Most U.S. Adults Do Not Say Gambling is Good for Sports: YouGov Survey

Gambling,

A recent YouGov survey found most adults in the U.S. do not believe legalized gambling is having a positive impact on sports.

Sports betting is legal in 39 states — including Arkansas, where people wager an average of $2.5 million on sports every single day. But evidence shows many Americans are concerned about unintended consequences sports betting may have for athletic programs.

On September 16, researchers at YouGov published survey responses from 6,677 U.S. adults about the impact legalized gambling is having on sports.

Only 9% said they believe legalized gambling is having a positive impact on sports. Forty-three percent said they believe the impact is negative.

YouGov also asked people if they have wagered any money on NFL games this season. Sixteen percent said they either have bet on an NFL game or plan to at some point. Seventy-nine percent said they have not placed any bets and do not intend to.

We have written before about how Americans increasingly see sports betting as a bad bet all around.

The NCAA has opened investigations into dozens of student-athletes for sports betting violations. Student-athletes have been accused of scheming to help each other win bets they placed on one another.

Federal prosecutors have announced indictments in connection with alleged bribery and point-shaving schemes to fix college basketball games.

People who gamble on sports are at an increased risk of suffering from gambling problems. When sports betting happens online or on a smartphone, the rate is even higher.

Mobile sports betting apps make gambling as easy as sending a text. These platforms use addictive technology to hook people — especially young adults. A recent report from mental health professionals at Baptist Health South Florida found that internet gambling platforms are engineered to keep people engaged, using instant rewards and near-misses to trigger the same brain chemistry as other addictions.

One study published this summer found gambling disorder diagnoses have risen more than 60% in states that legalized sports betting. Researchers said the largest increase in gambling disorders was found among young adults ages 18 – 29.

Bankruptcy attorneys across the country say online sports betting is driving a surge in personal bankruptcies — especially among young men in their 20s and 30s — and researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to an increase of roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.

Experts are also sounding the alarm over “prediction markets” that they say are not regulated under state gambling laws, but are still just as addictive as other forms of online gambling.

Sports betting isn’t harmless entertainment — it’s predatory, and it’s growing.

Family Council has identified practical ways Arkansas could protect families from predatory sports betting — like prohibiting sportsbooks from accepting credit cards or offering prop bets and parlays.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting people in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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What Christian Parents Should Know About Sports Betting

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The group Axis recently released a video highlighting how sports betting is harmful — especially for teenage boys.

Axis provides videos and resources designed to help parents have gospel-centered conversations with their children about faith and culture. Their recent video helps parents understand how sportsbook apps turn sports fans into gamblers and why young men are especially vulnerable.

Nationwide, sports betting is legal in 39 states — including Arkansas, where people are on track to wager nearly a billion dollars this year on sports betting alone. But a growing body of evidence shows this type of gambling is causing serious harm — especially to teens and young adults.

Studies show people who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. When sports gambling happens online, the rate is even higher.

Experts estimate more than half of men ages 18 – 49 now have an active sportsbook account online. While not all of these people may suffer from gambling problems, bankruptcy attorneys across the country say online sports betting is driving a surge in personal bankruptcies among young adults in their 20s and 30s.

Twenty-year-old males account for approximately 40% of calls to gambling addiction hotlines, and upwards of 20 million men are in debt or have been in debt as a result of sports betting.

In 2024, the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council announced it had seen a 22% increase in calls for help with problem gambling — driven largely by sports betting.

And a 2025 survey found one in four sports bettors worry that they cannot control their gambling. Some studies have also linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.

It’s time to admit that the national experiment with sports betting has failed. The cost of sports betting isn’t just measured in dollars and cents. It’s also measured in human lives.

On the whole, most Americans do not believe sports betting has been good for society or good for sports. The NFL and sportsbooks have actually faced consumer protection lawsuits over the harm that gambling causes.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise gambling addiction will simply continue wreaking havoc and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansans Wagered $56.6M+ on Sports in August

Gambling,

Arkansans wagered more than $56.6 million on sports betting in August, according to data Family Council received from the Department of Finance and Administration.

Sports betting is legal to varying degrees across most of the country, and Arkansans are on track to wager nearly a billion dollars on sports this year. But a growing body of evidence shows sports betting is corrupting sports and ruining lives.

Federal prosecutors have announced indictments in connection with bribery and point-shaving schemes to fix college basketball games.

Major League Baseball players have been accused of rigging pitches to defraud sportsbooks. The NFL and the NBA have also dealt with corruption and scandals tied to sports betting.

The Institute for Family Studies (IFS) reports almost one in four young men say they gamble daily. That’s concerning, because research shows that young men who wager on sports may be at increased risk of physical and mental harm. Some studies have also linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, researchers at UCLA, and bankruptcy attorneys across the country all say sports betting is driving a wave of financial problems like credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies.

Can Arkansans really afford to wager millions of dollars on sports every month?

Family Council has prepared a list of practical steps Arkansas could take to address predatory sports betting.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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