As Super Bowl LVI’s clock read all zeros, a sea of blue and yellow rushed the field at Sofi Stadium in celebration, the Los Angeles Rams had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.
In a state of shock on his sinking leather couch, Auburn University student Michael Eddins was left with a pitted feeling like none other. Eddins is not a Bengals fan nor a Rams hater. Eddins is a sports bettor.
“Hey, they’re the team of destiny baby,” said Eddins, plagued by bettors' confidence. He had placed money on the Bengals in every playoff game leading up to the Super Bowl and decided to culminate his winnings from the Bengals onto the big game.
“That one really stunk,” said Eddins. “It just took the air out of me, losing sucks.”
As a pledge for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Eddins began his sports betting career in the fall of 2019. “You get into a fraternity setting and that’s a big part of the culture,” said Eddins.
Eddins’ love affair with throwing money on sports started to grow, titling himself as a degenerate gambler. “I was pretty degen (degenerate), betting every week, slinging down 10-15 bets a week,” said Eddins. “But you got to be a degen at some point, to know you probably shouldn’t do it anymore.”
Highlighting his time as a degenerate bettor, Eddins loved the camaraderie sports betting brought forward. “Going to get a few drinks and watching the game on a big tv at a bar and cheering it on with your boys,” said Eddins. “That's a big aspect of it.”
Aside from the social scene of gambling, it is also the prospect of winning money. Sports bettors commonly bet on a sequence of outcomes, called parlays. Parlays are unlikely yet enticing as your winnings can exponentially grow compared to a single game bet.
During the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, boredom got the best of Eddins. He decided to make a five team baseball parlay. Sweating it out, Eddins remained perfect until the last baseball game. The game was in the bottom of the ninth and his team was down two runs with two runners on base.
“The dude rips one into the outfield and we went batsh*t crazy,” said Eddins, “What that feeling is, it’s awesome.”
Although the rush of winning a bet is synonymous with a drug, losing a bet is equally as similar as substance withdrawal. It’s easy to fall into the trap of betting without end.
“You’re used to just going every once in a while with your friends, and then you’re thinking about it all the time,” said Director of the Center for Gambling Addiction at Rutgers University Lia Nower. “And you just really need to go do it, even if your friends aren’t there.”
“I don’t do it as much now just because I feel like I’ve outgrown it a little bit,” said Eddins, reliving his days as a degenerate.
Another aspect of sports gambling is the books. Illegal sports books are common at Auburn University, where individuals can log on to place their bets through the manager of the site, known as a bookie. In cases of a win, the bookie will send you money and vice versa in lost bets.
Occasionally, problems arise in terms of lack of payment. “The biggest thing is don’t bet money you don’t have,” said Eddins, emphasizing the importance of maturity in this activity. “Be a good winner. Be a good loser.”
This phenomenon is similar from the bookies perspective. “I don’t just take anyone and everyone,” said an Auburn alum and bookie. “I started with close friends and let it expand from there and I vet everyone that comes on to make sure.”
A concern surrounding the sports betting legalization push is with major corporations, such as MGM and DraftKings, using their increased marketability to take advantage of individuals creating an addiction crisis with limited health assistance.
“How much does the industry help push responsible gaming programs,” said Evans on the potential increase of addiction awareness associated with mainstream sports betting. “If you can kind of put the support backbone in there and make it a little bit better than it is now. That’s great.”
Continuing to spread awareness and resources for those beginning to gamble, in theory, could limit the addiction concerns of one falling into a gambling disorder which can be inherently genetic.
“Many people can bet on sports, and it does not cause significant financial strain and losses of jobs and relationships,” said assistant director of Auburn University Counseling and Psychological Services Dustin Johnson, Ph. D. “But some people may be genetically susceptible to cues that are connected to addictive behaviors, and having 24/7 access to sports through media and easier access to betting on sports may be concerning for them.”
While more and more states begin to toy with the idea of citizens wagering money on professional and collegiate sports, a minefield is created on mental wellbeing and in conservative states surrounding historical ideology.
Similar to moderation in alcohol consumption, Eddins emphasized the importance of betting small amounts of money on solely single-game bets. As Eddins got older so did his view on his frequency of betting. “He does not bet on a daily basis and does not rely on it for income,” said friend Braden Shumpert. “His motivation is more recreational.”
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