Sports betting has swept across the country in the last five years. According to the American Gaming Association, the amount of money wagered in the sports betting industry since 2018 has surpassed $220 billion.
But with the meteoric rise of sports betting comes a question that many students here have been unable to correctly answer: Is sports betting even legal in California?
“Oh, absolutely,” said one Diablo Valley College student.
“Definitely,” replied another.
“It has to be,” said a third.
In fact, students were shocked to hear that betting on sports is actually not legal in California.
On the other hand, the law allows for betting on daily fantasy sports, or “DFS,” on sites such as PrizePicks and Underdog, which allow bettors to place “over/under” bets, also known as total betting.
But from the perspective of some sports fans, the betting industry should by now be legal.
“Sports betting brings popularity to sports, and attracts more viewers,” said Luis Ayala, a student in his second semester at DVC.
A statistic from Variety seems to confirm this sentiment, as 67 percent of gamblers who typically bet on National Football League games reportedly watch the games more than they normally would because they have a wager.
The same can be said for NBA viewers, with over 55 percent of gamblers viewing games they would not typically watch.
But whereas sports betting could help increase viewership of games, it also brings negative side-effects that are raising concerns — namely, a mass increase in addiction.
“I know someone who has been in and out of rehab for addiction,” said Ashlee Kimmes, a social science tutor at DVC.
“Sports betting was what led them down that path. It can create addicts and makes conditions worse for current addicts.”
A fellow tutor, Dillon Rojas, concurred with Kimmes’ statement.
“Agencies make betting seem better than it actually is,” Rojas said. “It has definitely overstayed its welcome.”
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, betting addictions are now at an all time high, with 2.5 million American adults reported to have a serious betting addiction, and at least 4 million more suffering from some semblance of addiction.
These addictions can become more serious, and diagnosed as “compulsive gambling,” according to the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association.
Noting the cases on the rise, Rojas said, “[we need to] help people think more critically.”
“Why should one bet when they could use the money elsewhere? Any college student would be ripping their hair out because they could be using it for better,” he said.
Kimmes agreed that the effect on people’s mental health from sports betting needed to be addressed.
“Educate people on the risks of betting,” she said. “There needs to be more involvement from agencies and more willingness to help those who are affected.”