March Madness Sweet 16: NCAA men’s tournament rolls on Friday
WHICH HAS ALSO BEEN POSTED AS MARCH MADNESS KICKED OFF LAST WEEK, WE SPOKE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT ABOUT THE CONCERNS REGARDING GAMBLING, PARTICULARLY FOR YOUNG MEN. NOW, ABC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE UNIT IS LOOKING AT HOW THE EVOLUTION OF ONLINE GAMBLING AND SPORTS BETTING HAS TRIGGERED A POTENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. JOINING US LIVE IS ABC NEWS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT AARON KATERSKY. IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU AARON. GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO. JESSICA THINK ABOUT FILLING OUT YOUR MARCH MADNESS BRACKET. YOU’D HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT TO FIND OUT WHO WINS. NOW, THE ADVENT OF PARLAY BETS AND MICRO BETTING IS MAKING THE ACTION A LOT FASTER, AND SCIENTISTS SAY POTENTIALLY MORE ADDICTIVE, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO ALL OF THAT QUICK FIX TYPE BETTING. YOU CAN NOW BET ON EVERY PITCH, EVERY FREE THROW, EVERY PUTT AND ALL OF THAT REPETITIVE INSTANT GRATIFICATION, SCIENTISTS SAY, IS TAKING A TOLL ON YOUNG PEOPLE. SO, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF YOUR REPORTING, YOU TALKED TO YOUNG MEN IN RECOVERY. WHAT DOES SCIENCE TELL US ABOUT GAMBLING ADDICTION? YEAH, IT COMES ON FAST AND IT CAN COME ON AT AN EARLY AGE. SCIENTISTS TOLD US ABOUT SEEING KIDS AS YOUNG AS 13 DEVELOPING A GAMBLING ADDICTION. AND WE TALKED TO TO ONE YOUNG MAN, FOR EXAMPLE, HE’S IN PHILADELPHIA, SAID HE WAS SPENDING HOURS AND HOURS EVERY SINGLE DAY PLACING BETS. AND THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE. YOU THINK ABOUT EVERY TIME A TEAM EXCHANGES BASKETS FROM ONE END OF THE COURT TO THE OTHER, THE ODDS CHANGE AND YOU CAN PLACE A BET EACH AND EVERY TIME. AND ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH, IT’S THAT INSTANTANEOUS, NOT JUST PLACING OF THE BET, BUT OF NOT KNOWING WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. THAT IS, IS THE TURN ON. THAT’S THE DRIVE, AND THAT IS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY NOW. YEAH. YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU’RE ALSO LOOKING AT HOW STATES HAVE COME TO RELY ON THE REVENUE GENERATED BY ONLINE GAMBLING COMPANIES. WHAT DID YOUR INVESTIGATION FIND THERE? IT’S A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS, BILLION DOLLARS MORE IN 2025 THAN I THE PRIOR YEAR. AND YOU CALL IT REVENUE. CRITICS OF ALL THIS WOULD SAY THAT’S SOMEBODY’S LOSS. THAT’S A BAD BET. THAT’S THAT’S FILLING OUT STATE BUDGETS. AND SO THEY’D LIKE TO SEE ALL OF THAT REFRAMED, BUT THEY WOULD ALSO, IN AN IDEAL WORLD, LIKE TO SEE THESE PARLAY BETS AND MICRO BETS GO AWAY. THAT’S WHAT EXPERTS SAY IS FUELING THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDICTION, BUT IT IS GENERATING AN AWFUL LOT OF REVENUE. AND SO NOTHING IS HAPPENING FAST AT EITHER THE STATE OR FEDERAL LEVEL. THOUGH IN A COUPLE OF PLACES, MASSACHUSETTS INCLUDED, THERE’S AT LEAST SOME DRAFTING OF LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PERHAPS ADD ADDITIONAL PROTECTIONS AND MAKE THINGS POTENTIALLY SAFER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY SOMETHING TO KEEP WATCHING.
March Madness Sweet 16: NCAA men’s tournament rolls on Friday
The quest to be the best in college basketball continues.The Sweet 16 in the NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament continues Friday night.Here is a look at today’s games. All times Eastern.(5) St. John’s vs. (1) Duke, 7:10 p.m.(4) Alabama vs. (1) Michigan, 7:35 p.m.(3) Michigan State vs. (2) UConn, 9:45 p.m.(6) Tennessee vs. (2) Iowa State, 10:10 p.m.
The quest to be the best in college basketball continues.
The Sweet 16 in the NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament continues Friday night.
Here is a look at today’s games. All times Eastern.
