HOUSTON – A new form of online gambling is taking off, providing a never-ending stream of wagers during live sporting events.
Proposition betting allows the casual or experienced gamer to wager on everything from who wins the coin toss to the length of the national anthem, or specific plays within a match.
Hugh is a compulsive gambler who said prop betting fuels gambling addiction. Underground websites make access easy.
"It's almost like it's the next tier. It's just the next thing," Hugh told KPRC. "It just takes over so much of their life. When I was in the midst of my gambling, it wasn't all the lost money. It was the lost time. How much does gambling take away from your job."
Channel 2 found live prop bets all day, every day on secret gambling websites. Sports including soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis offered instant gratification.
Many sites are based offshore. So one might be wondering, is this illegal?
"If you are receiving some type of benefit when you win besides just kind of fantasy points, yes, it is," criminal defense attorney Rand Mintzer said.
Mintzer said this type of gambling is a class A misdemeanor. If someone is caught, it's up to a year in jail.
"Texas has always been very hard-lined and anti-gambling," he said.
Federal agents have shut down some websites, but others just pop up in their place. Mintzer said legal action against individual gamblers is rare. The real risk is to your livelihood.
"No one wants to admit that they're completely powerless, that they're out of control, that they're completely insane," Hugh said.
At the height of his addiction, Hugh was using money from his business to cover the losses and more bets.
"You're always either thinking about a game, thinking about when to pay the bookie, how you're going to get money, or how you're going to collect," he said.
Psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Thomas said prop betting is particularly dangerous for someone at risk for addiction and someone who doesn't know much about sports.
"You give them the opportunity to bet on whether the song that's sung for a game is rock and roll or R&B, essentially that lowers any kind of thought that goes into (it) or reflection about, 'Well, do I really want to bet on this, or use this that way,' and will increase the risks," Thomas said.
Thomas adds that gambling addiction leads to other diseases, like depression. Soon, life is spiraling out of control.
Hugh knew he had to stop. He joined gamblers anonymous and got help.
"The only way to deal or stop compulsive gambling is to deal with your own emotions. It's been over 16 years since I've placed a bet, and my life has gotten much better," he told KPRC.
Hugh is speaking out to let others who may have a gambling addiction know that help is available. To find resources near you, click here.