Gameday is back. The sports betting industry is gunning for young men.

Often, with devastating consequences

The NFL’s 106th season kicked off last night in rain-soaked fashion, as the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles narrowly defeated their archrival Dallas Cowboys.

No one is more excited than the sports gambling industry, which is poised for yet another season of record profits—thanks in large part to young men.

Since the Supreme Court’s landmark 2018 decision struck down the federal ban on state-authorized sports betting, the industry has expanded to 39 states and the District of Columbia, with 32 offering legal online options. The sector reached a staggering $13.7 billion in revenue in 2024–a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Online betting’s democratization and addiction-engineered technologies have fueled this financial surge, with mobile wagers accounting for the lion's share of revenue.

FanDuel and DraftKings dominate the industry, controlling roughly two-thirds of market share. But more players want a piece of the pie–from Bet365 to BetMGM to ESPN. RobinHood even entered the competition over the summer, albeit in unique fashion, announcing that it will host college and professional football prediction markets directly on its app. Unlike traditional sports books regulated by state gambling commissions, these event contracts fall under the purview of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission– a method that experts warn operates in a “gray area.”

Far from slowing down, sports betting is poised to keep raking in cash.

Sports gambling platforms have pinpointed young men as their most valuable target demographic.

This precision targeting has proven devastatingly effective.

Fairleigh Dickinson University’s September 2024 poll found online sports betting far more popular among men than women (15 percent versus 6 percent), with usage skewed toward the younger demographic. The survey showed that a quarter of men under thirty bet online, with one in ten meeting the definition of problem gambling.

Young Men Research Project (YMRP)’s summer 2025 poll reveals just how widespread online gambling truly is. When asked how often they gamble online*, young men ages 18-29 showed very high rates, across race, class and party lines:

While our question was not specific to sports betting–poker and slot machines were listed as examples–the results demonstrate how deeply this high-risk activity has penetrated this generation’s everyday life.

The YMRP poll shows that one in four young men reports gambling online at least weekly.

A few demographic differences are worth noting. Trump voters and Republican young men appear most likely to bet, with 40 and 33 percent, respectively, reporting weekly participation. Black and White young men show a higher propensity to gamble (28 percent and 25 percent) compared to Hispanic counterparts (12 percent). College-educated respondents appear slightly more engaged than their less-educated peers (29 percent versus 21 percent).

Most sports gamblers lose money in the long term, and online gambling addiction is surging. So why are so many young men pouring money into a system designed for failure? While more research is needed on this demographic specifically, the drivers are likely similar to those that draw any American to gambling. For one, sports and non-sports fans alike can barely escape constant advertising from FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365, and the like. Whether watching Monday Night Football or listening to Bill Simmons during a commute, promotional deals are everywhere.

The apps themselves are scientifically optimized, with every button and notification designed by a behavioral scientist to convert hesitation into action. The flashy yet simple designs activate our dopamine pathways–a trick as old as gambling itself.

But in many ways, this generation of young men is uniquely vulnerable.

These platforms exploit traditional masculine tendencies, positioning sports betting as demonstrating proof of sports acumen. Dan Cassino, Executive Director of Fairleigh Dickinson's poll, explains that sports betting offers a way to show you’re “man enough to know so much about sports … you can put your money where your mouth is … That appeals much more to young men than any other demographic.” DraftKings has advertised about “Put[ting] your knowledge to the test,” providing users the opportunity to “chow down on a cash casserole.”

Furthermore, the sports betting industry appeals to Gen Z’s mounting pessimism about achieving the American dream. I spoke with Jonathan Cohen, author of Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling, about how the industry has seized on young men’s financial nihilism, a term borrowed from Kyla Scanlon’s work. Cohen says:

“Young men are already inclined toward gambling. It should come as little surprise that if they feel that a stable job or home ownership is not an option for them, they would embrace risky activities for a shot, however unlikely, at the American dream.”

YMRP’s May 2025 survey quantifies this gloom: 44 percent of young men believe themselves to be worse off than their grandparents’ generation, compared to just 22 percent who believe they’re better off. Additionally, 47 percent believe the economy is worsening, versus just 22 percent who see improvement.

For many, throwing a few dollars on games feels like harmless social bonding–a way to share triumphs and defeats with friends. The logic may be as simple as, “I’m not going to be rich any other way, so I may as well gamble and have fun in the process.”

As the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM) finds, states with legalized betting see negative impacts on credit scores, bankruptcy rates, debt collections, and other financial health markers, with “greater economic distress for young men under 45.” Importantly, they note that this plays both a causatory and correlatory role.

Yet the industry will likely grow stronger. Recent reports from Brazil, Norway, and Australia highlight just how rapidly betting has expanded, and how addiction is escalating among young people.

Some policymakers are exploring damage control. New Jersey Assemblyman Dan Hutchinson recently introduced legislation banning “microbetting”–wagering on in-game actions like “the next play will be a pass” without much decision-making time. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is also examining legal action against proposition bets.

Whether lawmakers can dent the industry’s chokehold is uncertain and in all odds, unlikely. U.S. states face a perverse incentive: sports gambling drives hundreds of millions, in some cases billions, in tax revenue. This financial windfall poses an obvious hindrance to taking on the industry, even as the chorus for stricter regulation is loudening. Cohen believes class action lawsuits and advocacy groups offer the strongest opportunity for holding gambling companies accountable.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of libertarianism and personal responsibility, the industry’s predatory marketing tactics–coupled with its notorious practice of restricting or banning consistent winners–demand stricter scrutiny and stronger regulation. Simultaneously, the cultural forces driving the rise of sports gambling among young men remain poorly understood and warrant deeper research.

The appeal is clear. After all, wouldn’t it be foolish to turn down companies’ offers like “Bet $5, get $300 in bonus bets?”

And that’s exactly the point. Our work will continue to track how sports gambling evolves and affects young men’s social and financial lives.