Gambling myths and misinformation have mushroomed in less than 10 years, according to a study from the U.S. state of Kansas.
The 2025 Kansas Gambling Survey was conducted in April/May 2025, and it tracked changes in the state since the last gambling survey in 2017.
The Kansas survey provides a good snapshot of the changes in gambling attitudes and beliefs that followed the widespread legalization of sports betting, which began in 2018. While Kansas waited until 2022 to launch sports gambling, other states started years earlier.
The opening up of the U.S. market to state-sanctioned sports betting apps came alongside explosive growth in sweepstakes-style casinos/sportsbooks and, more recently, prediction-style sportsbooks. The lottery is also increasingly played via the internet.
Online gambling, regulated or unregulated, has exploded over the past decade.
Growing Belief in Gambling Myths
In just eight years, misconceptions about gambling have worsened dramatically.
While the results were from Kansas, it is reasonable to assume that similar results would be found in other states in the Midwest region.
Let’s look at the results of the 2025 survey of 1,645 Kansas adults.
Playing more than one slot machine improves odds of winning
- 2025: 36.2% agreed
- 2017: 13.9% agreed
Tracking patterns of wins and losses improves winning chances
- 2025: 32.4% agreed
- 2017: 12.8% agreed
Lucky techniques or rituals help people win
- 2025: 26.3% agreed
- 2017: 6.2% agreed
Near wins predict future success
- 2025: 21.6% agreed
- 2017: 3.5% agreed
More gambling improves odds
- 2025: 20.2% agreed
- 2017: 3.7% agreed
Persistent gambling changes luck and will recover losses
- 2025: 17.3% agreed
- 2017: 2.0% agreed
The margin of error: ± 2.4 percentage points with a 95% confidence interval.
More Gambling Education Needed to Dispel Disinformation
Surveyors said that the results indicate “a necessity for expanded education campaigns to counter” the growth in gambling myths and falsehoods that some gamblers tell themselves and others. The survey should be a warning sign for neighboring Oklahoma as it looks at sports betting legalization.
Online sports betting has raised the stakes because the gambling form is often considered an activity of skill rather than luck.
Betting addiction statistics show that the vast majority of online sports bettors think they can reliably make money. Meanwhile, other research has shown most online gamblers lose.
To complicate matters, apps like Robinhood have introduced sports betting, misleadingly labeling it as trading/investing. The Kansas gambling survey also found that many people don’t consider daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting to be gambling.
So-called social casino apps like NFL Super Bowl Slots also undermine a user’s perception of the risks involved with gambling.
Celebrity endorsements of betting, like LeBron James’ partnership with DraftKings and YouTube slot influencers promoting only their wins, can also erode a person’s gambling literacy.
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