Jonathan D. Cohen, "Losing Big: America's Dangerous Sports Gambling Boom" (Columbia Global Reports, 2025)
Apr 19, 2025
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Jonathan D. Cohen, a historian and author of "Losing Big: America's Dangerous Sports Gambling Boom," sheds light on the explosive rise of sports gambling in the U.S. He discusses the pivotal Supreme Court decision that legalized betting, exposing a culture shift towards gambling normalization, especially among youth. The podcast highlights alarming trends of addiction and the manipulative tactics employed by companies like DraftKings and FanDuel. Cohen advocates for better regulations and public education to combat the potential public health crisis stemming from this booming industry.
The 2018 Supreme Court ruling allowed states to legalize sports gambling, triggering a rapid and widespread expansion of the industry.
The rise of online sports betting characterized by aggressive marketing tactics has led to increased gambling addiction and financial instability, especially among young men.
There is an urgent need for consumer protection regulations to address the risks of sports betting and mitigate its negative social impacts, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Deep dives
The Impact of the Murphy Decision
The Murphy decision in 2018 deemed the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act unconstitutional, allowing states to legalize sports gambling. This ruling emerged from a states’ rights issue rather than a focus on sports gambling itself. Before the Murphy case, sports gambling was largely restricted, with only Nevada and a few other states allowed to operate it legally. The decision set off a rapid expansion of legalized sports betting across the United States, heavily influenced by a growing cultural acceptance of sports gambling over the preceding decades.
Consequences of Rapid Legalization
The swift legalization of sports betting has introduced significant social risks, including rising gambling addiction rates and financial instability among bettors. Experts argue that this swift rollout lacked necessary protections and regulations, resulting in negative impacts on individuals and families, particularly among young men. The overwhelming accessibility of online sports betting has exacerbated these issues, allowing individuals to bet impulsively on various events at any time. The lack of proper safeguards has created an environment where a growing number of people are facing severe gambling-related problems.
Predatory Practices of Sports Betting Companies
Sports betting companies employ aggressive marketing tactics to attract and retain bettors, often targeting vulnerable individuals. They utilize promotions like 'no sweat first bets' to create an illusion of easy wins, and once bettors are hooked, they promote high-risk betting opportunities. The introduction of VIP hosts who personally encourage gamblers to keep betting further exemplifies the predatory nature of the industry. By normalizing gambling through endorsements from celebrities and ubiquitous advertising, these companies create a culture that undermines responsible gambling and exploits addiction.
Shifting Attitudes Towards Gambling
The normalization of sports betting reflects a dramatic shift in attitudes among professional sports leagues, which previously condemned gambling as a threat to their integrity. This transformation began after legalization, leading leagues to embrace partnerships with sportsbooks to profit from betting activity. The contradiction lies in the leagues promoting gambling as a means to boost viewership and revenue while simultaneously addressing its negative consequences. This normalization often downplays the potential risks of gambling, particularly for younger audiences who may view it as inherently safe and entertaining.
Call for Regulation and Awareness
There is a pressing need for regulation to protect consumers from the dangers associated with sports betting, particularly regarding accessibility and advertising. Proposed measures include imposing time delays on deposits and prohibiting aggressive marketing strategies aimed at young individuals. Additionally, public awareness campaigns that educate parents and potential gamblers about the risks of addiction are crucial to mitigate harm. To create a safer betting environment, regulators must balance the promotion of legal betting with sufficient protections to prevent exploitation and addiction.
In 2018, the United States Supreme Court opened the floodgates for states to legalize betting on sports. Eager for revenue, almost forty states have done so. The result is the explosive growth of an industry dominated by companies like FanDuel and DraftKings. One out of every five American adults gambled on sports in 2023, amounting to $121 billion, more than they spent on movies and video games combined.
The rise of online sports gambling—the immediacy of betting with your phone, the ability of the companies to target users, the dynamic pricing and offers based on how good or bad of a gambler you are—has produced a public health crisis marked by addiction and far too many people, particularly young men, gambling more than they can afford to lose. Under intense lobbying from the gaming industry, states have created a system built around profit for sportsbooks, not the well-being of players.
In Losing Big: America's Dangerous Sports Gambling Boom (Columbia Global Reports, 2025), historian Jonathan D. Cohen lays out the astonishing emergence of online sports gambling, from sportsbook executives drafting legislation to an addicted gambler confessing their $300,000 losses. Sports gambling is here to stay, and the stakes could not be higher. Losing Big explains how this brewing crisis came to be, and how it can be addressed before new generations get hooked.
Paul Knepper covered the New York Knicks for Bleacher Report. His first book was The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks and the Brawlers That Almost Won It All. His next book, Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet, will be out in the fall of 2025. You can reach Paul at paulknepper@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @paulieknep.
