Tech: You\u2019re Probably Doing This 1 Thing On Your Phone \u2014 And It\u2019s A Huge Security Risk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Today\u2019s betting doesn\u2019t have to involve a trip to Vegas, a smoky backroom casino or third-party messaging with a sketchy bookie. It looks like a sleek app on your phone, complete with push notifications reminding you of the next game, the next line, the next chance to win back what you just lost.<\/p>\n \u201cSports betting apps have taken the highly addictive nature of smartphone use and compounded it with the highly addictive nature of sports gambling,\u201d\u00a0Ren\u00e9e Zavislak<\/a>, a psychotherapist with extensive experience working with addiction, told HuffPost. \u201cThe combination is particularly dangerous, so much so that online searches for gambling addiction support had increased by 23% as of mid-2024.\u201d<\/p>\n For many, these apps have turned casual betting into a trap \u2015 one that anyone, regardless of background or income, could fall into.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are easily accessible, low effort and high reward,\u201d said Michelle Hadden<\/a>, executive director at the New York Council on Problem Gambling. \u201cThere is no doubt that sitting on my couch while I place a bet is a lot easier than getting in my car and driving to the casino or to the corner store to buy a lottery ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n Life: The Funniest Posts About The Louvre Heist<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The marketing boom has kept pace. Sports broadcasts<\/a> are saturated with betting odds, flashy graphics and influencer partnerships. Some apps offer \u201cfree bets\u201d or \u201cbonus credits,\u201d which can make users feel like they\u2019re not spending real money … until the losses add up<\/a>.<\/p>\n The apps are built to keep you betting.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sportsbook apps are designed with many of the same engagement mechanics as social media or gaming platforms<\/a> \u2015 with colorful animations, endless opportunities for dopamine hits and personalized recommendations based on your past activity.<\/p>\n \u201cThese apps can further grab your attention by learning your preferences and patterns of use, like favorite teams and types of bets you make,\u201d said Ken Winters<\/a>, a psychologist known for his research on addictive behaviors and a senior scientist at the Oregon Research Institute. \u201cThey take advantage of what they think is attractive to you and use it to continue to entice you.\u201d<\/p>\n And engaging with it is all too easy. You don\u2019t have to plan a visit to a betting window \u2015 you just have to tap to open an app and scroll.\u00a0Anyone with a phone effectively carries a casino in their pocket.<\/p>\n Life: This 1 Misconception Trump Has About Heaven Is Surprisingly Common Among Christians<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In some ways, it\u2019s like the system is engineered to make you feel like you\u2019re in control when you\u2019re not. As the algorithms learn your habits, the offers get harder to resist.<\/p>\n \u201cAs if the gambling itself were not enough to create addiction risk, having the activity available at any time and in any place is an obvious exacerbation,\u201d Zavislak said. \u201cBut it isn\u2019t only the ease that renders these apps so problematic. The app design is almost always strongly implicated in increasing betting behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that most sports betting apps offer micro-bets \u2015 which are small bets on individual actions during a live sporting event.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, one can bet on a single field goal attempt in a football game, allowing the gambler a much faster path from bet to reward, encouraging more bets and a faster route to compulsivity and addiction,\u201d\u00a0Zavislak said. \u201cPop-up stats in the apps, such as leader boards and streak alerts, increase users\u2019 engagement, as do the particularly manipulative sign-up bonuses and risk-free bet promises most apps advertise.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports betting apps take advantage of the brain’s sneaky dopamine feedback loop. South_agency via Getty Images<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in your brain when you bet.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn order to appreciate how nefarious the ease of pocket-access gambling is, it\u2019s important to consider the neurological processes involved,\u201d\u00a0Zavislak said. \u201cEvery client I have worked with who gambles compulsively reports that the most exciting part of the process is placing the bet \u2015 not winning, as those of us who don\u2019t gamble might assume.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus, losing is just as likely to inspire more gambling as winning, she added.<\/p>\n Life: The Funniest Posts From Women This Week (Oct. 18-24)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cExperts have documented that the reward pathway of the brain that is involved in drug addiction is also activated when individuals gamble,\u201d Winters said, pointing to the release of dopamine in anticipation of a potential win.