Sports

Public Opinion on Legal Sports Betting is Souring, Survey Shows — But Young Americans Are Betting More Than Ever

More Americans believe legal sports betting is bad today than in 2022, a new Pew Research survey shows.

Unfortunately, more Americans than ever are betting on sports — a dangerous trend driven almost exclusively by young people placing online sports bets.

Of the nearly 10,000 American adults Pew polled on the question this year, 43% said legal sports betting is bad for society and 40% said it’s bad for sports.

In a similar 2022 survey, only 34% of surveyed adults said legal sports betting was bad for society. Even fewer (33%) felt it was bad for sports.

The data suggests Americans are becoming more aware of the harms of commercial sports betting — an inherently predatory industry that makes most of its money by targeting people who are addicted to gambling.

But increased public disapproval of legal sports betting has not yet decreased the number of Americans who bet on sports. An estimated 7% of U.S. adults placed a commercial sports bet in the last year, according to Pew, compared to just 4% in 2022.

This increase is driven entirely by online sports betting. The number of respondents who reported placing an online sports bet in the past year nearly doubled from 2022 (6%) to 2025 (10%), while the number of people who reported betting on sports in person stayed constant.

This is bad news. Online sports books use the same technology that makes smartphones addictive to offer endless potential wagers, instantaneous money transfers and ways to bet without missing a second of the big game.

In other words, it has never been faster or easier to bet money, lose it and chase your losses.

But it isn’t just about addictive product design. Online sportsbooks actively target their most lucrative customers — problem gamblers.

In April, the city of Baltimore sued DraftKings and FanDuel, the two biggest online sports books in the country, for using deceptive and fraudulent business practices.

The complaint alleged the sports books used extensive data collection to identify professional and problem gamblers. Professionals were purportedly banned from the platform while problem gamblers were assigned VIP hosts to funnel them perks, promotions and encouragement to keep gambling.

Worse, the overall increase in online sports betting between 2022 and 2025 was driven by young people. This year, 17% of surveyed adults under 30 reported betting on an online sportsbook in the past year — a 10% increase from 2022.

Young people, particularly college-age men, were early adopters of online sports betting and some of the first to become addicted. They are also some of the most vulnerable to addiction because their brains are still developing.

The same is true of adolescents. The Lancet’s 2024 Public Health Commission on problem gambling estimates 10.3% of adolescents around the world gambled online in 2023 — often illegally. Of those who bet on sports, the commission estimates more than 16% could have a gambling disorder.

Problem gambling is a horrible, often hidden addiction with cascading impacts on the families and communities of those suffering.

Problem gamblers are statistically more likely than their peers to both commit and be the victim of domestic violence. Upwards of 30% of problem gamblers experience suicidal ideation, per the American Psychological Association.

As America contends with the proliferation of legal commercial sports betting, Les Bernal, the National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, says parents can do two important things to protect their kids — beyond refusing to gamble themselves.

First, Bernal tells the Daily Citizen, parents should include predatory gambling — particularly online gambling — in the list of addictive products to warn their kids about. Commercial gambling should never be normalized as a harmless form of entertainment.

Second, Bernal encourages parents to support online gambling reform in their communities and at the ballot box. The gambling industry must take responsibility for selling addictive products, he argues, the same way tobacco and opioid companies do. 

Legal commercial sports betting is not harmless entertainment. As baseball season winds down, and football and basketball ramp up, please consider how you will protect your children and family from its influence.

Additional Articles and Resources

Baltimore Sues FanDuel, DraftKings for Targeting Problem Gamblers

March Madness Sends Gambling Industry Profits Sky High

‘Addictive, Exploitative, Manipulative’: Les Bernal Breaks Down Predatory Gambling Ahead of the Super Bowl

Online Sports Betting Hooking Young Men on Gambling, Research Suggests

Online Super Bowl Betting Breaks Records

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Public Prayer is a Practice to Emulate

Sunday night’s game seven victory by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Indiana Pacers marks the team’s first NBA Championship since relocating from Seattle back in 2008.

Devoted hoop fans will remember the Seattle Supersonics won their only championship in 1979. 

A lot has changed between then and now, of course, including the Thunder’s tradition of praying publicly before each game.

The practice actually began back in 2005 after the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) began playing their games in Oklahoma City in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Emotions were raw and tender and needs were great, so the team did what a lot of people do when they find themselves in a tough situation – pray!

The prayers were so well received that the newly arriving Thunder decided to continue the practice.

Dan Mahoney, who serves as the team’s executive vice president and chief administrative officer, has been straightforward and unapologetic when asked about the tradition of praying at center court.

“It’s an invocation,” he said. “It’s non-denominational. For our fans it’s an opportunity to pray if they want to, to have a moment of silent reflection if they want to or it’s really for them to use that time however they want to.”

He’s added:

We feel it’s a reflection of our community. Our fans have been very receptive to it. We allow that time, and it’s just something that we’ve done since day one and our fans are very fond of it. We appreciate that opportunity.

