In light of the recent arrests of major sports figures concerning sports gambling ‘A repost from 2023 is in order.’
Betting on sporting events has been around as long as there has been competition between individuals touting their favorite team, or their choice of the victor in the neighborhood playground brawl. The method of sports betting up until a few years ago consisted mostly of money exchanging hands between friends, co-workers, and an organized pool of a greater extent. Gambling even at this small level is considered illegal in most states but has not been on law enforcement’s top list of crimes to enforce. For the causal sports fan betting on their favorite team, the Super Bowl, or filling out a NCAA March madness bracket (which I confess to doing and enjoy), seems to the average person as ‘no harm no foul.’ But that all began to change in the year 2018.
The Supreme Court, in 2018, stuck down the case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. The courtruled a Federal ban that prohibited commercial sports betting in the United States was unconstitutional. Las Vegas, Nevada was the only legal avenue to wagering on sporting events. Now through 33 states and the District of Columbia, 146 million people have the opportunity to bet legally on sporting events. Lifting the Federal ban on sports betting has proven lucrative for the betting operators and Casinos across the country and for the coffers of state governments, but an ensuing problem of addiction, debt, and broken relationships have escalated.
“The Hill” addressed this growing concern in an article posted by on February 10, 2023 titled “Sports betting has risen tenfold in three years. Addiction experts fear the next opioid crisis” Quoting Timothy Fong, a clinical professor of psychiatry, The Hill writes, “We have a movement toward expanding what was once considered a sin, what was once considered a vice, and embedding it at every level of American culture, down to kindergarten. ‘Sports gambling market.’ ten years ago, those words didn’t exist, what you have is this massive, exponential expansion of gambling into homes, faster than we can study or monitor it.” (1)
CNN noted the ‘Council of Compulsive Gambling of N.J.’ reported a 60% increase on their hotline since 2018. “Newsweek” reported the main target of sports betting companies are young men. In an interview with Pew Research last year, Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling said, “We believe that the risks for gambling addiction overall have grown 30 percent from 2018 to 2021, with the risk concentrated among young males 18 to 24 who are sports bettors,”(2)
The attractiveness of sports betting is enhanced by the many celebrity sports figures promoting it, along with the major networks televising the games noting the betting lines and the odds of winning before, during, and even near the end of the game. It’s non-stop betting. The networks do this in partnership with the top betting on-line sportsbooks and the blessings of the professional sports leagues and the colleges and universities.
More from “The Hill’ article; “Teams and league owners love sports betting because they ‘have found that engagement is off the charts among people who are placing bets on games,’ said Daniel Barbarisi, author of ‘Dueling with Kings: High Stakes, Killer Sharks, and the Get-Rich Promise of Daily Fantasy Sports.’ People who bet on games ‘are not just tuning out if it’s a blowout,’ Barbarisi said, because they bet on more than the final score. Fans can place wagers on the margin of victory, the combined point total from both teams and other metrics — such as whether Aaron Judge will hit a home run or Max Scherzer will ring up double-digit strikeouts.” (1)
In 2021 sportsbooks generated approximately $4.3 billion in revenue. That’s just a little too much for some top executives to pass up despite the addictive nature of it, including Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney. In 2019, Disney was skittish of engaging in sports betting in fear of tarnishing their family friendly entertainment image. But that fear has now dissolved into the opportunity to make millions of dollars. “Livemint.com” posted on October 13 of this year(2023), “In August, the company struck a 10-year deal with sports-betting company Penn Entertainment to bring gambling to Disney’s ESPN sports network. Sports fans will be able to wager on games on their phones through a new app called ESPN Bet that accepts bets through Penn’s sportsbook.” (3) Iger changed his mind on sports betting as he observed his two sons involved with it. “Livemint.com” reports, “Iger, who saw his two adult sons glued to gambling apps on their smartphones, the chance to engage a younger male audience, and the money, were eventually too good to pass up. Penn will pay Disney $1.5 billion in cash while ESPN will receive warrants worth about $500 million to purchase shares in the gambling company. Penn will operate the app and Disney will help market it.” (3)
It is not too difficult to see how and why sports betting with easy access is so alluring and can be addictive. The acceptance by the American people has also increased due to the constant exposure during games being televised and access through their smart phones. A recent poll conducted by the ‘The Washington Post’ and ‘The University of Maryland’ noted 55 % of Americans approved of legal sports betting in 2017 before the Supreme Court decision, today 66% approve. (4) The troubling fact is that most people engaging in sports betting and supporting it are blinded to the side effects on those who are subject to addition, even themselves if not controlled. In writing for the “Gospel Coalition” Joe Carter expressed his concern, “A frequent concern expressed about sports betting is that it encourages predatory gambling and leads to increases in problem gambling. Predatory gambling is the practice of using gambling to prey on human weakness for profit……….. the casino industry, a major source of predatory gambling within the US, attracts a disproportionate share of low-income workers, retirees, minorities, and people with disabilities. The poor are often the targets of predatory gambling in all forms—and the most susceptible to it.” (5)
Christians need to be aware and deeply concerned about this growing vice, and it is a vice. A little bet placed on your phone may seem harmless, especially with all the incentives and perks offered by the sportsbooks (how can I lose), but once started the lure of excitement and winning may be too much to handle. Soon we find ourselves in deep despair.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” (NLT) Looking for excitement and joy in your life, it is found in the Lord, a guaranteed winner.
We are to be good stewards of our money, such as caring for poor. “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD—and he will repay you!” (Prov. 19:17 NLT) Sounds like another guaranteed winner.
And the apostle Paul gives us a stern warning about the love of money in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (NLT)
Sports betting has now become a legal accepted part of the sports culture. If you are an avid sports fan or a casual fan, take note it is now impossible not to avoid the enticing ads placed by the sportsbooks in every sporting event. I’m afraid they are here to stay. How should we as Christians respond? May we become a ‘Praying Family’ being wise stewards of our money, along with helping, encouraging, and praying for those who have experienced addiction, debt, and a broken relationship as a result of legalized sports betting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/08/legal-sports-betting-support-americans/
Word for the Soul 