Plenty of people show up, do the work and keep betting in its own compartment until it drains their savings. Coworkers often have no idea, and employers usually find out late.
Who's betting
Pew Research found 22% of U.S. adults bet on sports in the past year. Among adults 18 to 29 it was 31%, including 36% of young men. If you employ young adults, a meaningful share of them bet, and most of them do it on a phone during the workday.
What it costs
- Money stress. A New York Federal Reserve staff report found that among people who started betting after their state legalized it, missed payments on credit cards and loans rose more than 10%. Studies disagree on how big the effect is, and one found none. Financial stress follows people to work either way.
- Focus and time. Live betting runs all day. An employee checking odds between meetings isn't fully present in them.
- Security clearances. Borrowing to gamble and hiding gambling losses are named concerns in the federal adjudicative guidelines. In June 2026, the Department of Energy denied a clearance to someone with large unpaid debts tied to gambling. Reviewers count counseling and a problem brought under control in a person's favor.
Signs managers may notice
Mood swings that track game results. Frequent requests for advances or loans from coworkers. Missed shifts around big games. Vague answers about money and a lot of time on the phone. One sign alone means little. A cluster over a few weeks is worth a private conversation.
What employers can do
- Write a policy. In a 2013 SHRM poll, about 66% of employers had no formal policy on gambling at work. Cover betting on company time and devices, office pools, and where employees can get help.
- Name gambling in your EAP materials. Many EAPs cover it already. Employees won't know unless you say so.
- Pair help with debt counseling. A nonprofit credit counselor through NFCC.org can help an employee build a plan for betting debt.
- Train managers to lead with care. Fear of discipline drives betting further underground. Follow your policies on safety and theft, and start with concern.
- Offer education to everyone. Prevention reaches the people who bet a little before it becomes a problem, and it doesn't single anyone out.
FAQ
Are office pools legal?
It depends on your state and how the pool is run. Check with your legal team, and decide whether pools fit your culture before March Madness, not during it.
What should a manager say to an employee who might have a betting problem?
Talk privately, describe what you've noticed without labels, say you're concerned, and mention the EAP. Leave the diagnosis to professionals.
Does a gambling problem automatically cost someone a clearance?
No. Adjudicators look at the whole person. Getting help early and dealing with the debt count in someone's favor, and an untreated problem counts against them.
Bring Unbettable to your workplace
An employee version of the course on money, debt and clearances, a staff version for managers, private recovery tools, and your EAP's number first. Start with a pilot.
See how it worksSources: Pew Research Center, 2025; NPR via Michigan Public: sports betting and financial problems, 2026; Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals decision citing AG 19(h) and (i); Department of Energy security decision PSH-26-0030, 2026; Defense Health Agency: Betting your future, 2026; SHRM: problem gamblers and workplace risk; National Foundation for Credit Counseling.