Summary

The article discusses the potential dangers of sports betting, particularly for young men, and the need for responsible parenting.

Abstract

The article begins by discussing the prevalence of sports betting, particularly during the Super Bowl, and the NFL's public service ads on responsible gaming. It then highlights the addictive nature of gambling and the potential for addiction, particularly among young men. The article shares a personal story of a friend's son who became addicted to gambling and the impact it had on his family. The author notes that gambling addiction can be a hidden addiction and that the bottom often comes fast with far-reaching consequences for family members. The article concludes by discussing the shift in society's view of gambling from a vice to a promoted activity and the need for parents to be aware of the potential dangers of gambling for their children.

Opinions

Gambling addiction can be a hidden addiction and can have far-reaching consequences for family members.
The bottom often comes fast with gambling addiction, and it can be difficult to detect.
Parents need to be aware of the potential dangers of gambling for their children and set a good example.
Gambling used to be a vice, but it is now promoted on TV and social media, making it more accessible and potentially more dangerous.
The NFL's public service ads on responsible gaming are a good start, but more needs to be done to educate people about the potential dangers of gambling.

The Risk of Super Bowl Bets

Dads’ Survival Guide: Parenting

Super Bowl Sunday has arrived. And everyone has some skin in the game.

Literally. 50 million people. Wagering. On the point spread. Over/under. Scoring squares. Betting the coin toss. The MVP. Even the color of Gatorade showering the winning Coach. (Orange is favored).

Most of this is innocuous. Harmless. A few bucks between friends. Hardly even gambling. A bit of fun to spice up a Super Bowl party. For anyone who wants to play.

Just in case, the NFL is running public service ads on responsible gaming. Amid a torrent of sports book commercials. DraftKings and FanDuel. As well as Caesars pitches. Starring the Manning brothers.

Seems silly. A paid service announcement by the NFL. Educating fans. About betting within your limits. Why would the most powerful league, with the most popular product spend money on this message?

Liability? The NFL brass is full of lawyers. And sports betting outside of Vegas is new. Virtue signaling? After all, the League has done a complete 180° on gambling. So, advocating for responsibility covers their PR behind. While placating corporate sponsors.

Or perhaps gambling is, in fact, dangerous. An addictive behavior. Which most fans can handle. But many cannot.

“The nation [now] has an appetite for sports betting,” cites expert Dr. Timothy Fong from UCLA. “A new form of entertainment that society has approved. But that form of entertainment has a potential for addiction.”

Especially among young adults. Young men, specifically. Young men in our families. Our sons. Highly susceptible. To the highly addictive nature of gambling. No joke.

Playing Fantasy as kids. Joining multiple leagues. A few with friendly wagers. Betting on games, now and again. Small potatoes. What could possibly happen? Why should any Dad worry about our sons placing a handful of meaningless bets?

Because nobody thinks they have a gambling problem. Until they do.

Addictive Behavior

A dear friend of mine found a threatening text on his son’s phone. A menacing message. About serious, bodily harm. From a random number. That turned out to be a bookie.

Apparently, his 19-yr old owed some money. Lots of money. From wagering. On football games. College basketball. And losing. A lot.

This was no joke. Because paying off the bookie didn’t fix the problem. Promises from his son didn’t work. Threats from Dad had no impact. Because gambling is no joke. Like drinking or drugs or porn or whatever, addictions are compulsive behaviors. Impervious to logic. Reason. Willpower.

Addictions are hard to break. Once they’ve started.

Family Wreckage

Boys love video games. My sons would play all day. And night. If we let them. The rush. The excitement. The stakes involved. Fantasy football. Day trading. Cryptocurrencies. NFT investing. All are popular among young men.

Each of these activities taps into the same brain chemistry. A rush of adrenaline. Dopamine. Stimulating our reward circuitry. Emotional highs. And devastating lows. Which can only be resolved by yet another bet. Drink. Hit. Or explicit view. This is the nature of addictive behavior.

“Gambling addiction may be every bit the public health danger as opiates or alcohol,” noted a recent ESPN article. “Because of the stunning speed of its destructive path. The bottom often comes fast, with far-reaching consequences for family members.”

Gambling is a hidden addiction. Hard to detect. Gamblers aren’t drunk or strung-out. There’s no visible evidence of a problem. Besides a dwindling bank account. And the bottom comes fast. Stunningly fast. With serious consequences. Wreckage. Taking its toll on family members first.

Virtue or Vice

Gambling used to be a vice. Cards. Shell games. Dice. Played in dark alleys. Back rooms. Secretive hideaways. In the shadowy underbelly of society. Bets required a bookie. Seedy characters. Capable of placing wagers illegally. Casinos were on the outskirts. Atlantic City. Vegas. And what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas.

Nowadays, the former vice is out in the open. Promoted on TV. And social media. All day. Everyday. Casinos were first. Finding an obscure legal loophole. And sprouting up on every indigenous reservation across the country.

In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the nationwide ban on gaming. And legal sports books exploded. Simply download an app on your phone. Hook up directly to your bank. And placing bets is only a few clicks away. Easy. Painless. Almost, unnoticeable.

DraftKings and FanDuel can siphon cash right out of your account. Till the money’s gone.

Setting the Example

Teens and twenties are wild times. For boys. Full of thrilling adventures. Experiences. Exploration. Meeting new folks. The influencers in one’s lives. An impressionable period. Driven by choices. Some good. Some bad.

As Dads, we want to establish a solid foundation for our sons. To make wise decisions. Now. And in the future. Setting the boys on the right path. While alerting them habits or behaviors that could derail them.

Gambling could be one.

Sure, we may be capable of wagering within our limits. Adhering to our boundaries. Turning off the spigot. But truthfully, we have no idea whether our sons can do so. How they will handle gaming. In the coming years.

And regardless of what we tell our boys — to do or not do — it’s our actions, not our words they remember.

Listen, nobody wants to be the fun police. The Debbie Downer. Blowing the whistle on a few, piddling Super Bowl props. Parlays. To add a little excitement to the game.

But when it comes to wagering, every Dad needs to be aware. For our own sake. And the safety of our boys.

Tonight’s Super Bowl will be fun. Exciting. So, lets enjoy. And though the Bengals are orange, and the Rams yellow and blue, I’m going with red. In an upset. For the Gatorade dumped on the winning Coach.

Go, Dads. Go.