Sports betting has become a cultural phenomenon ever since a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2018 that gave states the go-ahead to legalize sports gambling. And mobile sportsbooks have become the preferred medium for bettors.

According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 adults say they have placed an online sports bet within the last year. And 22% say they placed bets on sports this year, including online, with friends in something like a fantasy league or pool or at a casino-type location. 

Bettors wagered more than $510 million in Virginia on sporting events in August, according to the Virginia Lottery. Of the total bets placed, over $506 million was wagered through mobile sportsbooks. 

Virginia allowed its first legalized sports bets in January 2021. That year, the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling saw a 114% increase in calls from state residents seeking help with problem gambling. 

Gambling itself is addictive in a similar manner as alcohol and drugs, according to Carolyn Hawley, president of the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling. 

“What we’ve found is that [the correlation] between gambling and substances are so similar, that gambling itself is considered the first behavioral addiction,” Hawley said. 

Because gambling is so accessible through mobile devices, young people are at a much higher risk for developing gambling addictions than before, she said. It can be done anytime from anywhere. 

“Gambling is a part of life that it wasn’t, perhaps, for most individuals in previous generations,” Hawley said. 

Celebrities and social media influencers have jumped on the bandwagon, taking sponsorships from gambling sites and promoting gambling to their fans. 

Some youth surveyed in an Australian study reported that celebrities and influencers who promote gambling make it seem “okay” and “acceptable” to gamble. 

Hawley, who has a young child, has seen firsthand the impact of the marketing strategies. 

“I mean, my 6-year-old son just came home from school this week talking about gambling, and I know it wasn’t because of the work that I’m doing,” she said. 

The Virginia Council on Problem Gambling has seen a dramatic increase in the number of calls received in the past six years, Hawley said. 

“Since 2019 to 2024, we’ve had about a 1,500% increase in total calls,” she said. “We’ve [also] had an over 200% increase in people specifically asking for treatment support for a gambling problem.” 

There has also been a significant demographic shift in callers since sports betting became legal in Virginia. 

“It’s very heavily male and young callers,” Hawley said. “That 18-to-24 age group, and that 25-to-34 age group.” 

The problem extends beyond just sportsbooks. 

“What we’re seeing a lot is youth being initiated into gambling, you know, that this is a fun social activity with dad,” Hawley said. 

Gambling a ‘normalized’ activity 

Matthew Britt, a certified peer recovery specialist for the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health, said he was addicted to gambling. He recalled some of his earliest memories of gambling with relatives that led up to him developing an addiction. 

“I can see as far back as playing spades or crazy eights, games like that with my grandfather, for pennies,” Britt said. 

Gambling is already so accessible that it does not matter whether someone has an addictive personality draw, he said. 

“I have an uncle that would give out and still does give out lottery tickets for Christmas,” Britt said. “The men’s poker night was around me growing up as well.” 

It becomes hard for many people to place a negative tag on gambling because it is so normalized, Britt said. 

He also said his attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is another contributing factor to his addiction. The prevalence of “at-risk” and problem gamblers was higher in individuals with ADHD symptoms than in those without symptoms, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine. 

When Britt began his recovery five years ago, he realized a lot of his leisure activities were connected to gambling. 

“The hardest part for me was getting used to watching sports without thinking, just being able to watch the game, enjoy the game rather than thinking about what I could have won,” Britt said. “I still catch myself, [but] I’m much better at dealing with those urges as they come up.” 

As he continues his recovery journey and helps others do the same, he emphasizes a key part of recovery: hope. 

“There’s likely not going to be a point that you’ve been to that myself or folks in this line of work have not been,” Britt said. “People aren’t as alone as the disease of addiction wants them to feel.” 

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, you can call the National Council on Problem Gambling hotline at (800) 522-4700.