Sports betting is everywhere. From commercials during primetime games to sponsorship deals with major leagues, the industry has embedded itself into the sports world. As the money flows, so do the consequences — especially for athletes who have become direct targets of abuse from disgruntled gamblers.
Sports betting presents “one of the bigger ethical dilemmas” in modern sports, according to Vincent Peña, assistant professor of journalism and sports communication at DePaul.
“But even beyond that, there’s a bigger issue of how sports betting affects the athletes themselves,” Peña said.
Peña noted that sports betting is marketed primarily toward young men, many of whom are not yet legally allowed to gamble. He likened betting companies’ tactics to those of vaping, cigarette and alcohol advertisers. “The target audience is not just those who are legally able to buy it, right? They know what the reality is out there,” Peña said.
While tobacco and alcohol advertisements are heavily regulated, sports betting remains widely promoted through television, digital platforms and partnerships with professional leagues. These ads reach a broad audience, including underage viewers, with few limitations.
The effects of this marketing — and the proliferation of sports betting — extend beyond the gamblers themselves. Athletes face an increasing amount of harassment from sports bettors who see them as more than just competitors. They become the deciding factors in their bets.
An NCAA study found one in three high-profile college athletes receive abuse over sports betting, including death threats. The study found 73% of the abuse occurred during March Madness, the most popular event with bettors in the United States.
One of the most visible ways sports betting impacts athletes is through social media harassment. The NCAA shared a message directed by a bettor at a high-profile men’s basketball player before a March Madness tournament game that read, “Yo no big deal but if you don’t get 22 points and 12 boards everyone you know and love will be dead.”
“FanDuel does not believe it’s appropriate to discuss sports betting experience narratives on any college campus as the majority of the student population is underage,” FanDuel’s Alex Pitocchelli said in a statement to the DePaulia.
Pitocchelli also pointed to the company’s “Responsible Gaming College Tour,” where a former gambler speaks to students about addiction.
Peña compared this approach to a “bar hosting AA meetings,” he said. “You are the source, right? Like, it’s kind of a slap in the face.”
Peña sees FanDuel’s response to gambling addiction as trying to offload the problem onto individuals, which he observes as a common theme in systemic issues.
James Stowell, a senior studying sports communication at DePaul, said if FanDuel believes the topic should not be discussed in a college setting, they shouldn’t “advertise bets for March Madness,” and all college sports.
States like Illinois prohibit bets on in-state college teams, while it is legal in other states like Indiana. While college athletes are “athletes first and foremost,” Stowell said, many of them are young and just out of high school. “Not all of them are legal adults yet, even allowed to gamble.”
Connor Sullivan, a senior studying sports communication at DePaul, noted that college-aged athletes are “not really mentally matured to handle all that goes in” with sports betting.
Athletes outside of the college sphere have voiced frustration. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson posted on X in September 2024, “This is a team sport … Y’all stop commenting on our posts about yards or because your parlays ain’t hit.” Jackson’s words may reflect the growing sentiment among athletes who feel dehumanized due to sports betting.
As for solutions, Peña believes more regulation is inevitable.
“I think we’ll be seeing more regulations, whether it’s in the form of banning prop bets on college athletes or kind of restricting the times and places in which people can bet,” Peña said.
However, he said we will never go back to gambling being illegal.
“It’s not going to rewind itself,” Peña said.
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