In 2023, I wrote in Jacobin on the need to regulate online sports gambling. In the article, I described the 2018 Supreme Court case that legalized sports betting, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, as a ‘net benefit.’ At the time, I felt the benefits of legalization — taking it away from organized crime, generating state tax revenue, and increasing enjoyment — outweighed the negatives. Two years later, the situation has changed, and so have my feelings. The explosion of sports gambling has overtaken every aspect of athletic (and even some non-athletic) entertainment to the point you can’t even watch a D2 college football game without Kevin Hart berating you to join DraftKings. As the capital-driven sportsbook onslaught has gone unregulated, the adverse economic and social impacts of online betting now outweigh the benefits. As someone who has earned the equivalent of an annual, blue-state minimum wage salary by gambling every day, I believe online sports betting should be outlawed for the good of society. Here’s why.
