by Andrew John Tucker, LCSW
Researched by Corina Evi Tucker y de la Huerta
www.addictiontherapynyc.com
I recently sat on a panel for a new PBS show called Breaking the Deadlock alongside Isaac Rose-Berman, a journalist and fellow at the American Institute for Behavioral and Medical Innovation (AIBM) whose work focuses on gambling research and policy. Our conversation about the rapidly changing landscape of sports betting and its public health implications stayed with me…especially after reading Rose-Berman’s recent STAT News article, “Sports betting apps are a public health crisis.”
What the article does particularly well is shift the frame. Instead of asking why individuals “can’t control themselves,” it asks a more useful question: What happens when powerful, always-on technology is designed to maximize engagement with minimal friction or pause?
Rose-Berman outlines how modern sports betting apps rely on speed, personalization, and constant prompts. These platforms don’t simply offer wagers; they shape behavior. Rapid betting cycles, near-misses, and emotionally charged marketing tap directly into the brain’s reward and stress systems. Over time, reflection gives way to impulse…and impulse becomes habit.
For clinicians, this pattern is immediately familiar. The dynamics closely mirror what we’ve long understood about substances. Increased availability increases risk. Faster delivery intensifies compulsion. Normalization delays help-seeking. None of this is about weak character or poor judgment…it’s about exposure, design, and neurobiology.
For individuals struggling, this reframing matters. Shame thrives when people believe they “should have known better.” Education, on the other hand, opens the door to curiosity and self-compassion. When someone understands that these systems are intentionally engineered to hold attention and escalate behavior, self-blame softens. That moment is often where meaningful change begins.
This article is also practically useful in recovery and clinical settings. Here are three ways it can be applied:
- Normalizing ambivalence for people unsure whether gambling is “serious enough” to address.
- Educating partners and families, shifting conversations away from blame and toward understanding.
- Supporting clinical work that accounts for environment, access, and technology…not just behavior.
Sports betting is no longer just a personal issue. It’s a public health conversation. Articles like this help us move away from stigma and toward clarity, accountability, and support.
Original article:
Rose-Berman, I. (2025). Sports betting apps are a public health crisis. STAT News.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/sports-betting-apps-public-health-crisis/
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