PHOENIX — Crafting a bet considered more of a science than a gamble for some young sports bettors.
“It’s my second job,” Zakkary Sparks, a sports bettor, said. “I do spend a lot of time on it. Analytics, pitcher matchups, stadium, weather, things like that.”
When a bet hits, those bettors say there is no better feeling.
“It makes your night. It makes your week,” Nick Schmidt, a sports bettor, said. “My first bet I hit $1,000. That’s what got me hooked.”
Douglas Martin spent most of his life chasing that rush.
“Gambling is the focus of my life unfortunately,” Martin said.
Martin stepped into recovery two years ago after decades of battling a gambling addiction.
Now, he helps others take that step, too.
“It’s a dream because I suffered for so long, such a long time of constant gambling, that I know what it’s like,” Martin said. “These kids are starting younger and younger, and it needs to be nipped in the bud now.”
Martin is a peer counselor at Algamus, a residential gambling recovery center in Goodyear, where about 80% of their clients are in their 20s.
“They definitely start young. They start gambling underage. They are gambling among their friends,” Algamus Executive Director Ken Litwak said.
For many of them, the wager of choice is sports.
“Sports gambling certainly has changed the field completely,” Litwak said.
Litwak said his approach for helping the younger generation is evolving.
“The conversation is totally different than someone who’s in their 50s, who’s had 25 years of gambling experience, casino gambling, and says ‘I’ve had enough. I just can’t do this anymore. Help me stop,” Litwak said. “That’s a very different conversation than my parents sent me here. They’re tired of me looking for bail outs.”
The Arizona Department of Problem Gambling reports calls for help have increased since 2021 when sports betting became legal in Arizona.
“Arizona jumped out of the gate,” Gambling.com analyst Christopher Boan said.
The number of dollars wagered on sports every year grows significantly, according to the Arizona Department of Gaming.
Within the past six months, Arizona has had four of its highest revenue months on record.
“Every year it keeps getting bigger and bigger in terms of handles, in terms of revenues to the state, and every day somebody turns 21,” Boan said.
July and August are typically “dead” months for bettors, but Boan said the could change this year with the Summer Olympic Games starting on July 26.
“Obviously having sports like men’s and women’s basketball in the Olympics will be a big draw. More so than I don’t know how many people are going to be betting on things like track and field and more volatile things,” Boan said.
Several sportsbooks in Arizona, including DraftKings, FanDuel and Hard Rock, told 12News the most popular sports of the Summer Olympics are basketball, soccer, and tennis.
A Hard Rock Digital spokesperson said Badminton, Volleyball, Rugby, and Handball are some of the more niche Olympic sports bettors are wagering on during the games.
A DraftKings spokesperson said its bettors have a strong affinity to Team USA and US athletes.
Regardless of the sport, experts credit the convenience and availability of online gambling apps as a crutch for the younger generation.
“We all live near a casino right now. I have one in my pocket right now, my phone,” Litwak said.
Martin said he sees firsthand how video games for kids create addictive habits that turn into gambling problems.
“You’re grooming eight-year-olds to do what you’re, they’re going to legally do ten years from then,” Martin said.
After decades of gambling, Martin said he hopes younger addicts walk toward recovery sooner than he did.
“I wish I had gotten help a long time ago, but I didn’t and that’s why it’s important for me to be there and help other people,” Martin said. “I’ve got a lot left to give.”
If you or someone is impacted by problem gambling, call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or click here for more resources.
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