Tuan placed his first sports bet on his 21st birthday. Within a week, it consumed his daily life.

Legal online sports betting launched in Colorado in May 2020. A young basketball fan in Aurora, Tuan spent the following year inundated with gambling ads promising hundreds in bonus bets for depositing just a few dollars. It seemed like “free money,” he says. So, when he finally reached legal gambling age in April 2021, Tuan dove in headfirst, downloading FanDuel, DraftKings and any other app he could find.

Tuan says he placed wagers from the moment he woke up until the moment he went to sleep. As soon as one bet cashed, he’d roll the money into the next. It started with basketball and football. Soon, he was betting on international table tennis, staying up until 4 a.m. to watch live streams of ping pong matches held in a basement somewhere in Russia.

In just two years, Tuan says he had wagered over $1.1 million on FanDuel alone.

“I thought I figured it out,” recalls Tuan, now 26, who requested not to use his last name. “I thought I could replace my day job with this. I thought I could retire my mom.”

Coloradans placed nearly $6.45 billion in sports bets in the last year, according to the state Division of Gaming. That’s an all-time high, as Colorado has set a new annual record every fiscal year since online sportsbooks opened. In total, the state’s residents have wagered more than $32.55 billion since 2020.

Calls and texts to Colorado’s gambling addiction helpline jumped 45% from 2020 to 2021, in the first year of legal sports betting, according to the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado, which manages the helpline. In 2025, intakes from the helpline doubled compared to 2021, says Jamie Glick, executive director of the coalition.

“The crisis is here,” Glick says. “For a couple of years, we would call [gambling addiction] an emerging public health crisis, but I think it is now a public health crisis. … It’s everywhere. It’s becoming so normalized to see and to experience gambling.”

In states that legalized sports betting, gambling disorder diagnoses increased by more than 60% from 2018 to 2026, according to a study by Epic Research. National research shows that sports gambling states experienced more bankruptcy filings, higher debt collection amounts, lower credit scores and more credit delinquencies. Some studies link legal sports betting to higher rates of domestic violence following upset losses.

Sports betting is particularly popular among young men like Tuan, and potentially more risky. Over half of men ages 18 to 49 say they have an active online sportsbook account. Among Gen Z investors, 52% say they have redirected money intended for investing to sports bets, according to a Betterment survey.

At the height of his betting, Tuan recalls losing $24,000 on a single basketball game. He had spent over a month building his betting account from $50 to $40,000, promising he would cash out once he reached $50,000. But after the losing bet, he “started spiraling,” blowing through the entire pot in just two days in an attempt to win it all back. At the time, Tuan was in college and working as an Uber driver, earning around $30,000 in a whole year.

“I was chasing the high,” Tuan says. “It didn’t feel real. It’s almost like having blinders on; you have tunnel vision. Then, when you lose it, it all fades away. You come back to reality, and you’re like, ‘Why would I do that? How could I have done it? I just put a month’s rent worth of money on one bet, and it disappeared in five minutes.’ It’s a horrible feeling.”

Colorado is now reconsidering its approach to legal sports betting. This year, state legislators passed new guardrails on the industry, setting some first-in-the-nation standards to confront gambling addiction.

“I don’t think we knew how bad it would get,” says State Sen. Matt Ball, who sponsored the new legislation. “The public is waking up to what online sports betting has become.”

Minnick has now been clean from gambling for nearly four years. Today, the 27-year-old Pennsylvania resident is a content creator, educating the public about gambling addiction and advocating for legislative protections around the country, including in Colorado.

“I get dozens of messages a week, if not hundreds, essentially asking for help,” Minnick says. “They say they tried everything to stop, nothing works. They’re hiding debt from family or loved ones. The number of suicidal ideation messages that I get is incredible.”

Within his inbox, a trend emerged.

“Sports betting has been the main driver, especially among the younger American audience,” Minnick says. “I put myself into debt six different times to the point where I had to borrow money to pay it off. The large majority of the money that I lost, I would say, was on sports betting.”

Ball, who represents Denver’s Senate District 31, says his constituents brought the issue to his attention. He heard from local families devastated by sports betting, from college students who came home with tens of thousands in debt to homeowners who can no longer afford their mortgages.

“They highlighted the human cost,” Ball says. “It opened my eyes to the total impact of what online sports betting has done. … The really grim and dark havoc that these platforms can wreak.”

Ball sponsored Senate Bill 26-131. The legislation limits deposits into sports betting apps, preventing bettors from making more than six deposits in 24 hours. It also prohibits platforms from sending push notifications to solicit deposits or bets, targeting ads to people under 21, and accepting deposits using credit cards. It requires sports betting operators to annually report transactional data and metrics to the state beginning in 2028.

The bill passed in May with support from 71 of 100 state legislators, bringing together Democrats and Republicans from rural and urban areas of the state.

“What we hope is that it stops more people from destroying their lives and the lives of the people around them by betting on sports,” Ball says. “Online sports betting apps are basically slot machines in your pocket. … The lion’s share of people who bet on sports can do it responsibly. But we know that there’s a subset of folks who just don’t have that ability.”

