Kurt Freudenberg did not fall into gambling as an adult looking for a fun diversion from the dull routine of life. He didn’t even start in college as a way to procrastinate on classwork. He placed his first bet at 11 years old. “I wouldn’t be tired. I wouldn’t be hungry. I wouldn’t want to do basic things like shower because I was gambling so much. So, I would gamble 15 plus hours a day, just in the action,” he said.
In today’s society, there is a smorgasbord of distractions offered to young men. Of them, sports gambling is one of the most insidious. It is presented as a harmless way to enhance the already enjoyable pastime of watching sports. A bet on a play here, a gamble on one match’s outcome there. These are advertised simply as ways for people who love sports to be even more involved in what they love. Whereas lawmakers are racing to curb the damage caused by unregulated online spaces, where kids are susceptible to overt sexual content and bad actors, sports gambling remains largely untouched. That is partly because it has become thoroughly intertwined with the cherished pastime of watching sports.
Over half of American men aged 18-49 have a sportsbook account. But it is not just adults who are supplementing their sports with gambling. A recent study from Common Sense Media found that more than a third of boys are gambling before the age of 18.
Considering the partnership between sports leagues and sportsbook companies, that is not a surprise. Leagues see live betting as a way to increase viewership. Viewers will stay tuned into a game if they have money riding on whether the next pitch will be a ball or a strike, or which team will win the 2nd quarter of an NBA game. This, in turn, increases the price of media rights deals.
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