The fate of most problem gamblers who aren’t able to break free from their sports-betting addiction is some combination of a shortchanged life and a short-circuited legacy. Living is what they lose (in addition to a lot of money), and heritage is who suffers close to them (as a result of compulsive gamblers’ forfeited meaning or purposeless existence). Money lost, meaning less. And Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is intimately familiar with the personal brokenness journey behind the legislation he signed into law in 2021 but didn’t take effect until 2023. His jaw-dropping admission is one of the most shocking mea culpas I’ve ever heard a politician share in a public or private forum. I do applaud Governor DeWine for admitting his mistake, especially when so many gambling addicts have squandered their savings or home equity lines of credit, sabotaged their once-thriving marriages, and some have even taken their own lives. It’s so sad. On the sports side, Northeast Ohio native, Terry Rozier, tops the list. This former star basketball player at Shaker Heights High School and current NBA player (on suspended leave) has been implicated in a federal gambling probe. Two Cleveland Guardian pitchers, Emmanuel Chase and Luis Ortiz, were caught rigging pitch counts. Several University of Dayton basketball players faced threats from disgruntled sports gamblers. Brendan Sorsby, the star quarterback at Cincinnati over the past two seasons, admitted to placing thousands of sports bets while in college. (Sorsby has since transferred to Texas Tech; he did check himself into a residential treatment facility to address his gambling addiction.) Now think about how bad the side effects of sports gambling are for Ohio’s general population! Let’s discuss a few of them.

Throwing good money at incredibly bad odds is a painful lesson in futility. For most sports gamblers, chasing that next high will typically result in suffering through a new low. That new low—and the desperate measures that follow—has a ripple effect on personal or family finances for months (or even years) to come. “It’s a huge problem among young males up to 45,” Governor DeWine says. “And many of them are addicted, many of them spending money that they do not have.” Check this out. A groundbreaking study tracked the damage sports gambling has had in America over a five-year period from 2018 to 2023. Scott Baker, a finance professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and lead researcher, shared the following five conclusions, among others:

• Researchers saw that nearly 8 percent of households were involved in some form of gambling.

• While the amount of money people put into legal sports gambling rose, their net investments fell by nearly 14 percent.

• For every $1 a household spent on betting, it put $2 fewer into investment accounts.

• Evidence suggests greater access to sports gambling increased general participation in lottery games, particularly among households that frequently overdraw their bank accounts.

• Beyond this, sports gambling also led to increased spending on cable TV, restaurants, and other forms of entertainment—possibly, the researchers speculate, driven by a greater engagement with live sporting events.

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/online-sports-betting-is-draining-household-savings

We, as a collective group, don’t have any money to waste. African Americans are at the bottom of the economic rung, with gambling debts and lottery losses adding to our shared misery. For every Oprah and Jay Z, we have Pookie and Ray Ray, Shamika and Sha Nay Nay. (By the way, my oldest niece is named Shamika.) As a community, we’re way behind financially when viewed from the prism of median net worth: $44,100 (African Americans), $62,000 (Hispanic Americans), $250,400 (Caucasian Americans), $535,400 (Asian Americans). We spend more on food, clothing, and entertainment than any other ethnic group. We contribute the least to our 401k retirement accounts than any other ethnic group. We are more prone to get-rich-quick schemes that promise huge payouts on small wagers than any other ethnic group. The 2022 census shared a shocking finding. Almost a quarter of black households had a negative to zero net worth compared to whites at 8.6 percent. So many ex-pro athletes and mega-paid celebrities claim to be pro black, but their endorsement deals with gambling companies contradict what they actually promote. Many of them were on the front lines of the Black Lives Matter Movement, but shouldn’t Black Legacies Matter More from an economic empowerment perspective? We’re quick to protest an unjust capitalistic system (and rightly so at times), but why are we setting up our own people for failure who gamble away money they can least afford to misspend? For African Americans, affinity bets using the advice of famous people who look, sound, and act like us do more harm than good. Sports gambling wagers should instead be redirected to fund 529 college savings accounts, increase contributions to retirement plans, start new businesses, make homeownership down payments, and more importantly, empower inner-city black youth through holistic initiatives.

