“Over or under?”
“Is this a lock?”
“How much should I put on this?”
Sports terms like this related to sports betting might have been gibberish just a few years ago, but now talk about sports betting is everywhere high schoolers turn. From official sponsors of sports leagues to celebrities from Lebron James to Rubi Rose sharing their picks, what was a banned vice just four years ago has become a mainstay in youth culture.
The Rise
Sports betting was only formally legalized in Florida in Dec. 2023 with the Hard Rock Casino app. This app requires users to be 21, the legal gambling age in the state. Florida was one of the last 15 states in the nation to legalize the practice in its traditional form.
The legalization of traditional gambling has opened the door for sweepstakes gambling, a gray area where a multitude of sites and apps have been dodging the law by acting as “paid sports sweepstakes,” keeping them from being banned even in states that do not allow gambling at all. More importantly, this gives 18-year-olds the ability to access it.
Essentially, these sites all function the same way. Pick at least two stats and choose they will be over or under the average of that chosen statistic. If all of your picks are correct, you win a multiplied amount of cash back. The more stats chosen, the higher the payout if all your picks are correct. The money at stake is your “entry” into the sweepstakes, and the payout is the reward. The fuzzy distinction is what allows these sites to operate free from trouble with the law.
Most participants do not care about the distinction between gambling and sweepstakes, since the end goal is the same; put money on sports picks and get paid when you are right. Despite the changes made to the system, at its core, this is still gambling.
Traditional gambling and sweepstakes models have worked together, as the betting scene and sports in general have become near synonymous with each other. The NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and WNBA all have an official betting partner. Partnerships with individual teams in the leagues are very common as well. 22 out of the 30 NBA teams and thirty of 32 NFL teams have a sponsorship deal with an online betting company. Most of the allure of the advertising capitalizes off the market seeing it— young sports fans that are likely to believe their knowledge of sports can translate into easy wins.
This campaign even includes pro players— Kevin Durant, Davante Adams and the Kelce brothers all have deals with betting companies that include sharing their picks. When influencers such as Druski and Sketch or bringing in other popular athletes like MMA Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley or longtime ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith promote sports gambling, companies are looking to attract as many sports fans to spend money on bets as possible.
Getting started
With a massive marketing push in recent years, and a referral bonus for new users, it’s easy to see how apps like PrizePicks and Underdog have been downloaded more on the Apple app store in the last year than massive platforms like G-Mail, Indeed, Instagram or Spotify.
Senior Matthew Diaz first learned about sports betting through social media.
“I first got into betting because of all the ads I saw, promoting all these sign-in bonuses you could get,” Diaz said. “I thought since I already watched sports I might as well use that knowledge to try and make some extra money.”
Diaz first saw the ads before he was 18 and looked forward to being able to sign up. Senior Dylan Busby shared a similar experience
“I saw commercials while watching the NBA or NFL that I could make 1000x my money,” Busby said. “I waited for my birthday and signed up the [night I turned 18.]”
Most of the allure of the advertising capitalizes off the market seeing it— young sports fans that are likely to believe their knowledge of sports can translate into easy wins.
Entries for a high schooler usually come in at around 5-10$. If a user makes 3 of these picks a week, this comes to 120$ in losses.
A losing bet
To an impressionable young person, these ads can lead them into an interest that can spiral out of control.
“Personally, I can accept that it’s just for fun and I probably won’t win. But I can see how easily it would turn into a problem, and I’ve definitely been more upset than I should be after a loss,” Busby said. “The format, the promotion, the discounts and bonuses and all that, all of it is so obviously meant to appeal to young people.”
The rise of gambling has definitely been felt in all areas of the sports world– Knicks star Jalen Brunson publicly condemned betting after claiming to have received messages from sports bettors demanding money, calling him slurs or even threatening his family.
The Florida Problem Gambling Helpline has reported an increase of 130% in calls from December 2023.
“I’ve definitely [had times] when my bets affected me in a bad way mentally,” senior Braxton Humm said. “It just killed my mood in a different way. No matter what I was doing that day, I didn’t want to go out and do it. It’s kind of weird how much I let it affect me, and that’s why I’ve been stopping.”
The future
The legality of the entire scene remains a point of discussion.
New York Congressman Paul Tonko introduced the SAFE Betting Act in September of 2024, which proposed major reform to most betting sites, including a ban on advertising during sports games, a limit on how much can be deposited and how often, and prohibiting the use of AI that tracks players’ habits. Tonko labeled the explosion of problem gambling a public health crisis that required a public health solution. The law has seen no motion since its proposal, while Missouri became the newest state to have decriminalized sports betting in November.
Gambling has been around for generations. What was once a taboo practice reserved for the bright lights and buzzing sound of casinos has become a practice promoted by sports leagues, creators or professional athletes to teens without knowledge of how addicting it can be
“It can be fun for a bit, but most of the time after the fact it felt like I was taken advantage of,” Humm said. “Once I realized that, it wasn’t worth it anymore.”
