The rise in sports gambling: How perspective can prevent financial strife

Danny Mitchell is a senior sports leadership and management student at Miami University. Like many college students in Ohio, Mitchell is an avid sports fan and casually bets on games.

His favorite app to use is DraftKings, and his favorite sport to bet on is football. Like most bettors, Mitchell said it’s more enticing to watch a game if he has money on it. His betting preferences come from the emotional side rather than the financial, and he overall feels that he has a healthy relationship with sports gambling.

“Sports gambling isn’t my profession or way to make money,” Mitchell said. “Sure, it’s great when you hit bets and you win money as a bonus, but it’s definitely more [just for] fun.”

Mitchell joins millions of other Ohioans who bet on sports. The legalization of sports gambling in Ohio in 2022 paved the way for massive participation. The state saw consecutive years of revenue growth from sports betting, and the Ohio Casino Control Commission reported over $200 million in taxable revenue from sports gambling so far in 2025.

With the ease of access to online sports betting platforms, the United States as a whole saw a massive increase in participation. According to the National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences from the National Council on Problem Gambling, 33% of Americans participated in at least one form of sports betting in 2021 compared to 29% in 2018.

While sports gambling can allow fans to engage with their favorite teams and sports in a different but equally exciting way, its widespread accessibility leads to many problems.

Among other concerns, gambling counselors worry largely about Ohioans developing an addiction to sports betting. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) regulates casinos and mobile sports apps in the state, while also providing counseling and assistance to problem gamblers.

Even before the legalization of sports betting, the number of problem gamblers in the state had increased by the start of the decade. The 2022 Ohio Gambling Survey from the OCCC reported that more than 250,000 adult Ohio residents, or 2.8% of the state population, can be categorized as problem gamblers.

The OCCC will do a study specifically on sports betting this summer, but the commission has already felt the effects of increased participation. Michael Buzzelli, the director of problem gambling services for the OCCC, said he noticed a larger rate of people calling the problem gambling helpline.

“People are reaching out more and more,” Buzzelli said. “What we’re also seeing is younger people are calling more often now.”

People develop an addiction to sports gambling similar to alcohol and other substances, according to Buzzelli. When someone gambles, the “reward” they receive releases dopamine. As they continue to gamble, they release more dopamine, and their body produces less.

Instead, the person relies on the external reaction to gambling for their dopamine fix, eventually resulting in a physical addiction to gambling.

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The main difference – and a major concern for Buzzelli – with sports gambling is the speed at which people can participate.

“That’s one thing where we still need to do more awareness for the community,” Buzzelli said. “Baseball has a pitch clock now, there has to be a pitch every 15 seconds. You can bet on your app on if the next pitch will be a ball or a strike, meaning you can bet on your app every 15 seconds.”

Another rising issue with sports betting is online harassment. With billions of dollars being gambled on sports, athletes and coaches are now more at risk to receive online threats following their inability to win money for the bettor. The OCCC estimates that one in three high-profile athletes receive threatening messages from someone who bet on them.

Robbie Trittschuh, the assistant athletic director of compliance at Miami, works with the athletic department in managing reports from student athletes or anonymous sources about threats from sports bettors.

“Student athletes shouldn’t be caring about any type of sports wagering activities that are going on,” Trittschuh said. “Anytime they get a message, it’s in their minds, and it’s going to be a thought at some point.”

For student athletes, an easy outlet to prevent threatening messages from happening again is through Miami’s athletic department in the office of compliance. Trittschuh said this is also a good source for students who choose not to bet and notice athletes receiving harassment from online messages.

Trittschuh also said the athletic department can see and track stat lines for any kind of bets. When an athlete reports a message they received, the athletic department will report that bettor for sports wagering.

Sports gambling isn’t going away anytime soon. When bettors participate in a healthy manner, it can be a fun way to engage with the athletic realm.

Some apps, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, have implemented betting limits to address the growing concern of problem gamblers. The OCCC also launched its "More Than a Bet" campaign, focusing on the online harassment faced by athletes.

However, it's difficult for bettors to set those limits because of how much they could potentially win. Addiction can occur if bettors start winning consistently, and before it's too late, they could get themselves into debt.

Mitchell has established himself as a responsible bettor, and he recommends that potential gamblers take precautions to prevent this type of irresponsible sports betting from occurring.

"Only start betting on things if you're going to invest your time in actually watching it," Mitchell said. "And then set that limit, whether it's a dollar amount per week or a certain amount per month."

The betting industry continues to spread, and gambling commissions continue to monitor a growing number of people and companies within the industry. While sports betting can provide fans an extra dog in the fight, and sportsbooks promote different resources to help those who may be struggling with addiction, there are still many potential risks in an ever-evolving world.

babukc2@miamioh.edu

younggm7@miamioh.edu