Sports betting is now just a tap away — and experts say it’s easier than ever for it to spiral out of control. If you’re concerned about yourself or someone you love, here are some practical steps to regain control and get help.

The nearly $13 billion in wagers placed from North Carolina in 2024 and 2025 not only has generated more than $262 million in new tax revenue for state coffers. It has also exacerbated a swelling public health threat characterized by more people in need of help for gambling problems in a counseling and treatment infrastructure that’s ill-equipped to handle the flood. Calls to the problem gambling hotline are up more than 300 percent since 2021, according to state data.

More than $3 billion will be wagered on March Madness this year. Around $30 billion was bet on the last NFL season. All evidence of an explosion in sports gambling across this country.

While popular culture may lead you to believe that love and sex addictions are not only accepted conditions but also quite prevalent — think Frank in season 3 of White Lotus; Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest memoir All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation; and pretty much any cultural analysis of the actions of Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw around Mr. Big — the scientific understanding of problematic behaviors related to love and sex is far more nuanced.

The American Gaming Association estimates Americans will legally wager $3.3 billion on the NCAA Division I basketball tournaments this year -- a 54% increase over the past three years, according to a news release Friday from the association.

Could nicotine — the highly addictive chemical compound in tobacco plants — find a new identity as a health shortcut? Wellness influencers and biohackers are touting the benefits of nicotine in a multitude of forms, including patches, pouches, gum, and drinks.

A gripping look at how legal sports betting transformed fandom, blurred the lines between sport and profit, and reshaped a generation raised on the thrill to bet.

With more older adults engaging in sports betting and other types of gambling, here are some warning signs that your gambling habit is turning into a problem.