While the National Collegiate Athletics Association tackles the widespread problem of sports betting, Dave, a regular bettor, said in an interview that sports betting has never been so easy and convenient. The NCAA maintains a hard-line stance on sports betting, which officials say damages the integrity of the game. But it has made little progress curbing the practice.

Indeed, sports betting is the most widespread form of gambling in the United States. About 118 million Americans bet on sports, a recent ESPN survey found. Point spreads, or the margins by which a team is expected to win, are published in newspapers across the country, perhaps legitimizing sports betting in the eyes of the public. "It's just a recreational form of entertainment," Dave said. "Obviously there's a bad element to sports betting, but it's so ingrained in our society."