NORC Study Finds Massachusetts Young Adults View Sports Betting as Acceptable but Perceive Themselves as Immune to Harms

A new study by NORC at the University of Chicago finds young adults in Massachusetts hold ambivalent views on sports betting. They see it as socially acceptable entertainment but acknowledge its risks while believing themselves and their peers are largely exempt from harm. The three-year project, funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in partnership with Gemini Research and conducted between 2023 and 2026, follows the state’s legalization of sports betting in August 2022.

According to reporting by CDC Gaming, the research included interviews with 12 sports betting researchers, policymakers and vendors plus 62 individuals ages 18 to 25, college counselors, athletic directors and mental health clinicians. 71% of the young adults interviewed had bet on sports, with 66% wagering aged 21-25, 44% in the 18-20 age range and 58% were women.

Participant Behaviors and Betting Patterns

Most described their activity as casual and infrequent, wagering less than $10 via mobile apps and increasing bets around major events such as the NFL Super Bowl. They favored simpler moneyline wagers, which they viewed as less risky and easier to understand than parlays. This preference stands apart from national trends where prop bets and parlays dominate. Football and basketball drew the most action, with DraftKings the most-used operator. Fantasy sports and prediction markets saw far lower engagement.

Those surveyed recognized theoretical risks including addiction and financial harm yet compared sports betting to routine purchases such as buying coffee or dining out. Many viewed potential losses as manageable. Advertising has accelerated social acceptance, with promotions framed as “free money” described as especially enticing and often “intentionally misleading.” Underage betting occurred through fake identification, offshore sites or shared accounts.

Closing Regulatory Gaps in Massachusetts

NORC researchers recommend that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission strengthen statewide education on gambling harms, close loopholes enabling underage participation, tighten advertising rules and integrate prominent opt-out warnings, limits, loss notifications and tracking tools directly into betting apps. Further steps include expanded financial literacy efforts modeled on anti-smoking campaigns, continued research and better access to tailored support services.

These findings signal that normalization has already taken root. Regulators and operators now face a concrete window to act on the identified perception gap before casual mobile betting translates into higher rates of harm among the 18-25 cohort.

Reporting: CDC Gaming

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