Following the end of this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, my roommate and I were walking to a friend’s dorm room to enjoy the second half of the game when a clearly flustered student approached. He loudly cursed and explained that he had lost $500 after wrongly predicting that rapper Travis Scott would make an appearance in the halftime show.
This incident is hardly isolated, but part of a broader normalization of online gambling in American culture. Online gambling is becoming dangerously common, and it threatens to derail the futures of millions of young adults.
Since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling shifted sports betting regulation away from the federal government, many states have legalized the practice of online sports betting. More recently, online prediction markets have emerged, allowing those age 18 or older to bet on the outcome of just about anything.
Sports betting is still outlawed in the state of Alabama, but the legal status of prediction markets — which are federally regulated — allows bets to be placed from anywhere in the United States.
While I have never engaged in any organized form of gambling, it’s easy to see how young people are enticed. The rush of a bet, win or lose, is hard to replicate, and while in the past traditional gambling would require travel to a casino or across state lines to place a bet, gambling apps bring the thrill to your pocket.
The ease of access is what makes online gambling so dangerous. A 2025 study from Pew Research Center found that 22% of adults had placed bets on sporting events within the past year. The ability to spontaneously place bets encourages impulsive gambling, which can develop into a problem.
Gambling addicts may not always be as visible as drug addicts or alcoholics, yet gambling can leave a path of destruction. According to a 2024 World Health Organization fact sheet, for every person who engages in high-risk gambling, an average of six others are affected.
As a cultural phenomenon, online gambling is cementing itself alongside traditional college vices. Long associated with masculinity and sports culture, the online aspect of modern gambling appeals to Gen Z college students, particularly men.
The cultural prevalence of online gambling is no accident. Gambling companies are investing heavily in marketing. In 2023, online gambling marketing expenditures totaled $4.2 billion. The overwhelming amount of marketing for online gambling is reminiscent of Big Tobacco in the ’50s and ’60s, pushing a dangerous vice for the sake of profit. Legislators have long realized the harm of smoking, yet the growth of online gambling, which has clearly established dangers, is welcomed with open arms in exchange for the prospect of tax revenue.
Whether intentional or not, gambling companies have also benefitted from social media trends glorifying online gambling. In recent years, online streamers such as Adin Ross and rapper Drake have livestreamed themselves betting thousands on shady online crypto casinos to their young audiences. Stories of multi-leg parlays with low odds hitting for extreme payouts spread like wildfire online. These pieces of media sow the seeds of gambling addiction in the youth, overrepresenting winnings and vastly underreporting losses.
Tales of success can be deceiving. A 2024 study tracking spending of users of online sports betting platforms including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM found that just 4% of online bettors turned a profit over five years.
Gambling companies rake in billions each year. They are not interested in providing a fun experience or ensuring the wellbeing of their users, but in making as much money as possible. Young people are the perfect targets. Research shows that adolescents are especially susceptible to addictive behaviors such as gambling.
It takes a simple grasp of statistics to understand that not everyone can beat the odds. Yet every day more college students sign up for online gambling platforms. Our futures are on the line, and as the adage says, the house always wins.
