"In 2025, seven years into legalized sports betting, the industry faced some of its biggest challenges yet, rocked by multiple high-profile scandals, embroiled in taxation issues and confronted by a fast-growing disruptor to the traditional bookmaking model. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime event watching these worlds collide, and very rarely do you see it happen in any industry, let alone all at the same time," said Max Bichsel, an executive with Gambling.com Group, which runs sportsbook affiliate websites."
"If the legalization of sports betting reshaped the way Americans view sports, the emergence of prediction markets and government questions about sporting integrity might reshape the way Americans view sports betting. In October, a Pew Research poll found that 43% of U.S. adults say legalized sports betting is a bad thing for society -- up from 34% in 2022 -- and 40% say it's a bad thing for sports, an increase from 33%."
In 2025 the sports-betting industry confronted major scandals, taxation fights and disruption from prediction markets. Over five weeks in the fall, federal investigations and arrests implicated athletes, coaches and players in alleged rigging and insider betting. The FBI probed an allegedly rigged UFC fight; two MLB pitchers faced federal indictments for rigging pitches; the NCAA accused six former college players of participating in gambling schemes. Federal authorities arrested 34 people in cases involving alleged insider betting and rigged poker games, including prominent NBA figures. Several defendants pleaded not guilty. Public opinion grew more negative about legalized gambling, and integrity concerns intensified regulatory scrutiny.
Read at ESPN.com
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