Developing habits, for the most part, is beneficial. Some helpful habits like brushing your teeth and making your bed were probably instilled by your parents from birth. However, harmful habits can also be instilled into daily life: habits like sports betting.
Sports betting, in general, especially for younger people and people at our school, is a horrible habit. Not only is sports betting illegal for people under 21 in Virginia, but is an extremely dangerous activity for everyone. It might seem harmless to put a few dollars on a parlay, or get someone of age to do so, and have something to root for in a game. However, these harmless bets stack up and create a detrimental habit that can lead to life-ruining addiction. Gambling has always been a problem, is a problem now and will continue to be one in the future.
This addiction is also created in apps online that simulate sports betting with fake money. Just because the money isn’t real does not mean you will not develop the addiction. In some cases, it can actually make things worse. The small joy you feel after winning fake money on these apps could tease your desire to win big, and soon winning fake money wouldn’t be enough. You could then turn to real gambling, which ruins lives.
Sports betting has become such a problem mainly due to the environment associated with sports. Watching a sports game can require patience, making betting a fun way to keep yourself entertained. Many kids that watch sports around older adults or their parents often see the enjoyment and appeal of sports betting. It’s especially evident at sports events where you have ecstatic fans yelling about how much money they made. Teens look at these moments and obviously have the want to win big despite the risk of loss.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the human brain fully develops when you turn 25. However, this is not a set age that when you turn 25 your brain automatically fully develops. It can take way longer. For so many of these adolescents that are gambling, they still have years before their brain will fully develop. Teens are betting without fully being able to process risk and consequences. The ignorance of the problem of sports betting is what leads to so many dire consequences.
The spreading of betting can partly be attributed to big name athletes partnering with gambling websites and promoting it. Teens that enjoy watching sports or scrolling through social media often come across ads where their favorite athletes are promoting gambling. For example, National Basketball Association (NBA) superstars, Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all partnered with various sports betting websites. These are huge names that any fan of basketball and sports in general know, and they are promoting sports betting in commercials and on social media. This is a problem that the NBA has to fix, because adolescents are listening to these players and finding a way to gamble.
Betting and gambling in general are scary addictions because you think if you only gamble a little you would be able to stop and wouldn’t lose much. However, this belief is what causes this terrifying addiction to take hold, which is just as serious as alcohol or drug abuse; it ruins lives.
