Sports wagering seems to be thriving, at least on the surface, and insofar as this is true, it means gambling operations owners are laughing all the way to the bank while the great bulk of players go home with empty pockets.
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #264 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
Over the past ten years, American sports gambling has changed from a largely illegal and underground activity into a major commercial industry integrated into professional sports, media, and popular culture. A turning point came in 2018 when the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), allowing individual states to legalize sports betting. Since then, dozens of states have approved online and in-person sports wagering, creating a market worth billions of dollars annually.
For Super Bowl LX, February 2026, analysts estimated about $2.0 billion in legal wagers. For the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball “March Madness,” industry estimates projected about $3.1 billion legally wagered.
Technology has driven much of this growth. Smartphone apps allow users to place bets instantly from home or while watching games live. Companies such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and several more, originally known for fantasy sports contests, became dominant sports betting platforms. Advertising for gambling now appears constantly during sports broadcasts, podcasts, and social media. Betting odds are discussed alongside game analysis, and many leagues that once opposed gambling now partner with sportsbooks for sponsorships and data-sharing agreements.
One innovation, prop bets, or proposition bets, sometimes called side bets, now allow gamblers to wager on highly specific outcomes such as how many points a player will score, whether the next play will be a pass, or even the result of a coin toss. Because these bets can be offered continuously throughout games, they encourage more frequent participation and repeated wagering. So-called “micro betting also allows for a greater range of betting options, as it provides a more granular level of detail for bettors to place wagers on. This increased level of detail can also result in higher odds and greater potential winnings for bettors. Additionally, micro betting is often faster paced and more immediate, as results can be determined in real-time during the course of a game or match.”
Sportsbooks profit significantly from prop bets or microbets because they generate high betting volume and often carry larger profit margins than traditional bets on game winners or point spreads. Needless to say, the popularity of live betting and microbets has therefore become a major source of industry revenue growth.
Prediction markets are another innovation that have developed alongside this trend. Prediction markets are platforms where people increasingly engage in speculative wagering that resembles modern prop betting culture, helping drive gambling revenues higher for sportsbooks and betting companies. Unlike traditional sportsbooks, prediction markets often resemble financial exchanges where prices fluctuate based on collective expectations. Advocates argue these markets can aggregate information efficiently and provide insight into public opinion and probabilities.
The largest prediction markets are Polymarket, Kalshi, and Betfair. Betfair became especially influential because it popularized the “betting exchange” model in which users effectively trade positions with one another instead of betting against a bookmaker.
Prediction markets occupy a controversial and somewhat uncertain legal space in the United States. Some are regulated as financial products rather than gambling operations. Critics argue that, in practice, many prediction markets function similarly to sports betting and therefore raise the same ethical and social concerns.
Prediction market platforms are accessible across state lines, meaning users in states that have explicitly rejected legalized sports betting can still participate, which undermines the authority of states to set their own laws and standards. Federal officials are pushing to treat prediction markets as gambling.
Platforms like Kalshi argue they are not traditional bookmakers, but rather financial exchanges regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. By framing wagers as financial "event contracts," these platforms operate in many U.S. states with restrictive sports betting laws. Meanwhile, many international jurisdictions classify them as gambling. For example, Spain temporarily blocked both Polymarket and Kalshi for operating without local gambling licenses.
The rapid expansion of sports gambling has generated significant debate. One major concern is gambling addiction, especially among young men and college-age audiences heavily exposed to betting advertisements. Easy access through mobile phones allows constant wagering, including live “microbets” on individual plays during games, which may encourage impulsive behavior. Financial losses and debt problems have become increasingly common for some gamblers.
Another concern is the integrity of sports competition. Heavy gambling activity raises fears about match-fixing, insider information, and pressure on athletes or referees. College athletics are considered particularly vulnerable because many student athletes are unpaid and more susceptible to outside influence or harassment from angry bettors.
Critics also worry about the cultural normalization of gambling. Sports once centered primarily on athletic competition and fandom, but gambling now shapes how many viewers experience games. Supporters argue legalized betting provides consumer protections and tax revenue, yet opponents caution that the long-term social costs may outweigh the economic benefits.
At the same time, critics raise moral objections to gambling itself. I am one of these critics. Historically, Christians have always condemned gambling because it promotes greed, exploits vulnerable individuals, and encourages people to seek wealth through chance rather than productive work. The industry profits from addiction and financial desperation, especially among lower-income consumers.
Constant gambling opportunities can weaken community values by normalizing risky behavior and turning sports into vehicles primarily for financial speculation rather than entertainment or athletic achievement.
Several illegal or improper sports betting scandals have made major news in the past decade, especially since legalized sports wagering expanded after 2018.
One of the biggest recent scandals involved Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani. Federal investigators alleged Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay debts owed to an illegal California bookmaker. Prosecutors said he placed roughly 19,000 bets and lost more than $40 million over several years. The MLB ultimately cleared Ohtani of wrongdoing, while Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud.
Another major case involved Jontay Porter, a former player for the Toronto Raptors. In 2024 the NBA banned Porter for life after investigators found he shared confidential information with bettors, wagered on NBA games, and allegedly manipulated his participation in games tied to prop bets. The scandal became one of the first major match-manipulation cases since widespread legalization of online sports betting in the United States.
Professional leagues have also disciplined players for violating gambling rules even when no game-fixing was proven. And professional leagues must own their part of the surge in sports betting, for the leagues not only invested directly in sportsbooks but promote gambling – endlessly on game broadcasts.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest World Cup ever: total matches: 104 games, 11 U.S. host cities, 48 national teams. The tournament is also hosted by Canada and Mexico, bringing the total number of host cities across all three countries to 16.
Authorities, sportsbooks, FIFA, and integrity-monitoring groups are already preparing for several sports betting risks. FIFA has expanded its anti-corruption and integrity operations, including, integrity officers assigned to teams and officials, mandatory education for players, referees, and staff, reporting hotlines for suspicious activity, and monitoring of betting markets worldwide.
These scandals have intensified concerns about legalized sports gambling. Again, prop bets or microbets have been the center of concern. These bets are easier to manipulate than the outcome of a game, i.e., cheating.
The history of betting is a story that never ends well. Gambling is a time bomb in a pretty package, a snake in the grass that sooner or later bites, sometimes leaving lifelong wounds.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best.
If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2026
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