When the debate about overturning PASPA started gaining steam six years ago, one of the biggest concerns critics voiced was the impact legalized sports betting may have on underage bettors.
The fear was that sports fans, particularly young males, would see betting on games as a normalized process that, in turn, would “hook” them. Of course, those on the other side countered that sports betting was already ingrained in society, and marketing messages persuading young people to make lifestyle choices were nothing new.
As a sports bettor from an early age and a college professor at Rider University in New Jersey who analyzes the sports media, I was particularly interested in this debate.
