Last month, Max Spradlin, a junior at the University of Vermont, was watching a basketball game with his friend Marc Mastrangelo, also a student.
The Boston Celtics were playing the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Celtics were up by more than 30 points. Mastrangelo needed one more 3-pointer from Celtics guard Payton Pritchard for his bet to succeed.
With only two minutes left in the game, Pritchard caught a pass right above the 3-point line and lofted a high arching shot over his defender. Mastrangelo鈥檚 first bet ever had cashed out.
鈥淲e hit, we hit, we hit,鈥� Mastrangelo said, jumping off the couch.
Spradlin wasn鈥檛 as lucky. He鈥檇 placed two bets on the game and ended up losing 15 cents, but he didn鈥檛 mind.
鈥淚 had a fun time rooting for a meaningless, random regular season NBA game that the Celtics were clearly going to win the whole time,鈥� Spradlin said. 鈥淚 had a good time with it even though I lost, technically.鈥�
Spradlin turned 21 in January, just before Vermont legalized online sports betting. Now, he bets on basketball and hockey games a lot.
鈥淚 usually bet a few times a week," he said. But he tries to limit the habit 鈥� if he notices he鈥檚 bet several days in a row, he takes a couple of days off.
鈥淚 know gambling can be dangerous and it's a very downward spiral,鈥� he said.
Spradlin is one of about who placed bets on sports games last month. The average bet was close to $18.
Many were drawn in by ads from sports betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings. The companies promise $200 in 鈥渂onus bets鈥� when you sign up for $5.
鈥淔rom an addiction counselor standpoint, it terrifies me.鈥�Gary Mitchell, drug and gambling addiction counselor
鈥淚t was a brilliant marketing strategy to get people involved,鈥� said Gary Mitchell, a drug and gambling addiction counselor in Hardwick, who鈥檚 also a big sports fan.
鈥淲e're just giving people the perfect marriage 鈥� the perfect storm 鈥� between screen time addictions and gambling,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淔rom an addiction counselor standpoint, it terrifies me.鈥�
Mitchell meets with every one of his clients to talk about sports betting. He tells them to make a plan and to consider setting a monthly spending limit.
鈥淲hen you see the money in your account, there's definitely like a green light that goes off in your brain.鈥�Brian Donahue, Burlington
Annie Turvey, a junior at the University of Vermont, has her own way of limiting how much she bets.
鈥淚鈥檒l consider the money lost already so I don't get my hopes up,鈥� Turvey said. 鈥淟ike, OK, I just spent $20, I know that鈥檚 gone. And if I win, then it鈥檚 like, 鈥極h my God, free money.鈥欌��
For Burlington resident Brian Donahue, 23, he鈥檚 only been using money he鈥檚 won since signing up. He said he keeps these guardrails up because sports betting can feel terrific.
鈥淲hen you see the money in your account, there's definitely like a green light that goes off in your brain,鈥� Donahue said. 鈥淚t's almost like when you eat chocolate or anything like that. It's just that dopamine rush that you get, specifically from winning.鈥�
More from 开云体育: Vermont sports betting launch pleases officials, addiction experts remain concerned
Donahue鈥檚 biggest win came during the Super Bowl, when he won $1,700. He was able to take some time off work to pursue his biggest hobby, music.
While these big wins sound alluring, very few sports bettors leave with any profit. The average sports bettor has lost around 8 cents for every dollar they spent since 2018, according to a .
The likelihood of losing is a big reason why sports betting addictions, and gambling in general, can be so damaging. Around 1%-5% of sports bettors become problem gamblers and seriously addicted, according to a
Other studies show 20% of adults are at risk for becoming problem gamblers, according to .
鈥淪o it varies from study to study, but what we do know is that online sports betting is much more addictive than other forms of betting,鈥� said Dr. Kelley Klein, the medical director for the Vermont Department of Mental Health.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a million different things to bet on in one day, and so there鈥檚 a million different times your brain can have that dopamine rush.鈥�Dr. Kelley Klein, Vermont Department of Mental Health
Klein says it鈥檚 more addicting because of the number of outcomes. Old sports betting used to be about one question: "Who鈥檚 going to win?" Online sports betting offers a lot more betting options.
鈥淚t can be who鈥檚 going to start, who鈥檚 going to kick, what foot are they going to kick with, how long will the national anthem go,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a million different things to bet on in one day, and so there鈥檚 a million different times your brain can have that dopamine rush.鈥�
Gary Mitchell isn鈥檛 sure the state is prepared for this volume of new problem gamblers 鈥� especially as sports betting continues to grow.
鈥淭hat's my biggest concern, is where are we going to be in two, three, four years from now,鈥� Mitchell said.
To prepare, the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery gave $250,000 to support training Vermont counselors to specialize in problem gambling, based on practices developed in New York state.
鈥淲e already have people training up, and have many individuals that have already completed the training,鈥� Klein said.
The department鈥檚 goal is to have trained counselors in every part of the state within the next year.
This story is a collaboration between 开云体育 and the . The Community News Service is a student-powered partnership between the University of Vermont鈥檚 Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program and community newspapers across Vermont.
