Keith Whyte: Gambling’s new ‘normal’

More Americans gambled last year than drank alcohol. That may come as a surprise – but it’s a clear sign of how deeply gambling is embedded in modern American life. 

According to the 2024 NGAGE Survey by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), 71% of US adults reported gambling at least once in the past year, compared to 65% who reported drinking alcohol. Just a decade ago, those numbers were roughly even – around 65% for each. 

But while participation continues to rise and gambling becomes increasingly normalized, public policy hasn’t kept pace. The result is a regulatory patchwork that often leaves Americans confused about what’s legal, what’s regulated and what’s not. If gambling is now “normal,” then safer gambling must be the norm as well. 

From sin to vice… to norm 

The shift in how Americans perceive gambling has been building for decades. But it accelerated rapidly after the May 2018 Supreme Court decision overturning the federal ban on sports betting (PASPA). 

What was once a state-by-state concern has become a national phenomenon. Sportsbooks now advertise during virtually every major sporting event, often alongside – if not indistinguishable from – unregulated or illegal gambling products such as illegal sportsbooks, social casinos, sweepstakes and prediction markets. In fact, the American Gaming Association recently reported that half of all online casino ads are for offshore sportsbooks or sweepstakes sites.  

This hurts consumers and the legal operators, and leads to backlash. A March 2025 poll found that 76% of New Jersey voters support placing limits on gambling advertising. 

Safer gambling must be policy – not just a slogan 

As gambling becomes a fixture of everyday culture, we need to reframe the conversation. Gambling should not be viewed solely as a vice or a matter of personal responsibility. Like alcohol or tobacco, it demands a public health approach grounded in safer gambling principles. This includes: 

• Setting a consistent minimum age to gamble. It’s time for state and Tribal governments to adopt 21 as the minimum age for all forms of gambling – including daily fantasy, lotteries and charitable gaming. 

• Establishing harmonized safer gambling standards. Tools like time and spend limits, cooling-off periods and self-exclusion should be standard and embedded across all platforms, in every jurisdiction – with opt-out rather than opt-in defaults. 

• Enabling data sharing and transparency to support real-time monitoring and early identification of risky gambling behavior across operators, verticals and states. 

• Launching national awareness campaigns to help consumers distinguish between legal, regulated gambling and illegal or unregulated offerings. 

• Investing in prevention, treatment and research. We need sustained federal funding and national investment on par with what’s provided for other behavioral health conditions. 

• These steps are not anti-gambling. They are pro-safety, pro-consumer and essential to a modern, mature gambling policy. They can also reduce long-term public health costs and support the sustainability of the industry. 

A moment of opportunity 

We are at a tipping point. The normalization of gambling is no longer on the horizon – it’s here. And that presents both risk and opportunity. We can continue with fragmented, reactive policies or we can take a coordinated, proactive approach that centers public health and consumer protection. 

As gambling becomes more common, people should be able to do it legally and safely. They should have access to clear, accurate information about the risks involved. And for those who experience harm, help must be available, accessible and affordable. 

Gambling is no longer just a state issue – it’s a national one. Policy must evolve to reflect that. For example, too many Americans can’t tell the difference between what’s legal, regulated or illegal in their state or online. Without clarity, confusion grows – and so does exposure [Text Wrapping Break]to harmful, unregulated products. 

Making safer gambling the default 

We have an opportunity to make safer gambling the default, but only if we act collectively. Industry leaders, regulators, researchers and advocates must work together to create consistent national policies and programs. 

We need to: 

• Educate the public to recognize and avoid illegal operators. 

• Promote gambling literacy, helping people critically assess gambling ads and have realistic expectations of winning – and losing. 

• Maximize the beneficial aspects of technology to recognize early signs of harm, support appropriate interventions and facilitate safer gambling practices. 

That’s how we protect consumers – especially young people and those at risk – and ensure that gambling, in all its forms, is conducted more safely. 

Gambling may be normal now – but harm doesn’t have to be. 

Alex Rivera

Writer

My goal is to explain how gaming, esports, and betting intersect in ways that readers can actually understand, without stripping away the entertainment that makes the space compelling.

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