By Michael R. DeLuca
The thrill of betting on a favorite team, the camaraderie of a shared team and the rush of seeing a wager turn into a win are exhilarating.
Now picture this: Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The score is tied, 90–90. You’ve wagered more than half your savings. The buzzer sounds, and the shot drops. Final score: 93–90. In an instant, the dream fades, and so does your money.
This lure of the brief thrill moments before fortunes turn and hard-earned money disappears is a costly downside to sports betting.
In Connecticut, sports gambling has been legal since October of 2021, and many Connecticut residents are happy about this decision.
On the other hand, there are concerns about mental health issues, addiction, and potential financial strain and debt if there is a continuation of losing bets.
Connecticut has seen an increase in problem gambling, particularly among youth.
Contributed photo
Greenwich resident and college student Jake Pisacreta said, “Sports betting poses a larger risk in some ways because people will bet on the games, but when they lose their money, it makes them feel attached to betting more money to earn their money back.”
“This usually results in the loss of more money,” he added. “With all of this, it is not good for the human mind.”
A common pitfall for bettors is the urge to chase losses.
Instead of recovering losses, many find themselves sinking deeper, facing even greater financial setbacks and emotional stress.
What starts as a thrilling hobby can result in a cycle of desperation, fueled by the illusion of a comeback that almost never happens.
Especially for young people, the dopamine rush of betting pulls them in, shapes their emotional-decision making, and leads to the ‘double or nothing’ mentality.
In an interview, New Canaan resident “Ben” who attends university in Connecticut talked about his sports betting journey.
“At first it was going to be fun, and not have a huge effect on my life,” he said. “A few years back, my teammate on the ice hockey team happened to be an agent for an online sports betting website. The way it worked was, for example, if I wanted to gamble $300 this week, he would put $300 into my account as a credit. If I won, he would Venmo me my winnings. The fear of missing out on betting on these games, and seeing others win was very tempting.”
Ben described the lure of pressing the ‘BET’ button and the hope of winning as the start of his sport betting addiction, saying it was a challenge to escape.
“A lot of these websites are licensed in the Caribbean island country of Curaçao where there has been a lack of strict gambling laws compared to the United States,” Ben said. “The way it works to sign up is using Bitcoin and then you can gamble. They don’t ask for your age, and only ask general questions while signing up for these websites.”
Ben said the sports gambling website are designed to keep bettors pressing that “BET” button.
“If you’re down and lose money, it is very tempting to want to ‘credit’ yourself more through these websites and to earn back the money that you lost. It was a unique start to my sports gambling journey,” Ben said.
Ben said Connecticut has a voluntary opt-in “self-exclusion” registration program that allows people to ban themselves from legalized gambling activities in the state.
“If you know you’re a problem gambler, you reach out to the state, they put you on a list and every single licensed sports gambling company has to look at that list and if you’re on the list, you are not allowed to create an account,” Ben said.
“Sport gambling is the most addicting vice that I have ever seen. What makes this such a powerful addiction is the fact that I can do it on my phone. With an addiction already to my phone, the easy accessibility of placing a bet – within the span of 60 seconds I can place that bet. The temptation is always there, and has not gone away. Online sports gambling combines two addictions into one,” Ben added.
Indeed, in this day and age, having a smartphone and social media at the palm of your hands can be addicting enough, but the easy accessibility youth have to sport gambling sites like Draft Kings, FanDuel, and others, compounds the ease and lure of gambling.
And sports gamblers can analyze bets through statistics and analytics.
For example, in baseball, a pitcher’s ‘ERA’ which stands for ‘Earned Run Average,’ a measurement that adds how many earned runs a pitcher allows per every nine innings in a game, is factored into the analytics. So too is the history of the player’s performance and games. Even the ballparks are assessed, with some ball parks more pitcher friendly, and others more batter friendly.
Asked if there were there any pros to sports gambling, Ben said, “No, I don’t think it’s possible for someone to get lucky enough to win a large amount of money and then have the discipline to leave the app and take your money that has been made.”
Sports gambling websites rely on two factors becoming intertwined: entertainment and money.
“Through sheer discipline, you can have an edge when these websites give you incentives. And they know that, but they are relying on you to get addicted and hooked. These websites are trying to have you build a habit each time you log on to sports betting, that is how the addiction starts and works,” Ben said.
Kathy Steiner, Greenwich High School’s health and wellness teacher and GHS softball coach Alexyss Conley shared their concerns about the risks of youth sport gambling.
They said what was once confined to casinos and racetracks now lives in the palm of the hand, and sports betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings have transformed sports gambling into an easy, instant experience – one that’s proving a challenge for young fans to resist.
They described an alarming rise of youth sports betting within the past five years.
“It’s a lot more accessible when you have different apps like FanDuel and DraftKings, and you’re in the comfort of your home. It would be easy to gamble,” Steiner said.
Steiner added that laws vary from state to state, creating confusion for teens who often assume it’s legal everywhere.
“In Connecticut, it is 21 years of age and older in order to participate in sports betting,” she noted.
The urge to compete and win can heavily impact the state of mind of youth in sport betting, leading to a major loss of savings or money earned from a part time job.
And the lure of a big win is not just financial, it’s neurological.
Sports betting taps into the brain’s reward pathway, releasing dopamine, the same chemical associated with pleasure and addiction.
“Addiction is a problem because of the reward pathway in the brain, the dopamine rush for that potential of winning, and how it reels many into betting more and more,” Steiner explained. “There’s the expectation and hope of winning that leads to addictive behavior. It’s definitely about risk versus reward.”
“In high school wellness classes, we teach students about the teenage brain, with the prefrontal cortex not being fully developed. That impacts decision-making when teens attempt to bet large amounts of money,” Steiner added.
Indeed, according to Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, young adults aged 18-24 are more likely to engage in risky gambling behavior because their brains are still in development and until the age of 25. And, the earlier youth are introduced to gambling, the more likely they are to become problem gamblers as adults.
Experts stress that prevention starts with education. Ms Steiner pointed to local initiatives like Liberation Programs and Greenwich Together, the town’s local prevention council, who teach teens about addiction and provide resources for families.
“It is really about how we utilize protective factors to help our teenagers develop into healthy, functioning, and successful adults,” Steiner emphasized.
Social factors of sport gambling include peer pressure, including group bets during big events like the Super Bowl, World Cup, or March Madness that make gambling feel harmless – at least at first.
“With the social aspect, like watching the Super Bowl with friends, more young adults are likely to bet on their favorite player or team because their friends are doing it too,” Coach Conley said. “For example, if it is a $10 bet, it won’t hurt, then it turns into $20, then $30, and so on and so forth.”
The competitive nature of sports amplifies the problem.
The desire to “always win” can turn what began as a friendly wager into a devastating loss.
Fortunately, there are local and state-wide resources for people all ages with gambling addiction.
Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling advocate for families and individuals who struggle with gambling addiction, and provide support, resources, and referrals.
According to CCPB, the average online sports bettor spends $1500 in the US each year. Signs that youth in might be betting on sports include: Student misses classes/school days with no reason; Sudden drop in grades and missing assignments; Behavior/attitude changes/becoming defensive/secretive; Decreased interest in extracurricular activities; Increased interest in money and possessions; Borrowing or taking money from others to gamble.
Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling provides Connecticut’s only 24/7 helpline – offering support, resources and referrals through phone, chat and text. Their problem gambling helpline is 1-888-789-7777.