CHICAGO (WLS) — The ABC7 I-Team and ABC News are investigating the explosion of sports betting.
From March Madness to football, you can now place a bet on your phone in seconds. But as the popularity of gambling apps surges, so are concerns about the money losses, especially from young men.
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What used to be a trip to the casino can now happen from your couch, on your phone. The I-Team and ABC News found that in Illinois alone, almost $60 billion have been wagered since legalized sports betting began six years ago. The numbers are raising concerns about young people getting hooked.
It’s the growing cost of gambling in the palm of your hand. With just a few taps, fans can gamble on apps, anytime, anywhere.
“One app would offer you this this month, the next one offer you that you just you get the free bets, you know, each month or and you just kind of played in the circle. So, I bet you at any time, I probably had 15 apps,” a local 42-year-old man named Matt said.
Matt started betting on sports in 2020 after it became legal in Illinois. He’s been in recovery and hasn’t gambled in more than two years. He asked that ABC7 not show his face.
He said he kept going because he was winning.
“It would be a rollercoaster ride,” Matt said. “There would be a couple of days where I’d be really good, and I’d be able to pay off a bill. And then I’d go two days and I’d get right back into it. I just couldn’t stop.”
When he did stop, $40,000 was gone. Matt got help at the Gateway Foundation, a nonprofit offering recovery services statewide.
“It’s not just the financial loss, it’s the depression, it’s the regret. It’s the amplification of other mental health symptoms,” said Jeremy Klemanski, President & CEO at the Gateway Foundation.
Experts say they’re seeing an increase in young people addicted to gambling on sports betting apps.
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“It’s a threat for youth because, frankly, the generation that’s coming up today does everything on their phone,” Klemanski said. ‘The fact that they can just click on an ad and a link and sign up for something makes it especially appealing.”
Most states like Illinois require users to be 21, and apps use security and technology to verify that. But underage users could still try to access apps in various ways.
‘We’ve also seen in our work that the younger a person starts gambling, the more likely it is to become a longer-term habit and a problem,” Klemanski said.
Data from the Illinois Gaming Board also shows a surge in online betting revenue when compared to casino revenue.
“They are betting larger sums of money,” Klemanski said. “People are borrowing money to wager, you know, people are chasing this dream that they’re going to hit a big payday. And statistically, we know that’s just not true for most people. And we know it by the revenues.”
The I-Team and ABC News found that sports-betting revenue has increased every year since 2019, the first full year that most states began allowing it. Revenue and profits from companies went up from about $921 million in 2019 to about $16.6 billion in revenue made in 2025.
Since sports betting was launched in Illinois in 2020, more than $59 billion has been wagered, generating more than $5.1 billion in revenue and profits and $1.1 billion in state taxes.
The ABC7 I-Team and ABC News are examining a rise in gambling and the addictions for some young adults.
ABC News reached out to some of the most popular apps, BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel, and they directed ABC to the industry group “Sports Betting Alliance.” The group reminds that betting is meant only for adults.
“Our companies continue to communicate one that this is an entertainment exercise and not a wealth creation exercise,” Sports Betting Alliance President Joe Maloney said. “We surround players with every opportunity to adopt tools and resources that can help govern their play… that allow for wager limits, deposit limits, time on app limits, number of wager limits.”
Matt says the threat of losing his daughter was his motivation to say goodbye to sports betting apps and all gambling.
“So I had to reach out and get help,” Matt said. “And I knew if I, if I lost any more money or if I messed up, I was never going to see her again. And that was my inspiration was my kid. I had to get better for her.”
Matt banned himself from gambling, so he can never go to a casino or use an app again.
We have more information on our website if you have a gambling issue and need help.
Gambling resources:
Gateway Foundation
You can watch more on this issue Friday on ABC News in a special report. “In On The Action: The High Stakes of Youth Gambling” starts Friday morning on Good Morning America.
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