CNN
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In August 2019, Saul Malek knew he had hit rock bottom.
His girlfriend broke up with him, their friendships deteriorated, and he was having money problems.
“I realized that all my memories were related to gambling,” Malek explained to CNN Sport.
“If I go out with my girlfriend or some friends, at the end of the night I’ll say to her, ‘This is a great night because this bet won and I made this much money.'”
In a last-ditch effort to repair his relationship with his girlfriend, Malek said he told his Gamblers Anonymous mentor that he would not bet for six months. Almost five years later, Marek still hasn’t placed a bet.
The billions of dollars wagered on this year’s Super Bowl, the millions of dollars wagered on Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, and articles like Malek’s focus on the United States’ complex relationship with sports gambling.
Marek said she was introduced to illegal bookkeeping when she was a sophomore in college.
“It was definitely murky in terms of the legality and legality of it all, but I didn’t really care,” he said.
“I enjoyed betting with bookmakers because I liked knowing that I was beating real people, that I was better than them.”
Michael Reeves/Getty Images
Millions of dollars will be at stake in this weekend’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Malek vividly remembers his first $10 win.
“It completely warped my mind,” Malek said. “I know what I’m doing. This is easy, this is great.”
But a $10 wager turned into a $100 wage, which quickly turned into a wager involving thousands of dollars.
“When I really lost and started chasing losses, I realized that it was unpleasant,” Marek admitted.
“But I guess I didn’t see it as much of a problem because I was in the mode of trying to figure everything out.”
It wasn’t until his parents realized that “unscrupulous people were sending him messages” and that his grades at school were in question that Malek, now a speaker on gambling awareness, began working. , I realized that I was in a very serious situation.
It was in 2018 that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that prohibited most states from allowing sports betting.
Fast forward to 2024, and the gambling industry is deeply ingrained in American sports culture, with leagues, franchises, players, and networks partnering with betting organizations.
In 2018, Nevada was the only state to offer sports betting, but now 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it, and six more states are developing sports betting legislation. .
Americans bet $10.49 billion on sports during the Super Bowl in February, an increase of 24.8% from a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association’s gaming revenue tracker.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, AGA predicts a record 67.8 million American adults (26%) will bet an estimated $23.1 billion on the event, a 35% increase from 2023.
And overall, nearly $120 billion in legal bets were made last year.
Dominic Reuter/AFP/Getty Images
The Monmouth Park Sportsbook is viewed on June 14, 2018, at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, on the first day of legal sports betting in the state.
“In America, people have been betting on sports for as long as there have been sports to bet on,” AGA senior vice president Joe Maloney said in an interview with CNN Sports.
“Democrats and Republicans, if there’s one thing they can all agree on, it’s that illegal gambling was already happening.”
Maloney says the 2018 decision was an opportunity to bring better people into the legal market and for politicians to capture tax revenue.
In 2023, more than $11 billion in state taxes went into the state treasury.
According to the U.S. Census, New York state is by far the leader in collections.
“Frankly, state governments were rushing to take advantage of gambling revenue, and the gambling industry was happy to go along with this,” Keith White, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), told CNN Sports. Told.
According to the NCPG, it is estimated that 2.5 million adults in the United States “meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem in any given year.”
Mr Maloney argues that one of the benefits of legalized sports gambling is the measures put in place to help people suffering from gambling addiction.
“We’ve had an illicit market flourishing in this country for probably 40 to 50 years…and we just didn’t have a serious level of gambling resources to support people who were exhibiting problem behavior,” Maloney said. Masu.
“We’re really proud of the fact that more money is being spent on problem gambling in this country than ever before.”
Albero/Getty Images
Fans line up to vote before the 155th Belmont Stakes to be held at Belmont Park in 2023.
White says he’s not so sure.
Asked about legalizing sports betting to help curb gambling addiction, White said, “I don’t see any evidence of that.” “We think the risk has increased by about 30%.”
“I’m in the District of Columbia right now, where the mayor recently cut every penny in public funding for problem gambling prevention and treatment.
So in the very nation’s capital, where the AGA and the National Council on Problem Gambling are located, they abolished all public funding for problem gambling,” White added.
