Recently, the supreme court made a ruling which allows people to gamble on sports events, as long as gambling is permitted in the state.

This new decision will add an estimated $150 billion to an already $250 billion industry on (domestic) gambling. For the past 26 years, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act has worked well in limiting gambling on sports, until  Justice Sam Alito wrote a decision that struck it down. 

“I find it pretty deranged that gambling is already such a big industry. Gambling can also be seen as such a big problem for people, now that it is legalized it can cause very unhealthy gambling addictions for Americans starting at younger ages,” junior Quinton Smith said.

Studies show that gambling can also increase the chances of divorce, depression, suicide, violence, alcoholism, drug abuse and drug usage and family instability.

“Although gambling has never affected me nor my family personally, it has affected the people around me. At first, it starts to cause more issues with families but divorce is … often the end result,” sophomore Kennedy Shoemaker said.

This supreme court decision moves more responsibility to individual states in making gambling choices. 

“Gambling isn’t necessarily an issue; it’s when it is taken to an extent that is far beyond someone’s control, that is when it becomes an issue,” junior Jaden Albino said.