March Madness begins Sunday with the selection of a college basketball team to play in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
In addition to watching the game over the next few weeks, millions of Americans will bet on them.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized sports betting in 2018, nearly 40 states have legalized some form of sports betting. Though it’s not legal in Minnesota, many people in the state are still betting their money by driving to an office pool, online fantasy sports, or border states to place bets.
At 9am on Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the growing culture of sports betting and the rise of the issue of gambling, especially among younger men.
MPR News helps reduce noise and build shared understandings. Increase your support for this public resource and ensure that trustworthy journalism is accessible to everyone.
And we would like to hear from you too.
Do you bet on sports? What do you get from that? If you or someone you care about spent a lot of time and money on sports betting, how did that have an impact on you?
Call us at 9am on 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828.
guest:
Jason Kid Lopez is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Communications and Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studies and writes about sports entertainment and sports betting and is the author of “Redefining Sports Media.”
Lisa Vig Johnson is a gambling addiction counselor in Fargo, North Dakota. She is the clinical lead of the state’s gambling disorders for the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services and serves Minnesota residents through the Soul Solutions Recovery Center in Moorhead, Min.
If you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, you can find other resources online in the Minnesota Alliance on Issue Gambling, via the Gambling Helpline in the Minnesota Issues Gambling Helpline (hope) or by texting your hope to 53342.
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