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Gaming Edge’s TL;DR
- Sports betting addiction is a real and growing behavioral health issue in the US, according to a leading addiction expert.
- He said mobile wagering has made gambling harder to avoid and harder to treat.
In a Yahoo Creators report published July 24, addiction expert Christopher Kardaras said the spread of legal sportsbooks and betting apps has erased the old separation between sports fandom and gambling.
He described gambling as one of the “stickiest” addictions and said the constant availability of app-based betting has changed the risk profile for users.
The article points to a sharp expansion in the legal market, saying the number of states with legal sports betting grew from 1 in 2017 to 38 by 2024. It also cites reporting that gambling-disorder diagnoses have risen by more than 60% since 2018 in states that legalized sports betting, with the largest increase among young men.
Describing how betting apps and micro-betting options can keep users engaged throughout games, Kardaras said:
“The casino is right in your pocket.”
Why experts say sports betting can be especially hard to quit
Kardaras said gambling’s pull is intensified by how closely betting is now tied to mainstream sports culture. He said the traditional firewall between sports and gambling has collapsed, turning a popular form of entertainment into a trigger for some users.
Gambling disorder is formally recognized in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition” and was reclassified by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013 into a substance-use-related disorder category, making it the first formally recognized behavioral addiction.
Young men are described as the highest-risk group. Men ages 18 to 29 saw problem gambling rates more than double in one cited analysis, and Kardaras argued that late-teen and twenty-something users are particularly vulnerable because the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until the mid-twenties.
Fantasy sports can also act as a gateway from responsible gambling, the report says, especially once real-money wagering is introduced.
Warning signs and treatment options
Early warning signs usually show up in behavior and finances. Kardaras said recovery typically requires evidence-based psychotherapy, relapse prevention, healthy replacement activities, and in some cases, avoiding sports altogether if games themselves become a trigger.
Kardaras also warned that gambling problems rarely resolve on their own.
“Calling a 800 hotline, calling a therapist, a treatment program, getting professional intervention – because this problem does not reverse itself spontaneously and it can be very, very insidiously destructive.”
The report also cites a 23% increase in internet searches for gambling addiction help nationally between the 2018 court ruling that opened the door to broader legalization and mid-2024, underscoring growing demand for support as sports betting becomes more widely available.
Based on reporting by Robin Raven for Yahoo Creators.
