There was a time when placing a bet took effort. That time is gone.
What once required a trip to a casino or a call to a bookie now fits in a pocket. But the bigger change isn’t just how easy it is to place a bet. It’s how common it has become. March Madness has turned wagering into a shared experience — something done in offices, among friends and across social media — reaching well beyond the people who would have once considered themselves gamblers. In that way, it can act as a kind of gateway drug — not because of what is being bet, but because of how easily and how often it happens.
March Madness has become more than a tournament. It is a shared experience that pulls in casual fans, office pools and social conversations, making participation feel almost expected. For many, that now includes betting — not as a separate activity, but as part of the experience itself.
It is a risk anyone can take. It can start with a pool at work or among friends. With a smartphone, there are countless apps ready to turn that moment into something more.
It is particularly enticing to young men.
It can feel little different than fantasy football, a way to test knowledge and compete with friends. For students at schools in the tournament, it can even take on the feel of school spirit — another way to be part of the moment, not a step into gambling.
But the mechanics are different now. Bets are no longer limited to the outcome of a game but can be placed throughout it — on the next play, the next point, the next possession. The pauses that once separated wagers from results have disappeared, replaced by constant opportunity and instant feedback.
According to the 2025 Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment study, up to 30% of Pennsylvania adults reported online gambling. Among those who gamble exclusively online, 78% were men.
The impact is already showing. Calls to Pennsylvania’s gambling helpline have risen since online sports betting was legalized, with a growing share tied specifically to sports wagering. What was once a separate activity is now constant, embedded and harder to step away from.
You don’t even have to be gambling to be drawn in. Betting is woven into broadcasts, social media and even the games themselves. That can make it hard to avoid.
But the American Gaming Association expects billions of dollars in wagering on March Madness this year, across both traditional sportsbooks and newer prediction markets. In a system built to keep people engaged, the expectation of personal restraint carries more weight than it once did.
With that kind of money flooding the system, relying on personal restraint alone can feel like giving a kid a lollipop and expecting them not to take a lick.
There was a time when placing a bet took effort. That time is gone. What remains is deciding where the line is — and recognizing how little now stands in the way of crossing it.