Sports Betting Addiction Concerns Are Causing More Americans to Oppose Online Gambling

Less than 10% of respondents said they believe sports betting has a positive impact on society, amid the rapid growth of online sportsbooks like Fanduel, DraftKings and others.

A new survey suggests that public support for legal sports betting is declining, as more Americans recognize the widespread gambling addiction problems and financial hardships that have resulted from the rapid rise of gambling apps over the past decade.

In 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association that struck down a federal ban on sports gambling, placing the decision about whether to legalize the practice in the hands of each state.

Since then, at least 39 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have legalized sports betting, and advertisements for sports books like FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM are now widely featured across all forms of sports entertainment in the U.S.

While the gambling apps continue to push to expand operations into new states, a new survey was published by the Pew Research Center earlier this month, which found that nearly half of U.S. adults believe sports betting is a negative for society, and less than 10% believe it is a good thing.

Sports Betting Risks

Last year, the U.S. sports betting industry reported nearly $14 billion in revenue. A significant portion of that comes from online sports betting sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.

However, health experts have warned that the rapid growth in the industry is outpacing regulatory oversight and the ability to study its effects on consumers. Clinics nationwide have seen a sharp rise in the need for sports-betting addiction treatments, which experts say mirror substance abuse in both intensity and relapse patterns.

They warn that the online betting platforms are deliberately designed to keep users engaged through rapid betting cycles and unpredictable rewards that flood the brain with dopamine, reshaping behavior, encouraging risk-taking and eroding self-control.

As a result of these aggressive marketing strategies, a number of families are now pursuing sports betting addiction lawsuits, alleging users were pushed to place high-frequency bets even after they should have been identified by platforms as vulnerable users, effectively targeting and exploiting those with gambling problems to fuel higher profits, regardless of the impact on society.

The Pew Research Center, a political thinktank, conducted a survey of 9,916 U.S. adults from July 8 to August 3, 2025. They asked participants whether sports betting was a “good thing” for society and for sports, or a “bad thing.”

The survey results indicate that 43% of respondents say sports betting is a “bad thing” for society, up nine percent from respondents to the same survey in 2022. Meanwhile only seven percent said it was a good thing for society and 50% said it was neither good nor bad.

As far as betting’s effect on sports, 40% said it was a bad thing, compared to only 17% who said it was a good thing, while 42% said it was neither.

Pew Center researchers reported that 22% of U.S. adults say they have personally bet money on sports in the past year, and 10% say they have gambled using an online sports betting app over the last year.

A similar study (PDF) was released this month by Lake Research Partners on online gambling, also known as iGaming, based on a survey of 650 registered Maryland voters. The results showed that 23% held an unfavorable opinion, including 12% who viewed iGaming very unfavorably. Only 13% expressed a favorable opinion, while the majority, 64%, were either undecided or unfamiliar with it.

The survey also found that 52% oppose the legalization of online gambling when they learn it would mean 24-hour online slot access and casino tables through mobile devices, with 38% strongly opposing it. Only 22% support the idea, while 26% were unsure.

Sports Betting Addiction Lawsuits

The surveys come as lawyers in the U.S. continue to review sports betting addiction lawsuits for individuals nationwide who developed gambling addictions using sports betting apps like BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars.

These claims focus on college age users who were encouraged to place high-frequency bets, even after showing signs of addiction. Some continued to receive personalized incentives, and marketing offers after requesting account closures or appearing on self-exclusion lists, raising serious concerns about how platforms exploit vulnerable behavior.

If you or someone you love suffered financial harm from compulsive gambling on these apps, contact a sports gambling lawyer to see if you are eligible to recover losses and hold companies accountable for their addictive design and predatory targeting practices.