game betting speed and intensity, and restricting partnership deals (for example, between gambling companies and college athletic departments).
Critics might argue that I’m being alarmist about an activity most people enjoy safely. But this misses the point. While it’s true that most gamblers don’t develop severe addictions, we should regulate potentially harmful products based on their full spectrum of impacts, not just their most extreme outcomes.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
Is sports gambling a problem? Why or why not? How concerned should we be about the rise and the prevalence of sports betting — especially online?
Have you, or anyone you know, bet on a sporting event? If so, what motivated you — or that person — to make a wager? Did having money on the game affect your enjoyment of it? Overall, does the growing culture of sports gambling enhance or diminish the experience of being a fan?
What is your reaction to the essay and the dangers of sports betting? Which lines, details or statistics did you find most provocative or persuasive?
Dr. Fisher writes, “Parents should educate themselves about gambling-like features in their children’s apps and games, remove gambling from shared devices, have open conversations about risks.” Do you agree? Have your parents talked to you about the dangers of sports gambling or gambling in general?
A related article from The Athletic looks at the dark side of sports betting and its impact on N.B.A. players, detailing how fans may turn to threats and bribes, and how athletes may bet money on their own games and their own performances. Do you think legalized sports gambling undermines the integrity of sports?
Dr. Fisher pushes for common-sense regulations that address gambling as a public health issue, such as restricting sports celebrity endorsements or stadium advertising. What do you think of those recommendations? What other regulations, if any, would you suggest to address the dangers of sports gambling?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
