In 2018, the US Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), allowing states to legalize sports betting operations. Since then, 39 states, DC, and Puerto Rico have legalized the practice, with 31 permitting betting online.
Six years after the federal ban reversal, $450 billion has flowed through sports betting operations. But behind the numbers are the people and organizations who shape this new digital world.
What does the emergent digital sports betting market look like? What do sportsbooks, lawmakers, problem gambling specialists, and sports leagues dis/agree on, and how do these dis/agreements shape the market? How do individual consumers engage with sports betting, and how do these behaviors interact with pre-existing socio-economic conditions?
In my research, I view sports betting as a culturally-defined emotional experience. I aim to understand how sportsbooks, lawmakers, problem gambling specialists, and sports leagues promote responsible betting conduct through marketing, regulatory policy, and technical infrastructure, and how bettors manage their emotions while betting every day. These questions of emotionality and responsibility have material consequences, shaping numerous outcomes from population-level addiction risk to state tax revenue.
I am currently condcuting interviews with:
- Sports betting stakeholders, including: sportsbook operators, elected lawmakers, gambling regulatory officials, sports league members, and problem gambling support providers.
- Those who use legal, digital sports betting apps (such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, etc.) at least once a week in the past month.
Contact me (rfajardo@u.northwestern.edu) if you are interested in participating in this research or hearing more!