‘Is This Game Fixed?’ Legal Sports Gambling Raises Questions, Survey Shows

A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized and fueled a multibillion-dollar sports-betting industry is now under scrutiny due to recent scandals in professional and collegiate sports, resulting in the suspensions and firings of dozens of athletes and coaches for gambling violations.

Justice Samuel Alito warned in his majority opionion that that legalized sports gambling had the potential to “corrupt professional and college sports.” He included references to the “Black Sox Scandal,” the fixing of the 1919 World Series by members of the Chicago White Sox, and the point-shaving scandal of the early 1950s that rocked college basketball. But ultimately, he wrote, Congress couldn’t require states to keep sports gambling prohibitions in place.

Sports gambling is now legal in 39 states and the District of Columbia, and is a major source of tax revenue for some of them. But at what cost? In an informal survey, we asked Patch readers to share their concerns about sports gambling.

Betting Part Of Culture Of Winning

Alan, a Wading River (New York) Patch reader, was among a small minority of respondents who said concerns about sports gambling are overblown. He said he is concerned “only to the extent that gambling itself can cause great financial harm to susceptible people.”

“The whole world of competitive sports is winning, and our society values monetary gain as ‘winning,’” Alan said. “There is no way to weed out the money ‘winners’ who cheat to win. Sports integrity only exists within each individual.”

Alan does think advertising should be limited, as it was with tobacco and other products that are harmful but legal.

Theresa, who lives in Virginia and reads Old Town Alexandra Patch, Herndon Patch, Reston Patch, Kingstowne-Rose Hill Patch and Basye Patch, also would like to see limits on advertising.

“The proliferation of advertising, especially using well-known sports or entertainment personalities, leads to gambling being a much more mainstream, easily accessible activity than before — especially preying on those who can least afford it,” she said.

‘One Of The Worst Laws Ever’

Old Town Alexandria (Virginia) Patch reader Nancy said there’s no question but that sports betting undermines the integrity of the game. It also preys on the desperate, she believes.

“This is one of the worst laws ever enacted,” Nancy said. “The people who gamble online will eventually become addicted to gambling, and most of them probably can’t even afford to lose some money they’re losing.”

Fairfax (Virginia) Patch reader L. Byrne no longer takes for granted that a mistake is just that, an unfortunate human error that changed the outcome of a game.

Sports gambling, the reader said, has “ruined the game.”

“Every time I see a player flub up, I wonder if he or she is on the take,” L. Byrne said.

“I believe that legalized betting on college sports has further undermined the integrity of these sporting events,” said Baltimore Patch reader Michael. “It is eroding fans’ confidence that they are seeing an honest contest.”

Most Sports Gamblers Avoid Addiction

Gambling addiction was a top theme in readers’ responses to our unofficial survey.

“Gambling is a disease. You don't fight a disease by providing more opportunities for exposure, a reader of The Lymes (Connecticut) Patch said.

“I hate it all, and for those with self-control issues, it’s a nightmare,” Bel Air (Maryland) Patch reader Ken said, adding he is “sick of all the commercials and how it’s getting integrated into every broadcast event.”

Despite those concerns, most app users avoid gambling addiction and incur only minimal financial loss, according to research. One study showed 60 percent of bettors generated only 1 percent of sportsbook revenue during the 2023-2024 NFL season. But that still leaves millions of Americans, particularly young men, caught in a vast gray area between casual betting and full-blown addiction.

Another study showed the rapid expansion of legal sports gambling, particularly through mobile apps, has led to a surge in gambling addiction calls. Researchers said in a study published last year in JAMA Internal Medicine that since 2018, internet searches for gambling addiction support have increased 23 percent, with spikes of 61 percent in areas with high mobile betting activity.

University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry researchers said their study exposed a growing health care crisis.

The research exposed a growing health care crisis according to by University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine researchers.

Dr. Kevin Yang, a co-author of the study, said gambling addiction is a largely overlooked in health care and public health. “Without systematic surveillance,” he said at the time, “we are flying blind while millions bet on sports.”

‘All It Does Is Promote Addiction’

Westport (Connecticut) Patch reader William doesn’t need convincing.

“Gambling has become dangerous to the health of our society. It is far too easy to gamble, and the person hoping to make some money is only causing themselves further harm,” William said.

“Gambling is such a danger,” he said. “Those people and companies getting insanely rich off it should be required by law to fund the programs necessary to deal with the many issues that it caused for those who get addicted to this activity.”

Mobile apps make gambling “too easy,” said Burr Ridge (Illinois) Patch reader George.

“Younger people are betting and getting addicted to gambling,” he said. “It’s too widespread. Slots are everywhere. Sit down to order a burrito, and there is a separate room right next to you. It’s on your phone; it’s in your favorite restaurant. It’s advertised while you watch TV. It’s everywhere, and all it does is promote addiction.”

