Written by :
Published on :
It's like going back in time for many of us old timers here at Gambling911.com.
The name Jim Leach sends chills down our spines.
Leach is the former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa (1977–2007). And for much of the early part of this century, and pretty much from the start of Gambling911.com's existence in 2000, Leach spent his time preaching about the ills of internet gambling.
He even routinely referred to the scourge of internet gambling as a form of "crack cocaine".
But his position was the first sign of an industry beginning to take note of how profitable web gambling could be for a state's economy.
The gaming industry went after Leach. In a tight re-election he lost by 6,000 votes after the gambling industry targeted him with get out the vote efforts aimed at internet gambling backers angry at Leach. American Banker said Leach “lost his bet,” except for Leach it was a matter of duty not a bet.
Fast forward to 2026 and the activity is not only regulated in Iowa, some would say it's completely out of control.
Dare we say Leach may have been right all along (gulp).
Iowa was center stage for one of the first college sports betting scandals since the U.S. Supreme Court abolished The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in May of 2018. Iowa, we would note, was one of the first states to launch online sports betting after the SCOTUS decision. Online casinos are still not regulated here.
In an opinion piece appearing Sunday at the Des Moines Register, Guest columnist Greg Ganske writes:
"Online internet betting, especially on sports, is a perfect storm of combining the addictive allure of gambling with habit-forming smartphone use. The average American spends 4.5 hours a day on his or her phone. Combine that with the allure of online gambling and you have a toxic brew. What’s resulted isn’t just a bigger gambling market but a growing public health crisis, with young men as its main casualty."
Iowa Lawmakers Have imposed Restrictions
One of Leach's top arguments centered around the idea that a child could snatch up mom or dad's credit card and start gambling at a whim.
That won't happen in Iowa.
It was among the first states to impose a ban on credit card registrations when setting up an online sports betting account.
For that highly intelligent child that may be able to figure out how to set up a cryptocurrency account to place bets, Iowa prohibits this as well.
That might not matter when it comes to addiction and young people - those 21 and up can do it in Iowa - getting wrapped up in the activity.
Ganske writes:
"Online internet betting, especially on sports, is a perfect storm of combining the addictive allure of gambling with habit-forming smartphone use. The average American spends 4.5 hours a day on his or her phone. Combine that with the allure of online gambling and you have a toxic brew. What’s resulted isn’t just a bigger gambling market but a growing public health crisis, with young men as its main casualty."
Today's crack cocaine of online gambling may very well be live in-play betting. Even those who partake might admit as much… at the very least, it delivers a powerful sugar high.
"More than 50% of bets are placed while games are in progress. Any betting app will provide one with hundreds of options per game: will the next pitch be a strike, will Steph Curry score 35 points, will Rory McIlroy make the putt? All you need is a credit card and your phone and you can bet while anywhere."
Ganske goes on to suggest a portion of gamblers likely have mental illness.
Perhaps, but it's a stretch to suggest most folks in Iowa placing bets on sports are "mentally ill".
"The International Classification of Diseases calls this “hazardous gambling.” This behavior increases the risk of physical and mental illness, including increased risk of suicide. The Lancet did a review in 2024 of the harm suffered by those gambling who fall below the threshold for full blown gambling disorder.
"There is a physical basis to gambling addiction as it acts as a powerful stimulant on the brain’s reward system causing it to release significant amounts of dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. The dopamine spike cause feelings of euphoria and excitement which increases the compulsion to gamble more. Interestingly, a spike occurs with both winning and losing which may explain “chasing losses” where the urge to continue outweighs the disappointment of losing."
There are remedies out there.
Ganske points to The POINTS Act, which is a bipartisan bill proposing that one-third of existing federal excise tax on sports wagers (roughly $100 million per year) supports gambling addiction prevention and treatment services.
The GRIT Act proposes setting aside 50% of the federal sports excise tax for treatment and research designated for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Gamblers in Iowa may criticize Ganske for his op-ed, but at least he didn't do the McKay Coppins experiment in which he spent $10,000 given to him by his editors to try a season of sports betting. Coppins, a devout Mormon, gambled it all away, wrote a scathing hit piece on the subject of gambling, than got raked across the coals by everyone in the industry.
That's not to say Ganske won't still be crucified by gamblers for his own piece this Easter Sunday. He undoubtedly will be.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
