Between March Madness, Major League Baseball, and NBA and NHL playoffs, online sports betting explodes at this time of year. With it, however, comes the ramifications of gambling addictions, wrote the Editorial Board of The Washington Post.
The problems escalated in 2018 when a Supreme Court decision, Murphy v. NCAA, eliminated the federal ban on sports gambling to allow states to set their own rules. Now, 38 states and Washington, D.C., allow sports betting, and the more-than 40 mobile betting apps and online sports books are part of a multibillion dollar industry that continues to grow.
In January 2024, sport betting revenue hit $1.48 billion, a record monthly high, according to the American Gaming Association, and the industry has pushed back against any legislation related to regulation. However, the board noted current legislation in the works, such as a bill in Congress that would restrict gambling ads during live games, as well as eliminate the use of “bonus bets” and other incentives. It would also require sportbooks to run “affordability checks” on users.
“Sports and gambling are evermore intertwined,” the op-ed concluded. “But there still might be time to put some sensible brakes on Americans’ dangerous, growing addiction to betting on sports.
