Frictionless sports betting and the NFL: the twin obsessions targeting young men

A new NFL season marks the peak sports betting months. Recent studies show the strain legalized gambling is putting on financially constrained households and young men

On Thursday night, the NFL season will kick off in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, as fans tune in to see if Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes can lead his team to a fourth Super Bowl victory in seven years - possibly, even, to an unprecedented three-peat".

It's about as enticing a storyline as the league could hope for. And yet, it seems that most of the action will be taking place off the field, as Thursday also marks the beginning of the busiest time of year for those who play the game-within-the-game: sports bettors.