This weekend, the Super Bowl will dominate screens across America. It’s the biggest sporting event of the year—and the biggest day for sports betting. Nearly 68 million Americans are expected to wager on the game, betting a record-breaking $23.1 billion, according to the American Gaming Association. The numbers are staggering, but they only tell part of the story.
What was once a niche activity relegated to Vegas casinos and underground bookies has gone mainstream. Since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on sports gambling in 2018, more than 30 states have legalized it. Betting is no longer a backroom vice—it’s a billion-dollar industry thriving on smartphone screens and social media feeds. If you watch any sports at all, you can’t escape it: halftime ads push online sportsbooks, talk shows debate the best parlays and even ESPN has dedicated segments on gambling odds.
The normalization of sports betting has led to a predictable outcome: more people are gambling and more people are developing a problem. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, calls to gambling addiction hotlines have skyrocketed by 45 percent since legalization. And perhaps most alarming, young men are particularly vulnerable.
Dr. Derwin Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church in South Carolina and a former NFL player, has been watching this trend unfold with growing concern.
“People like to make money and they like instant gratification,” Gray says. “Now, with the popularity of the NFL, NBA and college athletics, people are wanting to capitalize on something that’s not a virtue, but a vice. Greed is fueling it.”
And it’s not just greed. It’s addiction.
The rise of sports betting coincides with another major shift in technology—the dominance of smartphones and algorithm-driven content. Sportsbooks aren’t just making it easier to place a bet; they’re gamifying the experience, tapping into the same psychological hooks that make social media apps so addictive. Every bet placed triggers a dopamine release—the brain’s pleasure chemical. The anticipation of a win, the heartbreak of a loss, the compulsion to chase another bet—it’s all part of the cycle.
Gray compares it to other addictive behaviors.
“The high that you get from gambling is like cocaine,” he says. “It’s the same exact thing. We have to be worried.”
That’s not just hyperbole. Neuroscientists have found that gambling addiction mirrors substance abuse disorders in the brain. The more you bet, the more you crave the next hit.
Young people, particularly young men, are most at risk. Studies show that the male brain doesn’t fully develop until age 25 to 27—meaning impulse control and decision-making skills are still forming. And yet, they’re the primary target audience for sports betting companies.
“The apps are designed to look like games,” Gray explains. “They make it fun. But what they’re really doing is rewiring your brain to crave that dopamine rush. And once you start chasing it, it’s hard to stop.”
At first glance, sports betting doesn’t seem like a big deal. Plenty of people place small wagers—$5 here, $10 there—on games with friends. Maybe they throw in money for a Super Bowl pool at work or participate in a fantasy football league. But the problem isn’t the casual bets. It’s the slow descent into obsession.
Gray has seen it firsthand.
“I’m not talking about making a $2 bet with your buddy. I’m talking about when you’ve got the apps downloaded, you’re following multiple teams, you’re checking odds constantly, you’ve got parlays. It starts small, but before you know it, you’re overwhelmed. You’re in deep.”
And deep can be dangerous. Gambling addiction is different from other addictions in one key way: it doesn’t just destroy your mental and emotional health—it wrecks you financially.
A recent study found that one in five people struggling with gambling addiction will attempt suicide. The debt, the shame, the sense of loss—it can be crushing.
Even if a person doesn’t spiral into full-blown addiction, the social impact of sports betting is already being felt. Athletes have started receiving death threats from angry gamblers who blame them for bad bets. LSU’s Angel Reese spoke out last year about the disturbing messages she received after a bad game. NBA coaches have echoed the same concern.
Gray, who played in the NFL from 1993 to 1998, says the culture around gambling has completely shifted.
“When I was in the league, we were constantly warned about betting. It was off-limits. Now, it’s encouraged. The NFL and professional leagues are partnering with sportsbooks to make even more money. And in the process, they’re creating an entire generation of young people who are addicted to gambling.”
For many people, gambling isn’t about money—it’s about the feeling.
“The real question is, what are you looking for?” Gray asks. “What happiness are you chasing? What do you think that bet is going to give you?”
The truth is, we live in an era of constant stimulation. Social media, video games, streaming—it’s all designed to keep our brains hooked. Sports betting is just the latest iteration. But unlike endlessly scrolling Instagram or binge-watching Netflix, gambling comes with real consequences.
And yet, the industry is counting on people not thinking about that. The house always wins.
Gray encourages people to reflect on why they feel compelled to gamble in the first place.
“Dopamine is a good and beautiful thing from God,” he says. “But we’ve perverted it. Instead of being patient, instead of finding joy in things that last, we want quick thrills. And it’s costing us.”
“I believe Jesus is the ultimate validation,” Gray says. “He’s the ultimate purpose. The strongest people are the ones who ask for help. If you feel like gambling has a hold on you, don’t let shame keep you trapped. Get help. Find accountability. Find freedom.”
Because in the end, no bet is worth losing yourself.