Mark Lucia of the Kindbridge Research Institute calls Colorado’s new law “a step in the right direction.” The nonprofit conducts problem gambling research, education, prevention and support programs with various states, including Colorado.

“Each state is going to have to continue to work through this,” Lucia says, likening it to the development of regulations on cigarettes and alcohol. “This is the start of a process of trying to figure out the public health response that we need. … Colorado is trying something. It is going to be a struggle, especially when the activity itself is inherently risky, but it’s a step forward. It’s a step down the long road of figuring out how this works.”

Colorado narrowly voted to legalize sports betting in November 2019, after the United States Supreme Court overturned a federal sports betting ban in 2018. Proposition DD passed with 51.4% of the vote, and regulated wagering began in May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

No statewide study has measured how many Coloradans have gambling problems, neither before nor after legalization. A national study in 2023 estimated that 2.4% of the population struggles with gambling addiction, according to the National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services. That would mean around 144,000 Coloradans are problem gamblers.

Ball hopes his legislation will help make a difference. Though he is not actively working on another bill, he is open to pushing for additional changes.

“We think there’s more work to do,” he says.

“Pretty much every dollar I had was going to sports gambling,” recalls Trevor, 28, who asked not to use his last name. “I had nothing to show for all the work I was doing.”

Trevor says he placed wagers on sporting events around 10 times a day. When he lost, he bet twice as much to try to win back the money. When he won, he put the money right back into the apps to place more bets. After around two years, Trevor says he sunk over $100,000 into the apps.

“When you’re losing, it’s all you think about: How can I get better to win my money back?” Trevor says. “It was a really rough point in my life. I was severely depressed. It started affecting my relationship. … I always knew I was a losing sports gambler and that this was a bad idea, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

Trevor says he dabbled in unregulated online casinos before he started sports betting. However, gambling on a computer using a VPN didn’t compare to the sportsbook apps. Suddenly, he could place bets from anywhere in Colorado, at any time. Once he made the switch, gambling went from occasional entertainment to a full-blown “spiral.”

This ease of access is one of the biggest hurdles in addiction treatment, explains Dr. Daniel Kaufmann, director of gaming and program services at Kindbridge Behavioral Health, a treatment provider based in Denver.

“I used to talk with clients about the route they’re going to drive home from work because people would get triggered by seeing their favorite casinos or their go-to gas stations for buying lottery tickets. Instead, the issue is now in their pocket,” Kaufmann says. “Gambling is more accessible than it ever has been in our country, and we’ve done that by loosening the chains on restrictions. … That decision was made on purpose.”

Tuan says he doesn’t necessarily think of sports betting as gambling because “there are numbers behind it.” He recalls spending hours researching athlete and team statistics, carefully planning parlays instead of studying for his university courses.

“You feel like the casino is out to get you, like you’re not going to win. With sports betting, it’s just you and your phone and the numbers,” Tuan says. “If I’m not right on this one, I’ll be right on the next one.”

However, in the long term, winning more than you lose is rare in online sports betting. A study of over 700,000 sports bettors found that 96% lost money over five years in states where the practice is legal.

Many sports bettors view the practice as more akin to a financial investment strategy than gambling, explains Lucia of the Kindbridge Research Institute. That can contribute to problem gamblers digging themselves deeper into a hole, believing they will win and erase all the financial damage they’ve done.

“It’s the only addiction I know of that, in order for people to try to get out of it, they do more of it,” says Glick of the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado. “We call it the hidden addiction. It’s easy to hide because there’s oftentimes no physical characteristics. Even more so, people who have a gambling addiction oftentimes will go out of their way to present better, to have even more.”

Hiding behind appearances, gambling addicts can be consumed by shame and isolation. Gambling disorder has the highest suicide risk of any other substance use or addictive disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association. As many as one in two problem gamblers consider suicide, and one in five will attempt suicide.

Despite this, funding for gambling addiction treatment is “a drop in the bucket” compared to funding for other public health issues, Glick says.

There is no dedicated federal funding for civilian problem gambling treatment or research, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Colorado ranks among the worst in the nation for funding gambling addiction resources, the Denver Post reported. In 2023, the state allocated less than a penny per person for gambling services, according to an analysis by the National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services. That year, the legislature increased the state’s annual allocation to problem gambling from $130,000 to $2.5 million.

“It is definitely a step in the right direction,” Glick says. “But if you compare that to funding for other challenges — such as alcohol, tobacco, vaping, the opioid crisis — there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Despite its problems, online sports betting can be “good, clean fun,” Ball says.

That is the intention of the sports betting platforms, argues Joe Maloney, president and CEO of the Sports Betting Alliance, whose members include BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel and bet365, the last of which has its U.S. headquarters located in Denver.

“We want to make sure that this is an activity that is squarely focused on entertainment and not wealth creation,” Maloney says. “The vast majority of users of legal regulated online sports betting are able to consume the product and have this as an entertainment product and do this responsibly.”

