There is no shortage of policy issues surrounding sports gambling these days. The rapidly growing industry, which seems to exist in every commercial segment of professional and college football, has been the subject of debate over everything from how it should be taxed and regulated to allegations of predatory practices.
It is also possible that future regulation (or lack thereof) of technology companies will impact this industry as well as its peers in social media, financial technology, and countless other industries that rely heavily on technology. There is a gender.
But everyone sees that showdown coming. An upcoming policy clash that no one expected will be where the burgeoning world of sports gambling undoubtedly intersects with the world of homeland security.
Before we challenge this premise, let's look at some interesting statistics.
In October 2024, Signify Sports releases survey Analyze communication between the public and student-athletes on social media platforms. Nearly 10% of the messages analysts saw contained abusive, discriminatory, or threatening content, and 6% included threats of violence. Approximately 12% of all abuses found were directly related to sports betting.
Beyond strict gambling, the researchers found that The National Center for Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Tracks growing threats to public servants. Comparing data from 2013 to 2016 and 2017 to 2022, they found federal charges for threats against public officials increased by more than 60 percent.
In addition to that, what we have seen this year is Professional athletes targeted for home invasions and Healthcare CEO murdered in Midtown Manhattan at midday.
All of these data points taken together point to a growing security risk in sports, sports gambling, and the need for smart policy and mitigation measures to truly address this issue.
So where does the policy conflict come into play, and more pointedly, how is this treated as a matter of national policy, rather than just something that local police resolve after a crime has occurred? Is it?
While that's a fair question, it's important to note that 38 states and the District of Columbia have now legalized gambling, including sports betting. and Congress is considering the bill This would create a national framework for each country to adhere to. So this is not just a state or local issue, but the issues that arise affect Americans in a common way.
University of Oregon Recently published research This shows that not only do domestic violence incidents increase when a professional football team suffers an unexpected loss, but such violence is even more likely to occur when gambling is involved .
The university's research found that legalized gambling increased the incidence of domestic violence by about 9%, especially in areas where mobile online gambling is legal rather than in-person sports gambling.
As gambling and related violence become more common, it is no surprise that the target of violence extends beyond those who happen to live with the losing bettor. And that's where policymakers focused on homeland security will start to take notice and question casinos, gambling platforms and sports leagues.
No matter where you fall on the policy spectrum on the issue of sports betting, connecting these dots will tell you that a policy debate is on the horizon. Therefore, the wise thing to do is to start preparing common-sense solutions now that can be incorporated into society. Products and platforms need to be ready for use now, rather than bolted on later. Even worse, the car claims to be too far down the track to establish any significant protection.
Betting platforms and their sports league sponsors use data generated from gamblers to identify potential risk factors and share that information with each other and relevant authorities to blackmail athletes, particularly college athletes. It is necessary to prevent acts of violence or threats of violence aimed at
Terrorism is narrowly defined as violence, or the threat of politically motivated violence, so the threats described here go beyond that and fall within the scope of criminal threats. But many crimes that are not terrorism are within the purview of the Department of Homeland Security, its criminal investigators, and policy experts, not to mention lawmakers concerned with sports integrity and homeland security.
For now, Most of the policy debate Competition, taxes, and other economic issues come into play when it comes to the growth of sports gambling. It would be naive to think that change in focus won't happen soon, and leagues and betting platforms should take steps now that can improve U.S. homeland security.
Matthew Wayne is an independent consultant who served as a staff expert on the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee and as a policy advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security.
