WATCH: John Oliver Criticizes Sports Betting Expansion

Over the last several years, no gambling vertical experienced as big of a rise in popularity as the sports betting industry.

The Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, opening the flood gates for states to allow sports betting. As a result, online sports betting became a mainstream phenomenon and flooded the airwaves of sports broadcasts with both advertisements and in-game segments.

On a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the comedian dedicated his 30-minute show to exploring, and joking about, the problems that exist with gambling so prominently displayed in the public eye.

“Sports betting companies spent over $430 million on national TV ads last year, and they can do that because this is now a massive industry,” Oliver said. “We talked a bit about sports betting back in 2015, and at the time we focused on fantasy sports websites and their efforts to circumvent anti-gambling laws. But since then 38 states have legalized sports gambling and and currently 30 states and D.C. allow some form of online betting accessibility.”

But the legalization of online sports betting, which gives bettors the ability to wager on their phone, changed that.

“The thing is, with modern betting apps, you can gamble all the time on just about anything, and people do,” Oliver said.

In an early segment, the show highlighted how much bettors were wagering on table tennis. While not the most popular activity in the U.S., Oregonians wagered $57 million betting on the sport, making it the fourth most-wagered on sport in the state.

Aside from gambling on incredibly random sports, Oliver correctly pointed out that the sportsbooks make most of their money on parlays.

Then, Oliver pointed to the growing number of bankruptcies believed to have been the result of those with gambling issues. He contrasted that with that point with the complete flip that professional sports leagues had on the industry.

Previously, leagues wouldn’t even allow franchises in Las Vegas because of what the city is associated with.

PASPA created a virtual ban on sports betting in states outside of Nevada, but the Supreme Court overturned that law, claiming it violated states rights.

The ruling changed the leagues and teams’ attitudes towards sports betting. Since then, they have openly partnered with sports betting operators – fueling even more interest in sports and bringing in millions of dollars for leagues.

“Logos of the companies are on the field, or on the floor, on the uniforms, and even on whatever the fuck those ice scrapers are called at hockey games. There are also sportsbooks now built on the premises of Wrigley Field and other venues. And if you go to an Eagles game, gambling QR codes are displayed on scoreboards, allowing you to make instant bets on the next play without leaving your seat.”

The industry has seen some major scandals in recent years as well, including Toronto Raptors poker forward Jontay Porter receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA and pleading guilty in federal court to bet-fixing. The NFL has also seen several gambling-related suspensions as well.

State governments and the NCAA have moved to ban player props on college players, arguing that the athletes aren’t professionals and often face extreme criticism from bettors.

Many states are relying more and more on sports betting taxes and some have even moved to increase those in recent months. Oliver expressed concern for Americans gambling so much on sports, noting that the operators are “getting you to play to extinction.”

Watch the complete episode below:

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock

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