Gambling and sports betting is a huge problem for the younger generations. Gen Z and Millennials account for 88% of online betting activity, driven by the rise of smartphone sportsbooks, prediction markets, and in-game gambling feature.
I know Paul is gen X. A lot of these athletes find it as medium of competition once they retire.
Great point. I do not have addictive tendencies but gambling is the one thing I can feel the pull. I feel it on those rare occasions that i visit a casino. I stay away from sports betting because I think it would cause me more anxiety than joy. If gambling was as accessible to me when I was young as it is to Gen Z and millennials, probably would have had a hard time avoiding the pull of it.
Boomers like me (prior generations) had their troubles as well, eating, drinking, gambling, etc. Just not as much money to throw around.
I was at a legal conference this weekend and learned that gambling addicts have the highest suicide rate among all addictions. I think that it was probably better when it was more contained and less accessible.
Absolutely. Prohibition can be a tricky subject in a lot of cases, but the current state of online gambling just seems like total, obvious, unnecessary risk for corporate profit. You're basically giving every human being unlimited access in their pocket, with next to no barriers. Not even the social construct of walking into a casino or anyone knowing what you're doing. On top of that, we're just going to blast advertisements on ESPN, like they're selling Doritos? Every 2 seconds on the radio something for FanDuel or PolyMarket?
Gambling has devolved into full-on bet on anything culture. Bet on the weather. The first player to dribble 3 times with his left hand. Or, if you're really old school... the actual NBA game.
Yeah, getting into gambling in the first place is still a bad personal decision. But geez have we given up on protecting anyone from it at all.
Couldn?t agree more. However I think it?s easy for me to say this as a person who never bets on sports and who is old and didn?t grow up in this gambling promotion culture. We know that companies of all kinds invest tremendous amounts of money into advertising their product for one simple reason, it works. And what gambling companies want is to hook you. Society does regulate advertising on other addictive items and we know a main target for these businesses is/was young people. Get em young, hook them, and you?ve got a customer for life, even though life for addicts will be shorter than the general population. When I was younger, cigarettes were advertised constantly, always as something cool to do. One company famously used an animated *pitch man* named Joe Camel to get the interest of children. And with gambling, as you point out, young people not only are targeted, but the level of access is unprecedented, every day, all day.
A comprehensive plan would include regulated advertising, education, and reduced access. But it took quite a while for society to acknowledge a need to address smoking and drinking, and so many adults engage in it, and so many with a problem are not able or willing to acknowledge it or seek help for it. And as with alcohol you can?t deny that millions engage in gambling without it being an addiction or problematic. But maybe start by reigning in some of the crazy betting options and the pervasive advertising.
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