These apps are often replacing illegal betting venues. In the past five years, there has been an explosion of online sports betting apps from companies like DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars. There’s been a spike in inquiries to state gambling-addiction hotlines, states say. The booming sports betting industry, lawmakers and even the professional sports leagues themselves are making it easier, faster and more tempting for people to bet on games - and develop gambling problems, say gambling researchers and addiction specialists.Ī flood of advertising, technology that allows for one-click betting at home, and nearly unlimited betting options during games have collided. Now, on Super Bowl Sunday, a record 50.4 million US adults are expected to bet on the game. Thirty-three states have made sports gambling legal in the wake of the decision. In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on commercial sports betting in most of the country. The sports gambling gold rush is coming at a high cost.