‘If There’s A Way To Scam …’

Several readers said the normalization of sports betting can’t help but trickle down from professional and collegiate levels to amateur and youth sports. In fact, that already has happened.

While betting on youth sports is illegal in the U.S., some offshore sportsbooks illegally promoted the Little League World Series as a betting opportunity when most professional sports leagues are idle.

“If there is a way for someone to scam a system, it will be found,” Woodbury (Minnesota) Patch reader Junie said. “If professional players are getting together with gamblers to fix the books, I have no doubt there are likely some parents out there trying the same thing with their kids’ sports.

“I don’t think minors’ sports games should have any sort of betting tied to it, but unless it gets cracked down on, it will continue to happen,” Junie continued, acknowledging, though, that “if it’s happening offshore, I’m not sure there’s even any recourse.”

The large majority of states that allow sports betting also allow mobile apps, with only a half dozen or so holdouts.

“I think a can of worms has been opened in regard to online sports betting — it’s only a matter of time before every state allows it,” she said. “It’s not healthy, but it brings in a lot of extra revenue for states.”

States Addicted To Taxes

S.R., a Pennsylvania Patch reader, thinks it’s a mistake for states to become reliant on sports betting for revenue.

Sports betting taxes in the 40 states that have some form of legalized sports gambling have risen significantly, increasing from $1.8 billion in 2022 to nearly $3 billion in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. This upward trend continued into 2025, with almost $1.9 billion collected in just the first half of the year.

States in which taxes on sports betting make up a significant share of tax revenue are New York, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, Maryland, Rhode Island and Nevada, according to Census Bureau data.

“The over-reliance of governments on gambling revenues does not bode wells or the rest of society,” said Weston (Massachusetts) Patch reader Peter.

‘How About The Opposite Side?’

There are few gambling-free bastions remaining in professional sports, said S.R., the Pennsylvania Patch reader who is a fan of women’s sports.

“Women’s basketball, for one example, was free from talk of betting until recently. Now the stats include information aimed at betting,” the Pennsylvania Patch reader said. “The sport has been free from scandals forever, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

S.R. added, “Constant advertising makes it seem like an acceptable corollary to sports.”

Next door in New Jersey, Matawan-Aberdeen Patch Jack said gambling opportunities are widely available in his state, but inadequate attention is given to its negative consequences.

New Jersey consistently ranks among the top five states for betting tax revenue. Casinos and racetracks form the backbone of the sports betting market, acting as licensed hubs for both in-person and online sportsbooks through partnerships with operators like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM.

“I strongly believe that online sports betting preys on the desperate people trying to get ahead, only to make the situation worse,” Jack said. “I have been to Atlantic City and seen mostly retired folks having a day out, pumping money into the slots. Online gambling is portrayed as glamorous. How about showing the opposite side, where they lose everything, and the anxiety and desperation take over?”

“The advent of these gambling apps is just about money. It has turned college sports into professional leagues. No good has come of it,” said Larchmont-Mamaroneck (New York) Patch reader Bobbo.

Among Bobbo’s worries are “point shaving, insider information being used to win prop bets (wagers on specific occurrences in a game that don’t directly impact the outcome), collusion between players and betters and the overall integrity of games.” Protections aren’t strong enough to present it, Bobbo said.

‘It Is Out Of Control’

At the time of the Supreme Court decision, all four major U.S. professional sports leagues and the NCAA implored the court not to allow for the expansion of gambling out of fears that ethics and integrity would be compromised.

“Now, they are partners with the gambling sites. What happened?” Mendham-Chester (New Jersey) Patch reader Frank said, answering his own question, “They are greedy hypocrites.”

“It’s making players vulnerable to manipulating the game with cheating and taking true competition out, in my opinion. It is ruining sports for the average fan,” Clearwater (Florida) Patch reader JIK said. “Sports betting should be made illegal again.”

“No one is facing the tsunami that sports betting is,” said Nan, who reads Annapolis (Maryland) Patch and Chatham (New Jersey) Patch. “I believe that online sports betting, along with the development of AI, will eventually be the ruin of sports. For example, prop betting will put pressure on players for every single play.”

“There’s too much incentive to cheat,” said Point Pleasant (New Jersey) Patch reader Burt. “We did well for 100 years without gambling on sports. Return to that posture.”

Easton (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Gene agrees with JIK and Burt that sports had more integrity before people could legally bet on their outcome, but said going back is unlikely.

“Our forbearers knew gambling was a civic vice,” Gene said. “They were right, and it is now out of control in our culture.”

Read More

Scandals Raise Questions About Sports Betting

Offshore Sportsbook Again Taking Little League World Series Bets

Massive College Basketball Point-Shaving Scheme Uncovered By Philly Feds