Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling,
Jonathan D. Cohen (Columbia Global Reports, $27.95, 185 pages)
Jonathan D. Cohen, senior program officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, writes, “There have always been Americans driven to ruin by gambling. But never have so many been driven to ruin so easily, and never has government done so much to enable them to gamble.” U.S. states and professional sports leagues got behind efforts to allow sports gambling, seeing dollar signs and ignoring any questions about morals and potential harms to users. The NFL grossed $132 million from gambling-related advertising in 2023, less than a decade after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that sports gambling posed the greatest danger to the integrity of the sport. Now Goodell calls sports gambling “fan engagement.” Intermingling anecdotes of problem gamblers and a dizzying array of statistics, Cohen shows that there is endless opportunity to bet on games, and not only the final score. Engaged fans can bet on point spreads, the outcome of the next pitch, the number of yards a pass might travel, or penalties that are called. Each different outcome and each bet could potentially lead to players and officials performing to ensure certain outcomes are made – or not made – in order to satisfy a bet. The integrity of the game is under assault. But more troubling is the harm betting causes bettors because, Cohen notes, “many bettors are simply not able (gamble) responsibly.” In total, they bet $121 billion in 2023. Smart phones make betting quick, simple, and ubiquitous. Cohen explains the economics and biology that make sports gambling attractive, especially to young adults, leading to (systemic) financial insecurity. Problem gamblers chase losses, hoping that their luck will turn around so that they at least break even. But the odds favour the (digital) house. Cohen rightly looks askance at digital platforms’ efforts to limit problem gambling; why would they give up their best customers? Cohen seems resigned that “sports betting is here to stay” but thinks its worst effects could be combatted by treating sports gambling addiction as a public-health problem. This assumes that the state is adept and nimble in confronting the gambling platforms; that’s not a safe bet.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.