That 30-second opportunity to reflect means that over the years, the Thunder have invited Catholics, Protestants and rabbis to pray.


Said local pastor Stefan Reed:

It not only honors God and acknowledges His authority, but also gives the rest of the league a glimpse into who we are and what we represent. I think it speaks volumes to everyone in the arena, including the other team, that our love for people is bigger than the game itself. I hope each prayer reflects our genuine care for people in a real and meaningful way.

A lot of energy and angst from radicals has been expressed over the practice of public prayer. Many individuals and groups have suggested it’s offensive, inconsiderate and unnecessarily aggressive and combative.

Respectfully done and Holy Spirit led, it’s none of those things. 

Good for the Oklahoma City Thunder for ignoring the cranks and agitators who object.

“Intercession is the truly universal work for the Christian,” reflected the late Reverend Richard Halverson, who once served as chaplain of the United States Senate. “No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out.”

In addressing the nation this past Saturday night following the United States’ bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, President Trump ended his remarks with something of a prayer:

I want to just say, we love you God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East, God bless Israel, and God bless America.

Whether praying before, during and after a military battle or before an NBA basketball game, the humble posture of prayer is a very good thing.

Urged the apostle Paul, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6, ESV).

Please join us in praying for the safety and security of all American personnel in harm’s way.

Girls Team Forfeits to Team with Transgender Player – Could Face Sanctions

The Stone Ridge Christian High School girls volleyball team forfeited their state playoff match rather than face a team with a male player.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) could sanction the Christian school for its decision, reported The San Joaquin Valley Sun, explaining, “Any team that withdraws from CIF playoffs is subject to sanctions at both the Section and State levels.”

CIF “Guidelines for Gender Identity Participation” state:

All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records.

Stone Ridge Administrator Julie Fagundes wrote a message to families saying that it was the school’s Christian beliefs about God’s male and female creation that drove the decision to forfeit.

At SRC, we believe God’s Word is authoritative and infallible. It is Truth. And as Genesis makes clear, God wonderfully and immutably created each person as male or female. We do not believe sex is changeable and we do not intend to participate in events that send a different message.

She also noted the school’s concern for the health and safety of female athletes:

We also have a duty and responsibility to care for the health and safety of our athletes. So after consulting with our students, coaches, and staff, we have made the difficult decision to forfeit Saturday’s game. Standing for Biblical truth means more than the outcome of a game.

Fagundes said it was a “heartbreaking end” to the season for the teen girls, who had a winning record of 20-12 and finished second in their league with a 12-2 record. The team beat North Hills High School to advance in the playoffs and would have taken on the #1 seed, San Francisco Waldorf, in the CIF NorCal Division VI semi-finals.

Waldorf went on to lose the championship match to St. Vincent de Paul College Prep, 3 sets to 0.

As previously reported by the Daily Citizen, Henry Hanlon, a senior, plays three girls sports at Waldorf: volleyball, basketball and soccer. Last year, he led the girls volleyball team to a CIF North Coast Section championship.

The Waldorf School is a private religious school charging $56,000 a year for grades 9-12. Waldorf Schools are based on the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, an occultist who founded the “General Anthroposophical Society” and Waldorf Education, which is rooted in Steiner’s mystical, gnostic ideology.

Gnosticism undergirds gender ideology – elevating “knowledge” and “the spiritual” over the body and the material world. Christianity, on the other hand, acknowledges the reality and goodness of the body and all of God’s creation.

The Stone Ridge girls were widely applauded on social media for their decision to stand against boys in girls sports.

Women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines, author of Swimming Against the Current: Fighting for Common Sense in a World That’s Lost Its Mind, encouraged people to “show them some love for standing firm!

While Christians have compassion for and work to bring healing to the sexually confused, we must not agree with false gender dogma and affirm sexual identity confusion.

Kudos to Stone Ridge Christian High School and the girls volleyball team for taking a principled stand stand for scriptural truth, scientific reality, and fairness and safety for young women.

Related articles and resources:

If you or someone you know is struggling with transgenderism, Focus on the Family offers a one-time complimentary consultation with our ministry’s professionally trained counseling staff. The consultation is free due to generous donor support.

To reach Focus on the Family’s counseling service by phone, call 1-800-A-Family (232-6459) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor or chaplain to return a call to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

We also offer local referrals for licensed counselors who align with the mission and values of Focus on the Family.

Americans are Pushing Back Against Transgender Activism

Female Athletes Pray for Activists Who Scream and Spit on Them

Four Must-Read Books for Culturally Aware Christians

Live not by Lies and the Danger of Soft Totalitarianism

New DOE Rule Discriminates Against Women in Sports … Time to #TakeBackTitleIX

Riley Gaines, Fourth-Wave Feminism and the Battle for Women’s Sports

Speaker Johnson is Right: ‘A Man Cannot Become a Woman’

Title IX Redefinition of ‘Sex’ Faces Defiance and a Flood of Lawsuits

Image credit Stone Ridge Christian