I know this to be true about addiction: the body doesn’t differentiate; it only responds. Doesn’t matter the addiction, the body is conditioned (through the reward pathway system) to replicate that initial high or low when the dopamine alert bells scream, “Do that again—and again and again!” And dopamine isn’t the only biochemical expression at play. A worn-out body needs a constant jolt of hyper-vigilance to keep a sports gambling addict locked in to the next wager. Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, shows up and shows out with a vengeance. This excitatory neurotransmitter keeps the gas pedal on full throttle for problem gamblers who need every ounce of concentration from one bet to the next. It won’t let them miss out on a betting opportunity from sun up to sundown, whether it’s a west coast a west coast NBA playoff game or a table tennis tournament on the other side of the globe. There’s no rest for weary sports gamblers operating on fumes. They can’t deviate off course; norepinephrine, and it’s sidekick glutamate, won’t let them.

Regardless of the addiction, a life assignment has to be part of the remedy for those caught in the grips of one. And people who are guided by purpose don’t gamble with their money when meaning is on the line. Think about that for a moment. I define purpose as the assignment you were placed on this earth to accomplish for the benefit and betterment of others. With any life assignment, you’re going to have pop quizzes and open-book tests for growth-oriented purposes. And when chasing a lot of money, it’s easy to lose out on meaning. How so? Well, the allure of capitalizing on an improbable chance leads to getting caught up in a never-ending choice. What really happens is that problem gamblers lose the power of choice. You can only opt in to the next wager, not out of it. For gambling addicts, the choice is never binary (0 for not betting and 1 for the next bet). Because when choice is driven entirely by chance, which is the case with a gambling addiction, your life is operating in reverse order. This obviously will have a negative impact on a problem gambler’s circadian rhythm (how your body’s frequency or tuning system operates over a 24-hour period) and circaseptanrhythm (how in tune your life operates over an extended period of time, say 5 to 7 days). These two systems must be operating at peak efficiency for an individual to have a legitimate chance at fulfilling a purpose-centered, life assignment. And one of the telltale signs of a gambling addiction is a disrupted and dysregulated circadian rhythm. That’s when other vices show up—drinking, drugging, and drifting—to make up for the biochemical shortfall. This can lead to deep depression and suicidal ideation as losses mount. (The suicide continuum consists of fantasizing planning, vacillating, attempting, and completing self-inflicted death.)

Let me close out the series with this heartbreaking stat from Ohio’s Casino Control Commission website:

An algorithmic node—that’s what a problem gambler is—in the addiction network. Online sports gambling is a significant part of the prediction economy, a system in which future (or even split-second live) bets can result in lucrative payoffs for an infinitesimally small number of winners. The problem is not with the anticipated gain; it’s the assumption that somehow a loss will be altogether avoided, or worse, not considered at all. Here’s what I mean. In order for the sports gambling system to capture pools of willing players, significant amounts of data have to be collected on “monetized targets,” notably where they live, play, and work; who they follow in the sports world; why they enjoy live betting more than static gambling; when they’re likely to place small, medium, or large bets; how frequently they wager over a given time period; and which mix of parlays or prop bets are most appealing to them, among many other considerations. What gambling addicts don’t realize is this: the very same information they voluntarily share in responding to an affinity-based questionnaire or on a rapport-building phone call will, at some point, be used for their own demise. I call this the entrapment of systemic risk. Stay with me now. In effect, every sports gambler’s individual risk (and affinity, VIP profile) is added to the group’s mutual risks. The problem? Betters rarely share in collective gains but do quite often participate in cumulative losses through the law of large numbers. And when gamblers try to walk away from impulsive betting, frequency capital will be used to reel them back in. Managing moods is the biochemical manipulation key bookmakers deploy to unlock, really extract, more and more money from out-of-tune gamblers.

Sports bets are often made on the basis of superstitious beliefs, lucky hunches, past performances, forecasted trends, and of course, expert opinions (thanks, in large part, to celebrity endorsements from retired pro athletes and comedy icons). You see, the currency of assurance is the insurance of conviction. And this is precisely why gambling companies pay influential voices—who often leverage their larger than life colorful personalities or comedic routines in scripted, attention-grabbing advertisements—a boatload of money. The outlay is certainly worth the investment from a return-on-capital perspective. It’s a brilliant marketing tactic using an incredibly deceptive entrapment practice. This practice, among others, is what keeps gambling addicts locked into a game with bad outcomes. Pay up. Play on. Pray for. That next winning bet! By the way, humor influences human emotion and distorts logical thinking, serving as an embellishment hook to draw people in rather than to push them away. Don’t ask questions, just laugh at the joke, flow with the skit, embrace the punchline, and forget your problems. But there’s nothing funny about losing a job, spouse, or worse, a loved one through suicide due to a runaway gambling addiction.

