In the past decade, the line between fantasy sports and sports betting has been blurred, propelling online sportsbooks and sportsbetting culture into the mainstream. Now, an increasing number of college students are latching on.
Since the 1992 passing of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, shortened to PASPA, athletic leagues and lawmakers have fought to keep most sportsbetting decentralized and localized to Nevada. This changed in 2018 when the Supreme Court struck down the act, leaving the legalization of sports betting up to the states.
“The court came through and said, ‘You’re right, New Jersey, if you want to be able to have legalized sports betting, Las Vegas and Nevada, more broadly, can’t have a monopoly on it,’” said Andrew Billings, professor in the College of Communication and Information Sciences and executive director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication.
Now, 38 states and Washington D.C. have legalized sports betting. ESPN reported Americans legally bet $166.94 billion on sports in 2025, which was an 11% increase from the previous year.
However, the laws allowing the legalization failed to specifically outline the differences between sports fantasy and more traditional sportsbooks.
“What is defined as fantasy sports has been stretched to the very edge of what it could be. So for a game now to be considered fantasy for the most part, you have it based off of a single player’s performance,” said Brian Petrotta, a professor of sports media at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who has published work looking into the origins and ramifications of sports betting.
Petrotta will present at the Alabama Summit on Sports and Gaming on Wednesday and Thursday in the Yellowhammer Room of Gorgas Library.
Fantasy sports market themselves towards an audience ages 18 and older, though the age limits differ by state law. The laws for traditional sports gambling require users to be 21, with a few states having exceptions to allow gambling at 18. Fantasy apps rely more on player statistics, marketing themselves based on strategy rather than pure chance. Petrotta said that a distinction is that fantasy is reliant on multiple player performance propositions rather than game point spreads.
“I think it definitely helps with their ability to be involved with sports programs and to attend and to actually experience and watch the games,” said Evan Dixon, a senior majoring in criminal justice, who uses these services on occasion.
The increased stake and involvement in the sports world, however, can blur the separation between the games themselves and the money put on them, with frustrations from lost bets leading to harassment of players.
“Even if their team wins, if this prop bet doesn’t hit, they’re frustrated and maybe even angry,” Petrotta said.
The introduction of sports fantasy to the general public has also led to the rise of services that include betting on global events, such as elections and wars, as well as entertainment, including box office incomes, bachelorette winners, and release dates. These services have come under scrutiny for their possibility of insider betting on national security issues.
Dixon said he has seen how apps like Polymarket and other betting beyond sports can be dangerous for college students and the rest of the public.
“It turns into this thing where guys that are prominent in sports betting will also start placing real life wagers on things,” Dixon said.
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