James S. Skaggs Professor Murdock ENG 1330 8th July 2024 Sports Betting, How do We Know it’s That Bad? In the article titled “Sports Betting Is a Danger Hidden in Plain Sight,” Samuel Cavalheiro argues that sports betting should be regulated more strictly. Samuel first focuses on the lengths that sportsbooks will go for effective advertising, and the predicted increase in sports betting because of advertising. Samuel notes that there will likely be 40% more adults participating in sports betting by 2025. Samuel then makes note of the risks of sports betting on young men. Young men and teenagers who legally cannot gamble are twice as prone to gambling addictions. Samuel briefly makes mention of gambling violations among NFL players, which has seen an increase in recent years. While …show more content…
Cavalheiro states that, “This spending has paid off, with analysts predicting there will be a 40 percent increase in adults who place bets by 2025.” What bothers me specifically is that Cavalheiro is comfortable drawing connections based on a prediction. The next idea is one that is questionable. This point isn’t one that I can necessarily disagree with, but the evidence the author uses leaves some questions. Cavalheiro states, “Around five percent of young people aged 11 to 17 have a gambling problem, which is double the percentage of adults with gambling issues.” If gambling is, for the most part, illegal for people under the age of 18, where does this statistic come from? My concern is with the origin of the research used, and if the source is reliable. The final idea the author proposes, I disagree with, is because of the lack of evidence. Cavalheiro very briefly mentions how the NFL has seen an increase in violations because of gambling. One example of this is mentioned and the point is