Dear friend,
As I thought about this post, I wanted to write you a letter, not an article. In December a podcast I follow had a guest episode from another podcast about sports betting. I had no interest in sports betting or fantasy leagues, but because it was on my phone and started playing, I listened to it.
And then I listened to about twenty more episodes about sports betting and kept thinking, “We need to be talking about this in missions work! Why have I never heard anything about sports betting and missions?! Is this truly the ‘new porn’ that may be worse than porn?!”
So, I come to you, not as an expert, but as someone who has tried to educate myself on sports betting and how it may show up on the mission field. I’m going to organize what I know about sports betting into a list so if you’re new to this too, you don’t feel dropped into the deep end.
1—I am an American and until 2018 sports betting was illegal in most places. Thus for many of us of a certain age, sports betting wasn’t a thing.
2—Sports betting is legal in other countries so places like England and Australia are “ahead” of the U.S. in terms of data to see the impact.
3—In 2018 a Supreme Court case said it is up to each state in the U.S. if they want to legalize sports betting. They also said it was up to each state to establish the parameters which means sports betting looks very different across the country. This allows an interesting (unintended) experiment, as State B watches how State A implements it, seeing what works, what’s harmful to society, and the unintended consequences. As of January 2025 it’s legal in 38 states. I found a very interesting map, if you’d like to see where it’s legal. See here.
4—Sports betting was born out of fantasy sports and fantasy leagues. If you’re not familiar, my very basic understanding is that that a group of participants will “draft” players for each position on their team. Let’s say I drafted “Bo Nix” to be the quarterback on my football team. You cannot draft him, so you draft “Josh Allen” on your team. Your fantasy team will have players from any of the team that are currently playing that sport. Like the actual teams, if Josh Allen gets hurt and is out for two weeks, he’s also “out” for your team and you have to “play” your back up quarterback.
5—In its purest form, fantasy leagues are a fun way for a group to connect. But for younger people (maybe 30 or younger) who grew up with fantasy leagues being a part of life, it turned out to be a grooming grounds for sports betting. Because fantasy leagues are not “betting” they are legal for many high schoolers and especially are marketed to boys/young men.
Before we go any further, I’d love for you to have a conversation on your team, just getting the lay of the land (especially hearing from those who are 30 or younger).
Questions could be:
—Is sports betting legal in your passport country?
—When you were in high school, what was the sports betting culture like? Did you or anyone you know sports bet? What was your experience? (Asked with genuine curiosity 🙂 …. I would love to hear the range of stories!)
—What do you know about sports betting? (If the answer is “Nothing.” this is an opportunity for you to learn. I’m convinced it’s going to come to your field if it hasn’t yet.)
Okay, so that’s the groundwork of what sports betting is, let’s talk about how it is different from “traditional” gambling.
6—In traditional gambling, there is a chance you can win. You’ve probably heard of professional poker players. In sports betting, the algorithms learns so much about you, if you get “too good,” they kick you out and you are banned for life from placing a bet. Instead, the sports betting companies will figure out who actually isn’t going to be that good and will make that person a “VIP.” Let’s talk about preying on the vulnerable and those who want to feel that they belong!
7—You do not have to know a thing about what you’re betting on. For example, if I asked you, “Do you think Bo Nix’s first pass will be for more than 20 yards?” and you say, “I have no idea because! I don’t know who that is or if 20 yards is a lot.” I respond, “It’s far, but if he does, you win BIG. Would you like to bet he will?” In many states in the U.S. your first bet is “free.” (For you! Guess what?! The state governments have written into the law they will cover your losses, so the government is actually paying people to bet!).
8—Because sports betting is basically set up for participants to fail, or at least not succeed, the consequences are tragic. We are seeing increased depression, suicide rates, debt, and overall delayed steps into adulthood such as saving for retirement, ability to support a family, having the financial means to live independently or make larger purchases (like a car). At this point, it is far more men who are “trapped” in sports betting, but as we’ve seen with porn, women will be in the next wave. In short, men who sports gamble are not navigating their 20s in the same way that past generations of men have.
9—The podcasts I listened to were not hosted by Christians, so when they said sports betting is horrible for the brain and is going to have much more far reaching consequences than porn, I paid attention.
What do we do with all of this?
For mobilizers
Are you asking if candidates are currently sports betting? If they are, that’s a yellow flag knowing that the system is set up to exploit those who aren’t “very good at it.” Not that it disqualifies them! But are they open to setting it aside while they are on the field?
For organizations
Do you have policies or guidelines about sports betting?
Do you have resources, counselors, or mentors who can walk with those who are currently sports betting and unable to get out of it?
(If anyone in your development or donor relations department sports bets? This is NOT who you want handling your organizations money. Red flag. Run :))
For the church
Are you talking about sports betting and not glorifying it? Are you helping those who are involved in sports betting? Here’s what’s at stake: we need people with healthy money relationships to go to the field. We need people with healthy money relationships to be able to support those on the field!
For those on the field
Talk to your kids about sports betting. They will most likely be returning to colleges or first jobs with others who are sports betting. Ask if their boyfriends or girlfriends are sports betting. Talk with them about why it is likely a yellow flag in relationships. My sister has coached her daughters not only to talk to current and future boyfriends about porn, but also about sports betting.
Talk with your team about sports betting. It may not be a thing on your current team, but it will be at some point and I don’t want you surprised.
Well, friends, that’s what I’ve been thinking about when it comes to sports betting. I don’t mean to alarm you, and I love sports so much! I think that’s in part why I was so surprised. I truly love sports and have noticed so many ads in recent years, but I just ignored them, so I didn’t realize what was going on around me. We don’t need to be afraid, and it’s good to be informed.
What can I do to be helpful when it comes to this topic?
Your friend,
Amy
P.S. Is your organization talking about sports betting?