<\/p>\n \u201cDopamine feels good, plain and simple,\u201d\u00a0Zavislak noted. \u201cThis alone is enough to create problematic habits, not only because of the intense but brief euphoria that comes with these dopamine hits, but because the consequent immersion in the dopamine source \u2015 in this case placing and tracking bets \u2015 allows the gambler to escape other life stressors.\u201d<\/p>\n She described the \u201csneaky and intense feedback loop,\u201d as those life stressors pile up while gamblers are hyper-focused on their bets \u2015 thus increasing the urge to escape those responsibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThis feedback loop is mirrored by the associated neurological happenings; the consequent inhibition of activity in the gambler\u2019s prefrontal cortex impairs his ability to manage impulse control,\u201d\u00a0Zavislak explained. \u201cAs the gambling behavior increases, the brain\u2019s reward centers become hyperattuned to gambling stimuli, leading to stronger urges to bet. And to make it even worse, the brain develops tolerance to the dopamine hits over time, which means the gambler needs to make larger bets to get the same high.\u201d<\/p>\n Health: 10 ‘Harmless’ Nighttime Habits That Are Secretly Ruining Your Sleep<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Losing can even produce a similar chemical reaction, fueling what\u2019s known as \u201cchasing the bet\u201d \u2015 a frantic effort to win back losses that often deepens them.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone is vulnerable to developing a problem with gambling,\u201d Hadden said. \u201cIt does not discriminate.\u201d<\/p>\n She emphasized that lots of people experience negative consequences from their gambling, even if it doesn\u2019t rise to a diagnostic level of problem or disordered gambling.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile anyone can fall victim to the allure of sports betting apps, young adult men are particularly susceptible,\u201d\u00a0Zavislak said. \u201cMen in general are more likely to bet on sports, and young men are more likely to suffer the fallacy that sports gambling is a skill \u2015 when in fact it depends almost wholly on luck \u2015 and this belief distorts reality in support of increased risk taking.\u201d<\/p>\n The rush of betting can be powerful enough to override logic, even among those with seemingly nothing to gain. Winters pointed to recent investigations involving professional athletes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou had two Cleveland Guardians pitchers and an NBA coach and player allegedly getting involved in prop bet shenanigans,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re willing to risk multimillion-dollar careers for the rush of winning a bet. It\u2019s remarkable. I guess that short-term high, the rush of winning a bet, can be that powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n Is there anything you can do to bet more safely?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDespite the evil genius design of the apps, it is, in fact, possible for one to use them without becoming addicted,\u201d\u00a0Zavislak said. \u201cThe best defense against addiction is to avoid the apps entirely, of course. However, for those who want to play safely, the most important step is to create and maintain boundaries around both time and money spent.\u201d<\/p>\n She recommended designating specific windows of time to use the apps \u2015 for example, one hour on Sunday or on the bus ride home from work.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep the icon off the phone\u2019s home screen to minimize the risk of \u2018cheating,\u2019\u201d\u00a0Zavislak said. \u201cAnother helpful strategy is to populate a payment app like Venmo or CashApp with a weekly amount allotted for bets.\u201d<\/p>\n These kinds of measures require making an agreement with yourself, which can be tricky, she added.\u00a0\u201cFor this reason, I strongly encourage clients who are serious about using the apps safely to allow a friend or partner access to their app behavior and ask the ally to regularly check their usage.\u201d<\/p>\n Familiarize yourself with the features these apps offer that can help you implement limits as well.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can cap the total amount of money wagered in a given day or make it so that no single bet on anything can exceed a certain amount,\u201d Winters said. \u201cOr you can turn on time limits \u2015 I\u2019m not going to bet more than this length of time or on these particular days.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Winters considers these limits to be \u201csoft guardrails,\u201d as they\u2019re totally voluntary and rely on personal discipline.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can be effective for people with a decent amount of self-control who want to dip their toes in but don\u2019t want to go overboard,\u201d he said. \u201cIt forces a pause before you bet so you\u2019ve sat down and thought about what you feel comfortable losing and where your comfort zone is.\u201d<\/p>\n Hadden noted that people who feel their gambling is already out of control have stronger options.<\/p>\n![\"Sports](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dd3bdd5c4c20819c129357412ddb6380.jpeg\"\/)
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