Northwestern football coach David Braun called the U.S. sports gambling industry “scary” and “predatory.”
Braun coaches in Illinois, one of the nation’s largest sports gambling markets. He did not explicitly advocate for regulation.
Braun made the comments at a press conference, and Daily Northwestern sports reporter Kamran Nia posted the clip online.
Braun’s Full Quote
In a response to a question about gambling lines, Braun said:
“The last thing any of us are paying attention [to] is the betting lines. I will use this as an opportunity: Why are those lines in place? To draw what? To draw action, right?
I have 11- and 9-year-old boys at home, and I’m terrified of how addictive phones are, how addictive gambling is; this is my opportunity to say stay off your phones, stay away from gambling. It’s scary stuff. It’s predatory. It’s messed up what’s going on. You look at 18- to 25-year-old young men out there right now; the predatory nature of some of this stuff.”
Online sports betting is an inherently dangerous product, with 60% of online sports bettors reporting that they have chased their losses. Research has established significant links between gambling addiction and elevated risks of suicide and non-suicidal self-injury.
Reception
Reactions to Braun’s comments were widely supportive, though a few commenters suggested he was overreacting. Public health experts support his position, and the so-called “responsible gambling” framework is ineffective.
Sports betting in the U.S. is increasingly unpopular, according to multiple recent polls (here, here, and here).
From January to August 2026, licensed online sportsbooks in Illinois took $864 million from users, according to Illinois Gaming Control Board figures. That dollar amount doesn’t include money Illinois residents have lost to other forms of sports gambling, including prediction markets such as Kalshi.
Zooming Out
Braun is one of many college coaches who have criticized some aspect of sports gambling, but it’s unclear whether he is the first active college or professional coach to explicitly characterize the legalized sports betting industry as predatory.
His statement is particularly notable because he was addressing the addiction risks, not merely athlete harassment or game integrity.
He also referred to general digital addiction, which for some can be an underlying layer to sports betting problems.