Maloney disputes whether Colorado’s increase in calls to its gambling addiction helpline reflects an actual increase in addiction. He notes that Colorado requires sports betting platforms to display the 1-800-GAMBLER number, attributing the spike to increased awareness of the helpline rather than increased need. In other states, calls have risen due to users contacting helplines for tech support or to try to place bets.

The Sports Betting Alliance represents over 90% of the nation’s market share for mobile online sports betting. Its members have already taken steps to combat addiction, Maloney says, in some ways predating the new requirements under Colorado law. For example, he says all members already restrict credit card deposits and their marketing code prohibits advertisements from targeting minors.

“I don’t think the industry is going to change that much as a result of this bill because, largely, a lot of activity has already been embraced,” Maloney says. “In many instances, some of the work that we do around responsible gaming is more progressive than what’s in statute.”

Despite this framing, the Sports Betting Alliance registered in opposition to Senate Bill 131, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Maloney blames the opposition on components of the original bill that were later amended out, but records show the alliance remained registered against the bill after the amendments.

In defending sports betting, advocates point to the industry’s positive impact on Colorado’s waterways. Prop DD established a 10% tax on sports betting net proceeds. Almost all of the money goes to water conservation and protection projects.

Last fiscal year, sports betting generated a record $47.2 million in tax revenue, according to the Division of Gaming.

“This record-breaking performance is not just an indicator of a thriving and engaged market, but a vital engine for our state’s future,” Christopher Schroder, director of gaming, said in a statement in August. “By channeling these funds directly into critical water conservation projects, our residents are ensuring that every wager contributes to a more resilient Colorado, helping us protect our natural resources even in the face of significant environmental challenges.”

Anti-addiction advocates question the trade-off.

“If the funding for your water projects can only happen at the expense of your most vulnerable citizens, maybe build some wells for the ones who go homeless in the process,” Minnick said during a public hearing on Senate Bill 131 in March.

Critics also argue that the sports betting industry’s impact is expanding beyond athletics. The prediction market has exploded in popularity, with sites like Kalshi and Polymarket letting users bet on real-world events — from sports and reality television shows to elections, weather and even deaths of public figures. The platforms argue they are financial derivatives, not gambling. This distinction has allowed them to skirt state gaming regulations but may soon be tested in the Supreme Court.

“We’re starting to see these gambling-related harms crop up at all levels of society,” Lucia of the Kindbridge Research Institute says. “The White House teleprompter operator was busted for betting on prediction markets. … It’s no longer just gambling.”

Glick says for many people, legal sports betting is a gateway activity to more dubious behavior.

“We have seen it as a pathway,” Glick says. “People start sports betting, it becomes a problem, and they’re able to manage that. But then their brain is hijacked. They’re still craving the same dopamine, the same rush that they get from that behavior and they find it somewhere else.”

The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado hosts events for local sports fans to attend games together without placing any bets. The community supports one another through any gambling temptations, though they are ever-present. The logo of the Denver-based bet365 is visible on the Rockies’ outfield wall, under the Avalanche’s ice and on the Nuggets’ baseline.

“Sports betting fits really well into the culture of sports, and that’s become by design,” Glick says. “We have a new machine.”

He’s focused on early prevention and social support to tackle problem gambling, like encouraging friends to check each other’s stat sheets to make sure no one is going overboard. The coalition recently launched a peer-led sports betting help group and is leading youth education efforts through partnerships with the Colorado High School Activities Association and the Colorado Office of School Safety.

Kindbridge Research Institute is also focusing on children with its healthy gaming program, in addition to a military-centered campaign for veterans struggling with problem gambling. Lucia says a holistic, comprehensive regulatory approach is needed to make a difference, alluding to tobacco ad restrictions and Surgeon General warnings.

With the solution still largely elusive, the issue is only becoming clearer.

During his problem gambling, Tuan typically deposited only $50 or $100 into sports betting apps at a time, primarily gambling using his winnings. But after losing $35,000 he had built up over weeks, he was determined to make back the money. Tuan says he deposited $10,000 — around one-third of his Uber earnings for the year — and lost it all. He took a break from betting after that. Until he came across a bank promotion offering a $300 cash bonus for new customers.

Tuan opened a new checking account, took the $300, and put it directly into FanDuel. He placed a bet on a Chinese table tennis match and dropped to his knees. For 20 minutes straight, Tuan prayed, begging God to let him break even.

The bet hit.

Tuan withdrew the $10,000 and deleted the FanDuel app. He then stepped outside, called his mom, and told her everything he had been hiding for the last two years.

“At the end, I said, ‘I just made it all back and now I’m done,'” Tuan recalls. “I’ll never forget the way I felt when I made it back, or when I lost it. I don’t ever want to feel those things again.”

Tuan eventually redownloaded FanDuel. He still bets to this day, though less frequently.

“I think part of me is arrogant. Another part of me feels like I’m not, though,” Tuan says. “I feel like there is something about sports betting that I did figure out.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, help is available. Visit betsmart.colorado.gov. Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.