Many experts sound the alarm about sports betting in the United States, as they believe that more and more people are becoming addicted to gambling in the country. According to preliminary projections, about 47 million Americans this season will make at least one bet on the NFL. And that’s just for the first few games.
In October and November, this number will increase as interest in the games will steadily grow. And if you add basketball and hockey fans who want to bet, the number turns out to be huge.
Last year, Americans placed $57.22 billion in bets, bringing the total to $4.29 billion. The amounts are enormous, but if you consider that they come mostly from addicts (gamblers), the situation is no longer positive.
The year 2022 is not over yet, and the total revenue from sports betting was $3.04 billion, by 2025, according to experts, the amount could approach $7 billion.
The situation is also aggravated by numerous accounts on Instagram and Twitter, which tell strategies for winning on sports betting, which are actually fraudulent and serve the function of attracting players to bookmaker’s offices. Similar accounts are created for casinos, where bloggers advertise the latest no deposit bonuses and boast of big winnings in the machines.
Recall that the doors to legalizing sports betting in the United States opened in 2018, when the Supreme Court overturned the law banning them. Over the next four years, betting shops actively opened in 31 states, where they still operate today. Five more states have since chosen to legalize sports betting, but so far, they have not passed laws.
For example, as of January 1, 2023, betting shops will be legalized in Ohio. In California, they are prohibited, but the government decided to hold a referendum to learn the opinion of the residents on the issue.
Lia Nower, who is the director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, believes that almost all states want to legalize this type of gambling because it implies a huge annual income, which can be used to improve infrastructure and urban development.
There are still no federal regulations on sports betting, and none are foreseen. However, states can change their own sports betting rules. For example, Ohio will prohibit the phrase “no risk” in advertising bookmakers. Permits will be issued only if the operator certifies that the bets really do not carry the risk of losing.
Also, some government officials oppose ads that show $10 bets that turn into winnings of several hundred thousand dollars. Such ads are usually accompanied by phrases like “It could have been you, but you don’t play at our bookmaker’s office.”
