Sports betting is legal in thirty-eight states. News outlets are reporting that nearly sixty-eight million Americans plan to wager twenty-three billion dollars on this weekend’s Super Bowl, smashing existing records. A recent survey shows eighteen- to thirty-four-year-olds are the age group most likely to gamble. Not only is risk taking characteristic of this age group, but online betting is readily available to them. Unfortunately, this age group is especially susceptible to becoming problem gamblers or even gambling addicts.
Governor Evers made online sports betting legal here if the person is on casino property—outside or inside. Undoubtedly this has increased the number of young people involved in sports betting, thinking it’s harmless and an easy way to win some cash. They’re wrong. Wise parents will warn their teens against this addictive trap that too often leads to loss and short-circuited futures.
