Small Bets, Big Problems: Sorsby Scandal Offers Reminder Problem Gambling Can Take Many Forms

When a high-profile athlete reveals a gambling problem, typically the confession comes with revelations of big wagers and bigger losses. With Texas Tech transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby taking an “indefinite” leave to attend residential gambling treatment, that’s not the case. Early reporting indicates Sorsby made thousands of small bets over several years. Unfortunately for the young athlete, those small, repetitive bets apparently became an unignorable burden.

The situation is a reminder that outsized bets or enormous losses don’t define gambling disorder. Gambling becomes problematic when it negatively interferes with everyday life.

For any college athlete, even those of age, gambling on NCAA-sanctioned sports is prohibited, whether clinical or not. But no matter who you are, when betting starts to escalate, more trouble can easily follow.

“It’s the frequency, repetitive behaviors and increasing wagers that are problematic,” Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky confirmed in an email to Gambling Insider. Lying about your betting and chasing losses are symptoms of problematic gambling, he added.

At this point, it seems frequency and repetition likely drove Sorby’s disordered behavior.

Problem Gambling Goes Beyond Just Losing Money 

To be clear, we don’t know how much Sorsby ultimately wagered or lost. What we do know is this: Since his 2022 freshman year at Indiana, Sorsby allegedly placed more than 10,000 bets. The Lubbock-Avalanche Journal reported that, at least for a time, Sorsby was betting up to 20 times a day.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Sorsby bet across multiple states and gambling apps, including Hard Rock Bet, BetMGM, DraftKings, PrizePicks, and bet365. Given that he turned 22 on January 20, 2026, we also know he placed some of those bets while underage, which raises questions for the implicated sportsbooks.  

In an email to Gambling Insider about Sorsby’s gambling habit, Josh Ercole, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, echoed Derevensky’s take:

The amount wagered (big or small), the frequency, the amount lost, the financial impact, the time lost, the preoccupation and fixation, the impact on others, missed opportunities, occasional wins (believe it or not), etc. can all play a role in the development of a gambling problem/disorder — they may have happen in isolation, or the may happen concurrently. No one factor can, or should, be assigned [as] the only factor when looking at this complex issue, as it rarely impacts the same way from one situation to another.”

‘Continuous’ Gambling Poses Higher Risks of Harm  

As a psychologist and director of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviours at McGill University, Derevensky has studied gambling behavior, particularly in young people, for over 35 years. 

In addition to his work at McGill, Derevensky consults with gambling operators, sports bodies, and NGOs, including the World Health Organization and the NCAA. He shared his Sorsby-related insights with Gambling Insider during a May 6 call.

Two things tend to happen with disordered gambling behavior, he said. 

One is: they start increasing their bets. The second is: they chase their losses… They have a preoccupation with gambling. They’re constantly thinking about gambling: What’s the next opportunity to gamble?“

Historically, he said, betting was “discontinuous.” People used to place a sports bet, watch the game, wait for the outcome, and determine whether they’d won or lost. Now, he said, there are prop bets, and people can make many wagers during a game — the opportunity to gamble is continuous. So is the risk.

“We know continuous forms of gambling tend to be much more problematic,” Derevensky said. 

If you could think about a slot machine, the slot machine is a continuous form of gambling. If you ever watch people in a casino, they’re pressing the button, and they press the button, and they press the button, and they press the button. Sometimes they win something, sometimes they lose something.” 

It’s not necessarily just about losing or wagering a lot of money, he added; it’s the “thrill and excitement” one gets along the way.

Depending on the gambler, the quest for thrill and excitement could manifest as an escalation in bet size, bet frequency, or some combination of the two. In Sorsby’s case, his bets might have primarily been small, but, in the end, he kept pressing the button.

20 Million Americans Report Problematic Gambling Behavior

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) 2024 data, seven of ten US adults gamble. In 2025, that wagering generated $78.7 billion in commercial gambling revenue and $18 billion in state taxes, per the American Gaming Association (AGA). 

Fortunately, the NCPG data also indicate that “problematic play” has reset to a level comparable to 2018 (8%), down from a high of 11% in 2021. Other indicators of problematic play showed a similar drop. This, they say, suggests COVID-19 may have had more to do with the jump in risky gambling behavior than the expansion of sports betting.

Still, 8% of American adults, almost 20 million people, said they experienced at least one indicator of problematic gambling behavior “many times.” 

Like substance use, gambling is risky because it triggers the release of dopamine, which activates the brain’s reward system.

“Gambling creates those pathways, it creates those positive memories, and it’s really hard to reprogram,” Daniel Kaufmann, director of gaming services and program development at virtual provider Kindbridge Behavioral Health, recently told Fierce Healthcare.  

Teenagers, Especially Boys, Face Heightened Problem Gambling Risk

For teenagers like Sorsby, brain research indicates why they might be particularly susceptible to gambling harm. Their prefrontal cortex, which regulates decision-making and impulsivity, develops later, particularly in boys.

Matt Missar specializes in treating the impact of sports betting on youths and young adults at The Better Institute. He recently summarized the unique risks to youth for USA Today.

“Modern (gambling) is so much faster, more immersive, more accessible and more psychologically powerful,” Missar explained. “The fact [that] somebody can bet on every single pitch in a baseball game, becomes so psychologically powerful. Then you pair that up with brain development at that age, the reward sensitivity and sensation-seeking is at all-time high while the cognitive control part of their brain is still being developed.”

Sorsby and his alleged flurry of small, frequent bets is just one example of what happens when things go sideways.

What’s untypical about Sorsby’s story is that he turned himself in for treatment, Derevensky told Gambling Insider. 

“It’s very admirable that he’s seeking treatment,” Derevensky said. 

Many people don’t seek treatment, and even fewer seek inpatient treatment… Clearly, he had a significant problem.”

The good news, he added, is that treatment is usually pretty effective.