I’m a big fan of Carmelo (Mr. Cool) Anthony. I followed him at Syracuse, where he lead the Orangemen to a 2003 National Championship as a freshman. The Hall of Fame legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist had an illustrious NBA career. He scored 28,289 points in 19 NBA seasons. As the ultimate “Shot Hunter” and “Bucket Maker,” his confidence in scoring timely baskets was second to none. In our modern era, MJ was certainly next level, Kobe was a close second, and Kevin Durant right behind him. But Anthony could give all three of these all-world scorers a run for their money as the crème de la crème in making sure that spherical ball went through that orange hoop. With pinpoint accuracy! What I especially admired about Anthony was his ability to score—at will—on all four Olympic teams. Different makeup, same outcome. No matter who was on the floor with him, he knew how, where, and when to get his points. That’s why his insights carry a lot of weight as an NBC-Peacock basketball analyst for NBA games. During halftime of the fourth NBA playoff game between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, Anthony’s commentary on live player props for DraftKings caught my attention. Regarding Caris LeVert, a reserve player for the Pistons who scored 17 points in the first half, Anthony emphatically stated that LeVert would easily score more than the prop betting line, 23+. “All, that’s easy; he will get that in the third quarter!” LeVert had 22 points by the end of the third quarter, and finished with 24 for the game. Here’s the question to ask: How many viewers were persuaded by Anthony’s insights to bet on LeVert scoring more than 23 points before the start of the second half? Probably a lot.

The lure of predictive betting is very tempting to pass up. As noted in Part I of this series, I’m not a gambler. However, I do make predictive forecasts all the time as a former NBA player while watching college or pro basketball games. Because I am keenly familiar with the psychology and physiology of the sport, I do have “inside information” at my disposal. Through a production (more than a prediction) lens, I observe players’ and coaches’ body of work in previous games as well as their body language in the current game. Face of flight or focused for the fight? Blinking rapidly tends to convey stress, anxiety, and timidity, which may indicate that the moment is too big for a coach, player, or team to handle. My son Eli and I stayed up late to watch the first game of the 2026 Western Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, won a thriller in double overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder. I told him before heading to bed, “The Thunder are going to win game two by 8 to 10 points.” OKC won by 9. The Spurs gave a valiant effort, but OKC players had a different look in their eyes compared to the first game. They picked up their defense, pushed the tempo, and rode the wave of their electric crowd to a much-needed win. As the defending NBA champs, they had no other choice but to save face.

Incentives matter more than player stats or prop lines, which sports fans or gambling enthusiasts may not realize. Let’s revisit Caris LeVert’s game four breakout performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the first round of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic, he averaged under 3 points a game. LeVert is a capable player; however, he struggled mightily against the Magic. But in the second round, LeVert averaged over 9 points, a 3x per-game scoring boost compared to the first round. What happened? Here’s my take. First, LeVert used to play for the Cavs. Obviously the team traded him; he may still have beef with Cavalier ownership about this. Second, he was born in the Buckeye State but played college basketball for that team up north. Cleveland Cavs fans reacted with boos to images on the jumbo screen of Jim Harbaugh, the former head coach of that team up north. I’m sure this fired up LeVert even more. Third, he is from Central Ohio, a roughly two-hour drive from downtown Cleveland. Now why wouldn’t he play better in front of family and friends who made the trip up from Columbus to support him against his former team? I would never share, no matter the financial incentive, any information for public consumption that could lead a problem gambler into financial ruin based on my “inside-information” recommendations. Keep the millions; I’m good.

