LUKAS BLANKENSTEIN / CONTRIBUTOR

On May 14, 2018, the  Supreme Court made a landmark decision to strike down the Professional and  Amateur Sports Protection Act, the  Federal Act which banned states from legalizing sports gambling. Since then, the sports world hasn’t been the same. Sports gambling is now legal in 38 states and in the District of Columbia. As a result, America has spent more money on sports gambling than ever before. 

According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), which bills itself as the premier national trade group for the U.S. casino industry,  Americans spent a record $147.91 billion on legal sports gambling in 2024, a 23.6% year-over-year increase from 2023. Meanwhile, the gambling industry walked away with a record $13.7 billion profit, a 25.4% increase from 2024. 

A large part of this uptick in gambling has been the proliferation of sports betting apps, such as Prize Picks, DraftKings and FanDuel. These apps allow fans to place bets from their phone with just a few clicks, as opposed to traditional sports betting that requires bettors to go to a casino. These apps have also been reporting record growth. DraftKings, which had the largest market share of any sports betting app in 2023 according to Statista (35%), released their earnings report for Q4 on Feb. 13, 2025.

DraftKings reported revenue of $1,393 million, an increase of $162 million, or 13%, compared to $1,23 in 2013.   

A large portion of this rise in revenue has been as a result of increased betting among college students. In 2023, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the governing body for college sports, released a study on college gambling.

“Overall, the present survey found that sports wagering is pervasive among 18 to 22-year-olds, with 58% having engaged in at least one sports betting activity,” the NCAA statement said. “Sports wagering activity is widespread on college campuses — 67% of students living on campus are bettors and tend to bet at a higher frequency.”

This  increase can also be seen as a Torero trend. USD Senior Matt Pearson noted that he also has a number of friends who now sports bet.

“Most  of my friends that watch sports now occasionally bet on them as well,” Pearson said.

Sports betting apps have recognized this trend and see the value in attempting to market more to college students. This can be seen with Caesars Sportsbooks, a popular online sportsbook, and their former partnerships with Louisiana State University in September of 2021 and Michigan State University in January of 2022. Both    campuses  signed  multi-year contracts with Caesar’s, which made Ceasar’s the official betting partner of both universities. These deals eventually fell through due to public backlash against both universities. 

One of the larger ways that online sports betting sites have tried to increase gambling on their apps is through constant ads on sports’ programs.                                      According to the AGA, the sports betting industry spent $434.4 million on advertisements in 2024 and made up 0.4% of all TV advertising volume (for context, alcohol is 0.5% and telecom/wireless is 1.5%). This ad spending appears to be effective at grabbing eyes, especially those of college students, as the NCAA’s sports wagering study suggests.

“Advertisements have a major influence on betting activity: 63% of on-campus students recall seeing betting ads,” the report stated. “This is a higher rate than that found in the general population or those that commute/virtually attend college, and 58% of those students indicate they are more likely to bet after seeing the ads.” 

According to the AGA, bettors risked an estimated $150 billion and lost more than $13 billion with U.S. sportsbooks in 2024. $13 billion is comparable to what Americans spent in total on Cyber Monday in 2024.

While the sports leagues have been willing to run these ads, they have often taken a harsher penalty on their athletes and officials gambling. In July of 2024, NBA player Jontay Porter was banned  from the NBA for life after it was discovered that he made bets on himself and his team while he was a member of the Toronto Raptors. 

Even players that don’t bet on their teams have faced harsh penalties. NHL player Shane Pinto was suspended for half a season due to sports gambling, and MLB umpire Pat Hoberg was banned for sharing an account with a friend who bet on baseball, although MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said there was no evidence that Hoberg manipulated the outcomes of games in any way. Pearson thinks that this approach from the leagues is hypocritical.

“I don’t think the ads have encouraged me to gamble,” Pearson said. “However, I find them incredibly hypocritical with how much professional leagues care about their players gambling.”

A sports gambling meme created by sportsbettingdime.com. Photo courtesy of @sportsbettingdime/Instagram

Sports betting poses a large risk to college students as it can lead to the development a gambling disorder. A gambling disorder, also called a gambling addiction, is detailed by the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses (DSM), which is the American Psychiatric Association’s professional reference book on mental health and brain-related conditions. The DSM-5, their latest edition, provided the following definition for a gambling disorder.

“Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress,” the DSM-5 said.  

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, a non-profit organization meant to help tackle the causes and problems of gambling addiction, problem gambling is a serious issue in the U.S.. 

“2.5 million U.S. adults (1%) are estimated to meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem in a given year,” their website stated. “Another 5-8 million (2-3%) would be considered to have mild or moderate gambling problems.”

This number may be even higher among college students. Pause Before You Play, a responsible gambling awareness website, provided their own statistics on college students.

“Many studies suggest that the rate of problem gambling in college students is alarmingly high, with one   stating that problem gambling affects as many as 6% of students,” the website read.

According to Pause Before You Play, this early gambling is compounded because, like most addictions, those who begin gambling earlier in life are more likely to have a long-term gambling addiction throughout the rest of their life.

With sports betting on the rise and the industry bringing home record profits in 2023, it is unlikely that this new wave of sports betting will fizzle out anytime soon. That’s why it is more important than ever to make sure to gamble responsibly.  If you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER (426-2537) for free confidential  gambling problem assistance, or call the USD counseling center at 619-260-4655 to request a mental health appointment or get free over the phone consultation.

Caesar’s Palace Sportsbook in Vegas, where bettors can bet and watch a variety of sports at one time. Photo courtesy of @johnny5alive85/Instagram