The public is souring on sports betting, and the numbers don't lie. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 43% of U.S. adults say legal sports betting is a bad thing for society—up significantly from 34% in 2022.

That's a nine-point swing in just three years, and it probably has something to do with all those gambling scandals making headlines.

The Quick Hit

• Current poll: 43% say sports betting is bad for society
• 2022 poll: 34% said the same
• Change: +9 percentage points
• Legal states: 39 states plus DC and Puerto Rico

The honeymoon phase is officially over. Americans welcomed legal betting with open arms after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA in 2018. Now they're seeing the consequences—and some aren't happy about what they see.

What Changed?

The fall of 2025 was brutal for sports betting's public image. In a single week last November:

• The FBI met with the UFC about an allegedly rigged fight
• Two MLB pitchers were federally indicted for allegedly rigging pitches to help bettors
• The NCAA accused six former men's college basketball players from three schools of participating in gambling schemes

That's a lot of negative headlines in a short period. Add in the ongoing point-shaving investigation that led to 26 indictments, and it's no surprise public opinion shifted.

The Industry Response

Professional leagues have scrambled to tighten their integrity protocols. Major League Baseball worked with sportsbooks and regulators to establish limits on micro-bets (balls and strikes, individual pitches). The NFL and NBA sent league-wide memos outlining protocols to prevent prop bet manipulation.

Whether these measures restore public trust remains to be seen. Once confidence is lost, it's hard to get back.

The Advertising Factor

Danny Funt's new book "Everybody Loses" highlights another issue: the marketing onslaught. DraftKings and FanDuel have spent billions on advertising, making betting seem normal, easy, and risk-free. "Bet responsibly" disclaimers flash by in half a second while promotions promise free bets and risk-free wagers.

That saturation hasn't gone unnoticed. Parents watching football with their kids are getting bombarded with betting ads. States that legalized betting are now dealing with the social consequences—increased problem gambling calls, more young people developing gambling issues, and the normalization of betting among teenagers.

The Regulatory Pushback

Momentum is building for tighter restrictions on player prop bets, which have been at the center of most integrity scandals. Bipartisan senators are pushing the CDC to study youth sports gambling. Some states are reconsidering their regulatory frameworks.

New York's proposed live betting ban is one example of the backlash. The industry is fighting it, but the fact that such legislation is being seriously considered shows how the wind is shifting.

What This Means for Degenerates

For those of us who love the action, this poll is concerning but not catastrophic. Legal sports betting isn't going away—there's too much tax revenue at stake for states to reverse course. But expect more regulations, more restrictions on certain bet types, and possibly less advertising.

The industry needs to police itself better before lawmakers do it for them. More scandals mean more negative headlines, which means more public pressure for crackdowns.

The Bottom Line

43% of Americans think legal sports betting is bad for society. That's not a majority, but it's trending in the wrong direction. The industry has a PR problem, and the scandals keep coming. For now, we can still bet legally in most of the country. Whether that remains true depends on whether the sportsbooks and leagues can clean up their act.