From LeBron James’ NFL partnership with DraftKings to the launch of ESPN’s official sportsbook, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to watch sports without including gambling as part of the viewing experience.
The 2023 NCAA survey surveyed young adults between the ages of 18 and 22. According to the study, 52.8% of people who saw advertisements for sports gambling said they had become interested in gambling.
As many as 80% of high-risk gamblers say they’re more likely to gamble because of an ad they’ve seen.
White says if you’re not in a high-risk group, these ads aren’t much of a concern, but connections between high-risk groups are concerning.
Mr. Maloney counters that advertising is important in moving gamblers from the illegal market to the legal market.
Mr Maloney said: “With markets legally open and regulated, advertising is critical to better inform people that there is an opportunity to bet in a legal market.” Ta.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Former NFL tight end and sportscaster Greg Olsen shows the first bet made at the DraftKings First Bet held at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in North Carolina in March.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is concerned about the increase in advertising and promotions.
“I live in the New York market. It’s always been done in terms of encouraging people to bet on sports,” Silver said recently.
“I’m also worried about young people. Of course, it’s illegal for young people to bet on sports,” the Commissioner added.
Ramon Celaya, moderator of Reddit’s problem gambling forum, agrees.
“The explosion in sports betting has increased the attention and interest of young gamblers. People are starting in their teens,” Celaya told NCPG.
“I once had a 16-year-old post on the subreddit. I noticed that people in the college age bracket tend to gravitate toward things like sports betting, online poker, and crypto trading.”
Despite Silver’s struggles with the proliferation of sports betting ads, the NBA announced in March that it had partnered with Sportradar to give NBA League Pass users the chance to see live odds during games.
“When sports betting is legal, users can opt in for the convenience of viewing and selecting bets directly on NBA League Pass. When ready to place a bet, a seamlessly embedded link , you will be directed to FanDuel or DraftKings, the official betting partners of the NBA,” a Sportradar statement reads.
Malek believes this lack of friction is dangerous.
“It was really convenient to have it right there, just a click of a button,” he explained.
Candice Ward/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Although NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said he is “concerned about young people,” the NBA has embraced the world of sports betting.
However, Maloney points to the opportunities that technological innovation presents to the gambling industry and its customers.
“I think the pace of innovation will continue to accelerate, particularly as it relates to fan engagement and betting, and in-play and live betting,” Maloney said.
“We believe our interactions with the league, teams and industry partners will continue,” he added.
White’s concern is that most sports bettors “get deep into the game and… [betting]” believe that they have no idea what the true odds are and that it is nearly impossible to calculate the true odds within the 30 seconds required for in-play betting.
The gambling industry also noted its continued emphasis on “responsible gambling,” with three-quarters of what it calls “traditional Super Bowl bettors” saying they have seen messages about responsible gambling in the last year. This is an increase from 71% in 2023.
The NBA recently announced that an investigation found that 24-year-old Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors had violated gambling rules, leading to his expulsion from the league.
As a result of the investigation, the NBA found that Porter “did not comply with league regulations, including disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, restricting his own participation in one or more games for gambling purposes, or betting on NBA games.” It was announced that it was found that there was a violation of the
With the rise of sports betting, this could become even more common, something NBA commissioner Silver is concerned about.
“What he’s accused of in the NBA is a mortal sin, and the ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game,” Silver said.
“I don’t think there’s anything more serious in this league when it comes to gambling and betting on games. It involves the players directly,” Silver added.
Brian Sewald/NBAE/Getty Images
Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for gambling.
Porter did not respond to CNN’s request for comment when the suspension was announced.
In late March, the NBA announced it was “investigating” anomalies involving prop bets regarding Porter. He reportedly had two specific games where DraftKings Sportsbook flagged prop bets involving Porter in their daily betting analysis.
After Porter’s suspension, a DraftKings spokesperson told CNN: In general, one of the many benefits of legal and regulated sports betting is that the integrity of the sport is protected in a way that does not exist in the illegal market, as sports betting operators identify and report suspicious activity. It is important to note that. ”
