Super Bowl Bettor Beware: How Sportsbook Ads Are Betting on Your Addiction
Last week, as the Kansas City Chiefs eked past the Buffalo Bills, a commercial from the local CBS station implored, “scan here to stream the news while you enjoy the game”. I declined, politely. Later, I was invited to do my taxes while simultaneously watching The Rookie on Hulu.
But the most sobering ads of late have been from sports betting apps. Fantastical scenes glorifying betting make winning seem likely, even inevitable. Bettors are cast as smart, savvy people with good instincts. Follow your powerful hunch, one spot says. BetMGM assures you that “No matter what, you’re taken care of.” Wealth and glory seem to be just one parlay away.
One ad from online sportsbook FanDuel, aired earlier this season, had this tagline: “Make every moment more”. This attitude is exactly the root of the problem.
If every moment needs to be more, it follows that the plain old regular moment is insufficient. A run-of-the-mill second-down-and-ten moment doesn’t hold our attention enough, isn’t exciting enough to be experienced on its own, in its bland plainness, raw and free from enhancement. These moments need more intensity to be tolerable. Thankfully, we have the over-under to numb the pain.
As a therapist and addictions counselor, I encounter the effects of problem gambling behavior nearly every day. With the new, easy accessibility of sports betting apps, more and more Americans are getting sucked into the vortex of excitement, anticipation, and inevitable crash and regret that come from playing the odds.
The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans will wager a record $1.39 billion (legally!) on Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX, as the Philadelphia Eagles try to wrest three-peat glory from the maw of the Kansas City Chiefs. Brace yourselves. With that much money up for grabs, we are sure to be inundated with ads for this newest spin on an old vice. Sports betting apps like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM are falling over each other trying to capture a piece of this extremely lucrative pie.
Even gambling teetotalers could be tempted by the glitzy promises of excitement and wealth. Introductory offers of free bets or mulligans if you lose in some situations, coupled with in-game mini-bets that pay off (or lose) almost instantly may be impossible to resist.. These marketing ploys based in behavioral psychology are designed to test your refusal skills - the ability to say no to something that you really don’t want to do.
The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that about half of American adults have placed a bet on a sporting event. One study of online sports gamblers showed that 16 percent of bettors met clinical criteria for gambling disorder, and an additional 13 percent showed some signs of gambling problems. That’s 29 percent of online sports gamblers who have a problem. The easy access and psychological hooks of sports betting apps act as an accelerant on a society already hooked on screens and substances. How much of that $1.39 billion will be gained through exploiting unsuspecting Americans?
The greatest irony is that, in our attempts to make every moment more, we actually make every moment less. We are less present and self-aware, less open to the richness of the human experience, less open to the restorative power of social connection.
James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, writes about boredom as the greatest threat to success. What differentiates the successful from the rest is not only the ability to persevere through adversity. It is also the ability to tolerate each boring rep at the gym, the monotonous commute back to the office, and yet another rewrite.
As with any potentially addictive behavior, abstinence from gambling is the safest bet. But for those who choose to engage this Sunday, gamble responsibly. Decide beforehand how much money you will spend, and be aware of the marketing ploys designed to test your resolve. Take note of your feelings - are you unwilling to share with friends or loved ones about your gambling? Betting more than you planned to, or withholding information about your betting from others are indicators that there might be a problem.
“Make every moment more” is a fantasy. Instead - during the game, before, and after - challenge yourself to meet each moment exactly as it is. Your future self, and your wallet, will thank you.
Shimmy Feintuch is a psychotherapist and addictions counselor in Riverdale, and an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work