Every Thursday, Tino Taylor could win life-changing money while sitting on his couch and thumbing through his phone.

The UF forensic psychology senior bets $15 weekly on NFL games. He hasn’t been gambling long but has already seen success. So far, he’s raked in a hearty $3,500 on Hard Rock Bet, an online betting, sportsbook and casino platform.

The American Gaming Association expects fans to wager more than $35 billion on NFL games this year, up nearly 33% from 2023. Floridians must be at least 21 to participate.

Taylor, 22, said he’s mindful of the risks and doesn’t think he’ll ever become addicted to sports gambling. But he’s overcome with anticipation on game day, awaiting the thrill. 

“I cannot wait to do it every single week,” he said. “I’m just itching just for Thursday to come so I’ll get to watch the game and hopefully win.”

Taylor said he puts a small stake in each game, so he has little to lose and much to gain. Because he places only $15 on the line, if his team isn’t successful, he only loses that initial bet. If he wins, he could hit it big.

“I have another bet this week,” he said. “And if I win that one, I win $61,000.”

No matter the outcome, Taylor sees his weekly ritual as a fun way to test his luck and hang out with his friends, who also bet on sports. Together, they congregate around the TV screen on game days, cheering for their teams and discussing their parlays.

Online gambling has seen a surge in young bettors. A 2023 National Collegiate Athletics Association survey found 58% of 18 to 22-year-olds had placed at least one wager that year. 

The NCAA also reported more than 40% of people pursuing college degrees placed bets on their own school’s team, something Thomas Hahn, a 19-year-old UF business sophomore, dabbles in. 

Hahn occasionally bets on a Gator loss using PrizePicks, which is legal for those 19 and older.

“I’ll bet against UF so that either UF wins and I’m happy, or I make some money, and I’m happy,” he said.

There’s not much at risk for Hahn. He invests even less in the game than Taylor — only $5 each week — and exercises caution on the app. When the funds in his account run dry, he said he deletes PrizePicks and only re-downloads it when he’s in the proper headspace to try his luck again.

Hahn said he enjoys the intellectual stimulation of gambling and has made about $200 so far.

“I like figuring out what mathematically maximizes my odds,” Hahn said. “I get to use numbers and sports and kind of combine them.”

The allure of gambling for most is the quick hit of dopamine, the hormone responsible for pleasure and motivation. Those with low levels of dopamine are often looking for an easy way to feel better, which may motivate them to engage in risky activities and behaviors.

Jim Segal, a Gainesville mental health counselor, said when casual betting becomes compulsive, the gambler experiences a ‘tilt,’ in which they are unable to make rational decisions and restrain their impulses.

Segal clarified that gambling, one of the most common behavioral addictions, is not a direct gateway to substance abuse. Rather, the two can coincide. 

“When people stop drinking, stop doing drugs, what they say is almost like, ‘I have a hole in my soul that needs to be filled,’” he said. “Unless they’re educated in the process of recovery about the risks of these substitute addictions, they may very easily fall victim to gambling addiction.”

The online medium also makes gambling much more accessible. Segal said betting apps remove the friction of traveling to a casino or stopping by a gas station to buy a scratch-off. Now, people can bet anytime, anywhere. 

“[If] it was more difficult to get to a venue, they didn’t do it,” Segal said. “Accessibility, availability is a big factor.”

Segal said that when people get hooked on betting apps, “it’s a gentle slope downward” until they encounter the consequences.

Gambling addictions can erode relationships and drain life savings. It may go unnoticed by loved ones — often because the gambler keeps their habit a secret — until it’s too late.

Men are twice as likely as women to develop a gambling addiction. Among those 18 to 35, one in 10 men become hooked on betting, compared with seven in 10 women in that age group.

Gainesville mental health counselor Conor Mitchell attributes the prevalence of gambling addiction among young men to social structures and expectations. 

“I think it’s more socially permissible, just the idea of gambling kind of being oriented traditionally, with masculine gender roles around finance, income-earning,” Mitchell said. 

Mitchell said most of his patients suffering from gambling addiction are young men who turn to betting apps for the intoxicating rush and potential for quick cash. 

The fallout of significant losses can be dire. The most immediate psychological effect of gambling addiction is shame, Mitchell said. 

“They understand that this pattern of behavior is not benefiting their life, and they have a strong desire to quit,” Mitchell said. 

But that desire is often not strong enough to precipitate necessary behavioral change, he added.

According to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling Inc., calls to Florida’s problem gambling helpline doubled in mid-December 2023 from the previous month, largely driven by young men. The flood of calls came in shortly after the Seminole Tribe of Florida launched Hard Rock Bet, the app Tino Taylor uses to gamble on sports.

While betting can yield remarkable profits, a string of wins can make gamblers overconfident. Strictly relying on instincts may be ruinous.

Lucas Jaramillo, a 22-year-old UF statistics senior, uses Hard Rock Bet to gamble on NFL games. He estimates his net profit is between $4,000 and $5,000. 

While Jaramillo analyzes game data and monitors players’ health, he said he knows friends who take their wagers less seriously. One paid dearly, losing $5,000 on a single bet.

“Most gamblers just believe they can know the result,” said Lei Yang, a 27-year-old UF statistics graduate student. “They may not believe in the statistics; they believe in themselves.”

Those experiencing gambling addiction can call or text the Florida Problem Gambling Helpline at 888-ADMIT-IT.

Contact Natalie Kaufman at [email protected]. Follow her on X @Nat_Kauf.