Not long ago, sports betting felt separate from everyday life. Back then, you may have gone to Vegas, joined a Super Bowl pool, or placed a wager with friends. But today, betting seems to be everywhere — from game broadcasts to social feeds to phone apps. That shift, and what it means for our society, especially young people, deserves a closer look.
You can’t talk about modern sports betting without mentioning FanDuel and DraftKings. Founded in 2009 and 2012, both began as daily fantasy sports companies before expanding rapidly after the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting in 2018.
Since then, growth has been dramatic. According to the American Gaming Association, U.S. sports betting revenue surpassed $11 billion in 2023, with FanDuel and DraftKings leading the market. DraftKings alone reports more than 8 million monthly users.
More concerning than revenue figures is who is being drawn in.
Research consistently shows that the younger individuals are when first exposed to gambling, the greater their risk of developing gambling problems later in life. A 2023 review published in The Lancet Public Health linked early exposure — including gambling-like mechanics in games — to higher addiction rates in adulthood. Betting among adults ages 21 to 35 increased by more than 30% between 2019 and 2023, making them the fastest-growing group of bettors.
Exposure often begins subtly. Video games featuring loot boxes and “free-to-play” models train players to chase chance-based rewards.
Platforms such as PrizePicks and Underdog further blur the line by presenting betting as a quick, casual game. Operating under classifications such as fantasy sports or games of skill allows them to avoid sportsbook regulations in many states. FanDuel has also expanded into predictor-style products that fall between finance and gambling.
Investment apps like Robinhood, which welcome adults 18 and up, now offer highly speculative tools that feel less like long-term investing and more like betting. A young adult might download an app to “learn how to invest” and end up gambling — legally — without ever calling it that.
It’s a mindset that begins to show up in everyday decisions, too.
Someone who hesitates to buy a rare Labubu toy because it feels irresponsible may feel comfortable gambling for a chance to win it. “Buy Now, Pay Later” services reinforce a similar illusion of having money you don’t have, encouraging risk-taking, overspending, and gambling behavior.
Then there’s the celebrity factor.
When sports legends and actors like Charles Barkley, Peyton and Eli Manning, or John Cena appear in FanDuel commercials or casually discuss parlays during live basketball and football games, betting comes across to the entire audience as harmless fun. In short, sports betting isn’t just growing; it’s becoming normal. And with that normalization, everyone is being trained to view gambling as entertainment, risk as routine, and uncertainty as reward. Recognizing that shift is key to protecting ourselves and the next generation from habits that may look harmless now but can have serious consequences later.