Scientific Journal Highlights ‘Dark Flow’ in Betting Addiction

The expansion of sports betting across the United States resulted in a boom in the popularity of the activity. While in 2018, betting was restricted to a handful of states, as of 2025, close to 40 states, including Washington DC, offer some form of legal wagering on sports.

Not unexpectedly, the growth in popularity raises concerns among gambling addiction experts and support groups. Now, a new report by a recognizable and trusted scientific journal in the country focused on the impact of sports betting, describing what may be causing more people to place bets.

Betting Isn’t as Harmful as Slots, at Least for the Moment

On Thursday, Scientific American released a new report that analyzed the psychology used by betting applications that keep people gambling. Jamie Torrance, a psychologist on gambling at Swansea University in Wales, acknowledged some of the methods used by betting operators across the country that push people into gambling more.

The expert pointed to the noticeable difference between slot machines and table games such as blackjack and poker. Torrance added that, unlike poker, slot machines can push players into a “dark flow,” a condition similar to a trance that completely absorbs the user. Once a person is in that state, they are focusing only on pushing the slot machine button as every time this happens, their brain receives a dopamine rush from the potential win.

Drawing parallels between slots and sports betting, the psychologist said that wagering is “becoming far more rapid.” He elaborated further, explaining: “It’s not as harmful as a slot machine, but it’s moving in that direction.” The main issue that makes betting addictive, aside from the fact that it is a gambling activity just like any other, is fast wagers.

Such fast bets, also popular as prop bets, enable consumers to place wagers on a specific aspect of a game. Instead of waiting for the outcome of the whole match, a user can simply bet on a particular aspect during the first half or another event within the game. Concerningly, there are hundreds of such wagers available for each game. The fast-paced betting action is further exacerbated by the 24/7/365 availability of wagering apps at the touch of a screen.

Personalized Marketing May Push Some Bettors Into Addiction

Besides convenience, other aspects of mobile betting also raise concerns when it comes to addiction. This is the data each sports betting operator is processing for each of their customers. That data grants sportsbooks the ability to offer personalized offers and special bonuses. While that doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, considering that some people may engage in riskier behavior, enticing them with bonuses or bets may result in significant harm.

According to Torrance, features, offers and other methods that encourage bettors to spend more time and money can be dangerous. He said betting companies “have all of this knowledge about how the human mind works, how human behavior works, and they essentially use that knowledge for profits.”

Considering that gambling addiction is seen as a mental health disorder, the expert compared the activity to other disorders such as addiction to alcohol. Torrance spoke about a hypothetical scenario involving a person, who has been sober for two weeks but is suddenly approached by a friend who worked at their favorite bar with an offer for a “free shot of tequila.” According to the expert, that person will have a hard time rejecting the offer.

Heather Wardle, a policy researcher specializing in gambling at the University of Glasgow, also spoke about the dangers of betting products. “The features that make these products exciting and engaging are also the features that make them addictive,” she explained.