Are the risks of sports gambling worth the reward?
It’s been four years since the Supreme Court of the United States legalized sports gambling in 2018. Since then, 35 states and Washington D.C. have made sports betting legal for their residents and all who visit.
Betting online has also evolved. If you live in a state where sports betting is legal, you can download a variety of betting apps to get in the game.
If you don’t know how or where to start, it’s likely an advertisement will tell you: Sports gambling ads are rampant in states where it’s legalized. The ads are often celebrity endorsed, make betting look easy and entice people with the possibility of winning a large amount of money.
Sports gambling is not legal in Minnesota, but that might change with a bill in the Minnesota Legislature aimed at legalizing sports betting. A Minnesota poll last year also found that 48 percent of Minnesotans are in favor of legalized sports gambling.
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As support for Minnesotans to wager on sports grows, so does the normalization of gambling across the country.
Guest host Chris Farrell talks about the rapid growth of sports betting, the mental health risks for young adults and how sports gambling can quickly spiral into addiction.
For information on problem gambling, or if you need to seek help, you can call 800-333-HOPE or visit GetGamblingHelp.com.
Guests:
Susan Sheridan Tucker is the executive director of the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling, a non-profit, gambling-neutral organization dedicated to improving the lives of problem gamblers in Minnesota.
Rochelle Olson is a political and government reporter for the Star Tribune.