Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Well, this past weekend, Houston, Auburn, Florida, and Duke battled it out in the final four

and what's considered the event of the year for Hoops enthusiasts and a second Super Bowl for

sports gamblers. In fact, this year's tournament featured

commercials in which the NCAA discouraged gamblers from harassing players in person and online

for their own failed bets, as well as several games in which players were loudly criticized

for either scoring or not scoring late in the game. This had nothing to do with principles of

good sportsmanship. It had everything to do with what it meant for the over-under. In fact, an

estimated $3.1 billion was expected to be legally wagered on this year's tournament. That's a 12%

increase over last year. During first-round games in Denver, I personally witnessed fans, all young

men, to be clear, loudly cheering and booing the score of a game that was already decided,

not because their favorite team had won or to honor an outstanding performance by a player,

they were rooting or rooting against the spread. America's only a few years in to widespread

legalized sports gambling, but the results

are already coming in. This is an industry that has been devastating already for individuals and

families and its corrupting sports. In an article for the Atlantic earlier this year, Charles

Faith Lehman stated the truth bluntly. Legalizing sports gambling was a huge mistake.

And the more data that comes in, the more that claim has merit.

Today, in 38 states plus Washington, D.C., there are no meaningful regulations against sports

gambling.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that paved the way for states to regulate

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