In a room full of lit phone screens, teens aren’t playing games; they’re betting on them.
One in four young adults, many before turning 18, say they have gambled in the past year, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.
What first started as dice games in Mesopotamia has now evolved into online betting. Gambling has evolved throughout the millennia, according to The Gambling Clinic.
Online sports betting, casino-style apps and loot boxes blur the lines between playing a game and gambling. Gambling is made to feel as though you’re merely playing a simple game; however, that game can cost a major dent in one’s bank account.
“I look at [sports betting] more seriously,” one anonymous senior said. “I didn’t think how serious it could be once you start it, and how much you can go down the rabbit hole.”
In light of a gambling scandal involving Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat’s guard Terry Rozier, the seriousness of gambling has been brought to light. Billups is being charged in an illegal poker operation that’s tied to the Mafia. Rozier, however, is among many who is being charged with illegal gambling, according to ABC News. Billups has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Both men were asked to leave their teams immediately.
Online gambling has become one of the most common forms of gambling to spark a problem in young adults, according to the Responsible Gambling Council, 2016. Gaming and gambling have many similarities. Both are accessible from the same device, have characteristics of skill and chance and are both visually stimulating. These gambling apps are made to enhance excitement and be addictive.
Currently, sports betting is illegal in 11 states. In just three months, 41% of high school students had gambled, according to Responsible Gambling.
Sports gambling is getting more popular by the minute. It’s often shown in ads, or popular influencers promote it. FanDuel and DraftKing are the biggest sports betting apps in the U.S.
As of 2021, 46% of individuals under the age of 35 are considered sport bettors, according to NCPG, 2021. Whether its money lines or parlays, sporting betting has increased by over 25% in 2024.
“While gambling itself is not a sin, it can certainly become a sin,” Father Peter Dittus said. “Gambling can easily lead to an extreme desire for money, which therefore leads to greed. 1 Timothy 6:9-10: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils.”
Allowing the want for money and the satisfaction of that win consume one’s self is what ultimately leads to sinning.
At 20 years old in 2017, Fred Rubinstein quit gambling. “A big inheritance and no structure,” Rubinstein said. His breaking point was when his mother threatened to call the police after he ran out of money and started to take hers.
“On the way to the casino, I’d fantasize about having a big win,” Rubinstein said. “All I wanted to do was win.” That’s how it starts, chasing the win.”
