The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper Season 3 Episode 16 Sports Betting: America's Big Gamble

CNN National Correspondent Nick Watt premieres an incisive look at the now booming sports gambling industry in America.

Last year, Americans bet around 150 billion dollars on sports. Point spreads, prop bets and parlays have entered the vernacular of a burgeoning new generation of young gamblers, a group particularly susceptible to addiction. In states where sports betting has become legalized, overall credit scores have gone down and bankruptcy filings have gone up, and athletes are facing harassment and threats from losing gamblers. Now, attorneys are filing a class action lawsuit claiming that sports betting apps were designed to create and feed addiction.

"I'm not a gambler, so diving into this world is fascinating," said Watt. "We see the pleasure and the pain, and I'm blown away by how far this industry has come since the Supreme Court unleashed the beast and legalized this back just seven years ago. This isn't your grandad dropping a couple of bucks at the horse track."

In "Sports Betting: America's Big Gamble," Watt seeks answers from those at the forefront of America's sports betting industry, including President of the American Gaming Association Bill Miller, President of the NCAA Charlie Baker, Executive Vice President of NFL Communications, Public Affairs and Policy Jeff Miller, and more. He also speaks with the everyday people who have been impacted by the legalization of sports betting, including professional sports gamblers and recovering gambling addicts.