The National Football League, America’s most popular professional sports organization, remains a major focus for the sports betting industry as the season begins with a full slate of games this week.

The 2024 season amassed an estimated $35 billion in legal wagering, including $1.4 billion on the Super Bowl alone between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2018, the United States Supreme Court declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) as unconstitutional, ending the federal government’s ban on sports betting and allowing states to decide on its legalization. Currently, 38 states (plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico) offer legal sports betting in some capacity, including 30 states that provide online sports betting via smartphone or website.

Ryan Rodenberg, a Florida State University professor in both the Department of Sport Management and College of Law, focuses his research on sports gambling legal issues. During the pendency of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2018, he testified before Congress and was interviewed for a “60 Minutes” segment.

Now a new frontier has entered the sports betting landscape: sports-based prediction markets. Unlike traditional sports betting where odds are determined by a bookmaker, these new investment opportunities act as a form of financial trading based on the outcomes of sporting events.

“The current rise of sports-based prediction markets in all 50 states represents the most consequential shift in the sports betting landscape since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2018,” said Rodenberg.

While traditional sports betting can promote economic growth and increase tax revenue for states, it also leads to damaging effects for some individuals. Problem gambling addiction rates have reached an all-time high in the U.S. From 2018-2023, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) saw a 30% increase in gambling problems related to sports betting.

Rick Macatee, associate professor of psychology, is the director of the Biobehavioral Research on Addiction and INternalizing Syndromes (BRAINS) Lab at FSU. He focuses on the multi-method measurement and treatment of biobehavioral risk and maintenance factors for internalizing and substance use disorders, with a particular emphasis on co-morbid presentations.

According to the NCPG, gambling problems among sports bettors is at least twice as high as other gamblers. Macatee believes this particular sector of gambling feeds into addiction.

“Accessibility is a key factor in addictive behavior,” Macatee said. “When opportunities to engage in a rewarding behavior are frequent with few barriers to entry, the behavior becomes more difficult to control. Unlike gambling in traditional settings like casinos, sports bettors only need their phone and a bet can be placed at any time.”

Media interested in discussing the legal issues of sports gambling with Ryan Rodenberg can reach out to him at rrodenberg@fsu.edu.

Media may reach out to Rick Macatee at macatee@psy.fsu.edu for interviews on the addiction of sports gambling and its lingering effects.

Rick Macatee, associate professor of psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

1. Gambling addiction can be triggered by many things. Among sports bettors, ease of access is one definitive area. How problematic is it for addicted gamblers to have sports betting right at their fingertips, placing a bet wherever and whenever they want?

Sports betting’s accessibility is likely the largest single factor responsible for the higher risks of problems associated with this form of gambling compared to other forms of gambling.

2. What advice do you have for someone who is considered a sports gambling addict?

Overcoming any addiction is challenging. Fortunately, there are support groups and behavioral therapies available, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, for gambling addiction, which many individuals find helpful in quitting.