This post was updated March 30 at 9:19 p.m.

America is taking a gamble with its new favorite hobby.

Three sports betting ads played at the Super Bowl, representing on America’s biggest stage an industry that was predicted to collect around $35 billion in (legal) bets last year. Sportsbooks have littered their iconography elsewhere in the stadiums and on screens, from “ESPN Bet” ads on jumbotrons to “Fanduel” ads splayed across courts and commercial breaks. Some of the world’s greatest athletes and most famous celebrities – such as Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady and Kevin Hart – have promoted these apps, telling loyal fans that their next payday is but one parlay away.

[Related: Technical Difficulties: Audiences should analyze support of influencers marketing reckless content]

But sports have always been a home for gambling, even before the Supreme Court made it squarely legal in 2018. What’s new is the range of possible bets well outside the world of Eagles and Chiefs. On betting site Polymarket, users can give their two cents on the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, the future of global trade wars or the price of eggs next month. In October, the site broke into mainstream news as $3.5 billion worth of bets were cast to predict the next president – with the majority betting on Donald Trump, seemingly the same as the voters did in 2024.

That victorious president’s family then hyped up and launched several cryptocurrencies, generating millions of dollars in financial assets out of thin air. He and his business partners made millions off of transaction fees. The only people who profited – beside the Trumps – were those who got out early. Who held their coins for just long enough. Who made the right bet. Who bought the so-called “meme coin” at the right time, much like how a Ponzi scheme works for the first few groups of buyers before everything comes crashing down.

With this scheme, Trump joins the esteemed ranks of celebrities who have created similar meme coins – Logan Paul, who once posted a dead body to YouTube; Andrew Tate, who is facing trials for trafficking and rape; Haliey Welch, who once said “Hawk tuah.” Promoting a gambling scheme, through sportsbook ads or crypto ventures, has seemingly become among the most lucrative, efficient pathways for cashing out on fame. And now that celebrities are the normalized face of gambling, there is nothing stopping the vice from expanding even further, until it touches every part of American life.

Now everything is gambling – and it really shouldn’t be.

It’s not that gambling is inherently sinful or disconcerting. There is an undeniable dopamine hit that comes with the activity, and it is not difficult to fathom how personal liberties should allow folks to engage in whatever vice they desire. If one can smoke or drink, they should be allowed to spin the roulette wheel.

The problem is that gambling has become immensely accessible. It is merely a tap away on a phone, a click away in a browser. Where an interested gambler once had to talk to their local bookie – or, as the internet developed, navigate around the legal barriers preventing online gambling – any adult can now submit their parlays in apps designed to keep them hooked.

There are more incentives than ever to take the plunge. With ludicrous deals for first-time sports betters around seemingly every corner, it is easier to get started and easier than ever to keep playing. These too-good-to-be-true deals are accompanied by fervent support from celebrity partners and athletes. It’s simply become part of the culture, part of the analysis desk’s mid-game announcements, part of what is expected of fans to support their favorite team.

And crypto markets, particularly the meme coins that the Trump family and others are promoting, have become a truly unregulated space for Americans to gamble with their savings. Survey after survey – from the Ontario Securities Commission, Financial Conduct Authority and Universität Hamburg – show a plurality of people who purchase cryptocurrencies describe their activity as a gamble. With endorsements from a presidential family, dozens of celebrities and countless influencers, why wouldn’t the average American try their hand?

This gambling environment came quickly. Cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technology generated momentum in the early 2020s during the pandemic. Sports betting had its big break around the same time, as lobbyists worked their way into state governments across the country following the 2018 legalization federally. During the process, seemingly little was done to gauge a simple consideration: Should gambling be allowed to become the next great American pastime?

[Related: Technical Difficulties: The Onion buys InfoWars but is insufficient in bringing extremist media to tears]

If nothing else, pause for a moment. Consider whether this is the society we want. Even if the answer is yes, consider whether the president should be peddling cryptocurrencies and Kevin Hart should be promoting one of dozens of sports gambling sites.

Everything has become gambling – it doesn’t have to be.