Regarding Barton Swaim’s “Would Jesus Bet on the Super Bowl?” (Houses of Worship, Feb. 10): One of the biggest problems with ubiquitous sports betting has to do with children. It is now impossible to be a young sports fan without gaining a B.A. in betting. If the ads don’t do it, the announcers will. There is no escape from over and under, spread, the vig, parlay, a dime, a nickel—on and on goes the instruction, which, at its core, is grooming young minds to become gamblers.
That something is legal doesn’t mean it has to be everywhere. Those who want to gamble will always find the sites. The rest of us, and our sports-loving children, don’t need our noses rubbed in it on a daily basis.