Before closing out this article, I want to introduce readers to a young man that I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring for the last year or so. To protect his identity, I’ll refer to him as “Ryan,” the alias he requested. Ryan’s a natural go-getter with an entrepreneurial spirit and stellar background in sales. His wisdom and understanding of life are quite impressive for a 24 year old. Heck, I learn just as much from him as he gleans from me. Unfortunately, Ryan’s a former sports gambling addict. At one point, his winnings exceeded $120,000. His losses? They were just over $225,000. Net-net, he’s in the hole more than $100,000. Some of his wins and losses are highlighted in the screenshots below. Ryan won early and often in the beginning, which kickstarted his gambling addiction. Off the rip, he won $28,000 in three hours without having a dollar of his own money at risk! As a result, BET365 banned him after he beat their algorithm; he won too much too quickly. However, the Midas touch eventually wears off for every above-average sports gambler, Ryan included. His addiction caught up with him, and he paid a handsome price for it—financially, relationally, and inspirationally.

Movers and shakers make things happen. Right now! For them, sitting still is missing out on the action. Even in a confined space of intense boredom, their mind is moving from one thought to the next. Broadly speaking, they’re long on creating million-dollar ideas in record time but short on producing the feasibility studies needed to pull them off. The number one drawback of movers and shakers? It’s easy for them to confuse movement for progress. In fact, going somewhere may not get them anywhere.

Next up is risk takers, who cover the gamut. At one end of the spectrum are methodical and meticulous risk-taking brain types. Planning typically comes before acting. They’re philosophical and are often described as having “mundane personalities.” They usually excel in math and sciences, which is why they’re drawn to analytics and arbitrage strategies when gambling. At the other end of the risk-taking spectrum, we find carefree and careless brain types. When they feel it—that urge to splurge or need for speed—they’ve already acted upon it. An impulsive purchase. An unsolicited critique. A high-stakes wager. For these individuals, they assume delay automatically means denial. And in the world of sports betting, they’re prone to losing their shirts. Literally! Due to their spontaneous and combustible personalities, they’ll jump in the pool at the casino after a big win or pledge their home as collateral to chase a huge loss. One thing is fairly certain: they often move in lockstep with their mood. (I’ll cover this phenomenon in greater detail in Part II of this series.)

Opportunity makers do just that … make opportunities happen for themselves and others. With this group, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Gut instincts, not impulses, drive their opportunity bus. As hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take.” So true, but some shots are not worth taking regardless of the colorful appearances, celebrity endorsements, or commercial advertisements. Why gamble with your health or wealth using somebody else’s opinion?

I was heartbroken by the news when it first broke. I thought to myself, “This is a really bad nightmare. Current and former NBA players allegedly mixing and mingling with mob families to dupe unsuspecting poker players out of millions of dollars through rigged setups. Say it ain’t so?” The game I love and league I defend is facing a crisis in confidence on three fronts. First, this scandal will fuel skeptics who already think (with this serving as added proof) that the NBA is nothing more than scripted choreography. It’s not, but every missed open shot, careless turnover, or senseless foul will be scrupulously examined from a “suspect-entertainment lens.” Second, current players will face even more scrutiny from sports betters masquerading as diehard fans when wagers miss the payoff mark. An irate sports bettor rolled down his car window to confront NBA superstar, Jimmy Butler, who was standing on the curb in New Orleans while in town to play the Pelicans. “Bro, I put $3,000 to win 30 [thousand]. Why you ain’t have 30 points? Jimmy Butler, why you didn’t have the 30 points? You were supposed to go OVER b—h. You work for Vegas? You work for Vegas?” Third, how will America’s youth be affected, really infected, by the gambling bug if no safeguards are put in place to protect them? Without an alternative course of action, they’ll likely fall victim to gambling devices in adulthood, if not before. We’re in big trouble folks.

In closing, I shared the stage recently in Denver with Rob Minnick, a former gambling addict now turned recovery advocate. We were participating in an event hosted by Doura-Schawohl Consulting and several Colorado legislators to limit sports betting in the state. (The bipartisan bill passed this week and is awaiting Governor Jared Polis’ signature.) For six years, Minnick struggled with a runaway gambling addiction. From parlays to blackjack to slot machines, he gambled every day online and in the casinos for 6 to 8 hours. Upon first glance, he didn’t fit my jaded, gambling addict profile. Minnick is polite, soft-spoken, and measured with his words. His Youtube channel and One Day At A Time (ODAAT) website are timely resources that shed light on this growing epidemic, with over six million Americans battling mild to severe gambling addictions (reference #3). Minnick’s story is best illustrated against the backdrop of Dr. Steve Rose’s Seven Excuse Traps.