Sports Betting: Risks & Ripple Effects Teach-Out

In this conversation, University of Michigan sport management professor Mike Lorenc explores how legalized sports betting has changed sports fandom, team partnerships, and the way betting is marketed to fans.

Takeaways: Marketing, Fan Engagement, and Conflicts of Interest

We have prepared a list of key points from the Marketing and Fan Engagement and Conflicts of Interest interview for your reference.

1. Sports betting has expanded at an unprecedented scale. Since the 2018 Supreme Court decision, sports betting has rapidly embedded itself into the U.S. sports economy. With legalization in most states and hundreds of billions of dollars wagered, betting is no longer a fringe activity. It is a normalized and highly profitable industry. This scale fundamentally changes the sports ecosystem, intensifying incentives for leagues, media, and platforms to prioritize betting-related engagement over fan wellbeing.

2. Marketing has reframed betting as a core part of fandom and the news. Sports betting is now woven into broadcasts, commentary, and pre-game analysis, blurring the line between journalism and advertising. Odds discussions are presented as information, subtly positioning betting as a necessary way to be an informed or authentic fan. This normalization masks risk and makes betting feel routine, expected, and socially endorsed.

3. Financial conflicts of interest shape the sports landscape. Professional leagues, teams, and data providers benefit directly from sportsbook partnerships, sponsorships, and data sales. These financial relationships create conflicts between revenue generation and ethical responsibility. When leagues profit from betting activity tied to their own games and athletes, questions arise about integrity, transparency, and whose interests are truly being served.

4. Young people are disproportionately exposed and targeted. Adolescents and young adults experience extraordinarily high exposure to sports betting messages, particularly through social media and influencers. Marketing strategies emphasize wins, bonuses, and ease of play while downplaying losses and risk. Many young bettors view betting as a potential income source rather than entertainment, increasing vulnerability to financial harm and inaccurate calculations about expected cost versus expected benefit.

5. Data-driven marketing sustains engagement and obscures harm. Sportsbooks use sophisticated analytics to track behavior, identify drop-off points, and deploy personalized incentives to re-engage users. These tools are effective at sustaining betting behavior but raise ethical concerns, especially when applied to individuals already experiencing financial strain. The result is an ecosystem that may cultivate gamblers first and fans second, with real consequences for financial stability, relationships, and mental health.

Reflection Questions

In your daily life, you may have one or more than one of the following roles. Think about the questions that we have posed here. How can you use the Marketing and Fan Engagement and Conflicts of Interest interview to respond to these questions?