The sports betting scandal engulfing Texas Tech and transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby has shocked the college football world and ignited debates about everything from what Sorsby’s punishment should be to the future of the NCAA. But the story should be sparking a larger conversation about the growing epidemic of sports betting in American society.
Sorsby first broke into the headlines last year following a breakout season for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, where he completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns. He then hopped in the transfer portal, eventually signing with the Texas Tech Red Raiders in January.
In late April, Sorsby announced that he was entering residential rehab for gambling addiction – the same day reports surfaced that the NCAA was investigating the 22-year-old for betting. Subsequent details revealed that Sorsby wagered an eye-popping $90,000 over the past four years, including on teams he was playing for at the time. Sorsby made those bets through accounts he controlled in others’ names or by sending money to friends to bet for him.
By any metric, this should’ve been an open and shut case – Sorsby clearly violated every rule against player gambling, including committing the cardinal sin of betting on his own team. The NCAA quickly ruled him ineligible for the upcoming season.
But Sorsby and a team of clever lawyers filed an injunction with a local district court, arguing that, as ESPN’s Dan Wetzel put it, “he deserved a temporary restraining order because he had been diagnosed with a gambling addiction, he had gone through a 35-day inpatient rehab and, by banning him from playing this fall, the NCAA would not be supporting his mental health and thus potentially negatively impacting his recovery.”
On June 8, Judge Ken Curry issued one of the most jaw-dropping rulings in sports history. Curry granted the injunction against the NCAA’s suspension and then unilaterally imposed a two-game suspension – letting Sorsby off the hook for one of the most egregious gambling cases in the history of any American sport with just a slap on the wrist.
The backlash from other college football teams and conferences was swift and overwhelming. The Big Ten discussed a total ban on competition against Texas Tech in any sport. Similar sentiment emerged from some SEC teams and in-conference Tech rivals in the Big 12. But thus far, Texas Tech has said it will abide by the court’s injunction, and the Big 12 conference has indicated that it will not impose its own suspension on Sorsby.
There is certainly plenty of worthwhile debate to be had about Judge Curry’s decision and what the effective kneecapping of the NCAA – an already greatly weakened institution – means for the future of the sport. But what has been largely lost in all the hubbub about whether Sorsby should suit up for the Red Raiders this year is what his case reveals about the prevalence of sports gambling culture in America today.
The sad reality is that the only thing that distinguishes Sorsby from many young men his age is that he has the money (thanks to recent changes allowing college players to be paid) to make large bets and the prominence to draw attention when his addiction is exposed. For countless other addicts, there is no support system or rehab – only an ever-worsening cycle of risk and desperation almost always leading to financial ruin.
Of course, gambling addiction – whether it be on cards, dice, horses, sports, or anything in between – has always been a problem. But that problem became much, much worse starting May 14, 2018.
On that date, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. That ruling struck down the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which had prohibited state-authorized sports gambling since 1992. Individual states suddenly had the power to legalize sports betting, and the rush was on.
A few years later, online sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel began exploding in popularity. Instead of actually going to a physical sportsbook or even calling a bookie, bettors could set up an account in minutes and begin placing wagers directly from their phones on everything from the outcome of a game to how many hits a certain player would have or how many points a team would score.
These two concurrent developments created a toxic mix that set the stage for the burgeoning sports gambling crisis gripping the country today. 30 states currently allow some form of online sports betting.
The statistics speak for themselves. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, nearly one in five sports bettors reports problematic gambling behavior.
Before 2018, Americans wagered about $5 billion annually on sports. In 2024, that figure topped $150 billion. About 90 percent of those bets were placed on phones. And as the old saying goes, “the house always wins.” U.S. sports betting revenue reached $13.7 billion in 2024, a 25.4 percent spike from the previous record set the year before.
STAT News paints a sobering picture of what this means for gamblers:
“Hazardous gambling is correlated with increased rates of anxiety and depression, and young men who engage in it are more likely to slide into a full-blown gambling addiction. Boys who frequently gamble miss more classes, perform worse in school, drink more alcohol, and participate in other risky behaviors at higher rates, often to cope with gambling-related stress. These antisocial patterns compound, with gambling sucking up time and mental energy that might otherwise go toward relationships, hobbies, and personal growth.”
It’s easy to see why sports betting has become such a big problem – advertisements and deceptive marketing campaigns are everywhere. Like the cigarette ads of old, they make betting look cool, exciting, and like a way to make easy money. What they don’t tell you is that states that have allowed sports betting have seen a 10 percent increase in the likelihood of bankruptcy and an eight percent increase in debt collection amounts.
While young people are subjected to endless campaigns warning about the addictive potential of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, there is relatively little messaging about the dangers of gambling addiction.
Not everyone who places an occasional wager will become addicted, just like not everyone who drinks a few beers on the weekend will become an alcoholic and not everyone who indulges in the occasional cigar will start smoking a pack a day. But the evidence is piling up that sports gambling has been far more detrimental to society than most of its proponents are willing to admit – particularly for young men already facing astonishing levels of social isolation and economic anxiety.
When it comes to Brendan Sorsby, criticism of the NCAA, the judicial system, Texas Tech, and Sorsby himself is all fair. But we should also take a hard look at the industry and the state laws and regulations that have made stories like his all too common.
Shane Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of AMAC Newsline. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
