Gambling used to only affect wallets within the walls of a casino or amongst friendly card tables, but now it is easy to risk hard-earned money with just one click of a cell-phone.
The legalization of sports betting in New York casinos began in 2013, and the online sports betting market did not become legal until 2022.
With apps like DraftKings and PrizePicks, betting has become a side hustle for adults across NYC; however, bets are not just limited to sports. Certain websites, like Kalshi and bet365, allow people to gamble on the daily weather and political elections.
New York City local Jon McNeil expressed his thoughts on the latest trend of online gambling.
“I found out about sports betting because I’d watch basketball and football all the time. I’d always see the ads,” he said. “Ever since I turned 21 and I was allowed to gamble online, I’ve been making a parlay every once in a while,” said McNeil.
A parlay is a type of bet that allows several individual bets to be combined into a singular one. The catch is, all included bets must be won in order to win the parlay. This is the riskier option when it comes to betting since one mistake could mean a huge loss.
Michael Rodriguez, a CUNY graduate, claimed that the risk is worth it.
“When you win, you can win big. When you lose it just sucks, but as a gambler you just know you can’t always win,” he said. “Why stop if your next bet can be your win?” said Rodriguez.
Despite his confidence and encouragement for gambling, Rodriguez added that there are times where his mood becomes entirely ruined when he loses.
“I just want to be left alone. My whole day becomes miserable. But when I win, I’m already thinking about the things I’m going to do with my money,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez also claimed that there are days where he bets as much as $300. Other times, he betted as little as $5.
“This one time I bet about $100 for a 76ers game. It wasn’t that long ago actually, but I got about $350 out of it,” said Rodriguez.
When making online parlays, Rodriguez said that he normally bets on the team that is more likely to win.
“It all depends on the odds. The way the odds work is each leg in a parlay gets multiplied together. Leg meaning each bet,” he said. “If the odds are (+250), that means every $10 you bet gives you $25 back if the team wins. I put down $100, so I won $250 plus the original amount I put down. I ended up with $350,” said Rodriguez.
During the 2024 presidential election, gamblers took things a step further by betting on the outcome of the election.
The majority of the sites were shut down for legal reasons prior to results being announced; however, a particular app named Kalshi continued running and people were able to secure both their bets and winnings.
David Grail, a construction worker for NYC Housing Connect, claimed that he tries to make money on almost anything that betting apps have to offer.
“I bet on anything I can make money on,” said Grail.
The widespread sensation of online gambling has affected the lives of large populations of people. Some bet once a month, while others do it every single day.
“I bet on basketball, football, soccer, baseball, on college games—sometimes I even bet on horse racing,” said Grail.
Grail also claimed that he takes his bets very seriously, but not to the point where it’s out of control.
“It’s not me relying on it as an income. I just like to bet so I can make extra money. It’s not like it’s an addiction or anything,” he said. “Sometimes when I’m confident in what I’m betting on, I’ll throw my money in no problem so that I can make it back with profit,” said Grail.
John Jay Associate Professor Peggilee Wupperman, who specializes in clinical psychology and addictive behavior, commented on the hazards of gambling.
“From what I know of gambling in general and the ease of accessing apps in general, I feel very concerned,” she said. “I think it can be very harmful,” said Wupperman.
Since gambling can be an addictive behavior, Wupperman highlighted how online betting can affect people’s minds tremendously.
“If someone already has a compulsion to gamble but has worked to resist going to a casino, knowledge of the apps could make it a lot easier for the person to relapse, since they wouldn’t have the “buffer” of the time and effort it took to get to the casino,” she said. “These people might be more likely to play some games on an app—which could then lead to problems that they wouldn’t have if they hadn’t ever accessed the apps,” said Wupperman.
With the start of the NBA season, gamblers are likely to increase making parlays.
Loyal NBA fan, Chris Pacheco, has made bets on practically every game of the season thus far. Pacheco commented on the current progress of the New York Knicks and how they’ve been affecting his parlays.
“Win or lose, those are my guys. They still need a bit of adjusting, but over time they’re gonna be great,” he said. “You can’t win em’ all. That’s how I see it. Either way, it’s still rewarding seeing them do good and I get to make my own money at the same time,” said Pacheco.
Pacheco continued to express the importance of responsible gambling.
“Look, as long as you’re responsible, it shouldn’t become a problem,” he said. “Know when to stop and have your own limits. Everything costs money regardless, so why not make things interesting. Keep going though, you’re gonna win soon enough,” said Pacheco.
There are several support groups that can assist those recovering from a gambling addiction.
