A sports betting experiment: I had $400 free money and 10 days to gamble

INDIANAPOLIS — On a brisk fall Friday night in October after I'd finished watching a surly, disturbing "Dateline" episode, and after I discovered that air-frying a leftover Jimmy John's roast beef sub turns into crispy, culinary perfection, the time had come to venture into the unknown.

I flipped the channel to "Family Feud," just putting off, I suppose, what I knew I needed to do. Steve Harvey was asking the final question in the Fast Money round.

What is the one place in your house you never clean under? Refrigerator, of course. The two contestants answered "oven" and "couch." The No. 1 answer turned out to be refrigerator. This was a good sign.

I muted the television, opened up the FanDuel app on my phone and dove headfirst into the world of mobile sports betting.

This was an experiment. I had 10 days and $400 to bet on sports.

It was what the gambling world calls “free money.” As part of my reporting on the state of sports betting in Indiana, seven years after it became legal, IndyStar gave me $400. The idea was to get a small, firsthand taste — albeit a very brief one — of what it's like to gamble every day.

This wasn't my money, and any winnings wouldn't be mine to keep. But if I did come out ahead, the profits would go to a charity of my choice.

I had dollar signs in my eyes. How incredible would it be if I could turn $400 into $1,000, or maybe even $10,000, to give to the Special Olympics of Indiana, an organization that means so much to so many people. It's a place where children and adults with special needs compete in sports and learn about life through teamwork, friendships, kindness, disappointing defeats and those glorious victories.

For the late Nick Schoonveld, his life was changed forever by Special Olympics when he was adopted as an adult after his mother died. I have so many great friends who have competed in Special Olympics — Ann, Emry, Erica and Brandy, to name a few.

"It would be cool if you could make a bunch of money to give back," my 24-year-old son told me with his kind yet intense, voice of reason. "But if it were that easy to turn $400 into $10,000, everybody would be betting."

Yes, probably so. But what if this novice sports gambler could strike that wonderful thing called beginner's luck?

The experiment: Diving into a world I'd only written about

Throughout my career, I've written about sports gambling a lot, including the tragic toll it took on former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter, whom I've covered for more than eight years.

As Schlichter sat in a federal prison in Colorado in 2020, as his release date approached, he agreed to an exclusive interview with IndyStar, via email. For three months, as we talked, I tried to get to the bottom of this thing that had taken such a life-altering, uncontrollable rein on his life.

Schlichter didn't want to talk about that. He was evasive about his life of compulsive gambling and financial fraud that hurt so many. He never answered questions about his addiction. He talked about feeling bad for hurting people close to him. He talked about feeling like a victim himself.

Since his release from prison in 2021, Schlichter has had several run-ins with the law, his latest in 2025 when he pleaded guilty to felony drug possession charges that stemmed from a 2024 traffic stop in which Schlichter handed over a crack pipe to police, who then found cocaine in his car.

"He is a career criminal engaged in fraud as a career. He just cannot help himself," Ron O'Brien, the prosecutor in Schlichter's case, once told me. "He will do this the rest of his life."

Gambling addiction is that gripping, that intense.

So, when sports gambling became legal in Indiana in September 2019, I had Schlichter on my mind as I went to a casino as it prepared to launch this massive industry in the state. A month later, when mobile sports betting became legal, I started tracking the finances and how the revenue was allocated.

Two years after that, I looked into the dark side of mobile sports betting, the addicts being bred and the push for more money from the state to help problem gamblers.

And now, seven years into Indiana's sports gambling era, my assignment was to investigate what that's meant to the state and what it has meant to the people placing the bets — $29.9 billion has been spent on sports gambling since 2019.

I had $400 and an elementary-level knowledge of sports betting. I'm not a regular gambler, I'm not a casual gambler, I'm not a once-a-month gambler, but I have gambled before.

Scratch-off lottery tickets bought, on a whim, to go along with my 44-ounce fountain drink. A bet or two on the Kentucky Derby at an off-track downtown parlor through the years. A few dollars invested in an NCAA March Madness tournament pool too many times to count.

I've made one bet at a casino, when a delayed flight in Nevada and hours to fill led me to step across the red rope into the makeshift casino at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. I slid a $20 bill into a slot machine and walked away empty-handed.

The only mobile sports bet I've ever placed was in the 2025 NBA Finals, $20 on Pascal Siakam to score the first points in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Within seconds, OKC's Lu Dort was driving to the basket, and my $20 had vanished.

My FanDuel account went dark after that. Until now, 16 months later.

As "Family Feud's" closing credits rolled and as Harvey confirmed "refrigerator" was the No. 1 answer, I added $50 to my FanDuel account.

From Saturday, Oct. 17, to Monday, Oct. 26, I placed 29 bets, at least one each day. It was exciting at first, but as the days wore on, it became much more stress than fun. Here is a daily journal of my novice sports bettor's experiment.

Day 1. Bet $50. Hopelessly optimistic and parlays are for suckers

Bet $10: 5-leg parlay, Indiana covers +3.5 spread versus Ohio State, Alabama moneyline vs Tennessee, North Carolina moneyline vs Duke, Oklahoma State moneyline vs Houston and Notre Dame moneyline vs BYU.

Payout $0: Ohio State beat Indiana 19-15, Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10, North Carolina won 24-20, Houston beat Oklahoma State 35-32 and BYU won 28-24.

Bet $10: Indiana vs Ohio State same-game parlay for Bo Jackson, Jeremiah Smith, Charlie Becker and Turbo Richard as anytime touchdown scorers.

Payout $0: Becker didn't score a touchdown.

At this point, my editor Nat Newell's voice was repeating in my head, "Parlays are for suckers."

Bet $10: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 run line vs Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 of the ALCS.

Payout $25.80: Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3.

Bet $20: BYU covers +10.5 spread vs Notre Dame

Payout $39.23: BYU won 28-24.

Results: Won $15.03

Day 2. Bet $80. How'd JT not get two touchdowns vs Titans?

Bet $10: Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans, Jonathan Taylor for two touchdowns.

Payout $0: Taylor had one TD in the 26-20 loss to the winless Titans, which led the next day to the firing of general manager Chris Ballard.

Bet $10: New England Patriots vs New York Jets same-game parlay, Drake Maye +1.5 passing touchdowns, more than 236.5 passing yards and last touchdown scorer.

No need to bore you with stories of the people who laughed their heads off at this wager. They were good with the first two, but adding Maye to be the last TD scorer sent them into a frenzy. I excused myself and waited for the $400 payout.

Payout $0. Maye hit passing touchdowns and yards, but did not score the last touchdown in the Patriots' 26-19 win.

Bet $20: 3-leg parlay, Patriots to cover -6.5 spread, Colts to cover -2.5 spread and Kansas City Chiefs moneyline vs Los Angeles Chargers.

Payout $0: Patriots covered, Colts didn't and Chiefs won 22-6.

Bet $10: Colts vs Titans same-game parlay, Colts to cover -6.5 spread, Daniel Jones for 200+ passing yards, Josh Downs 5+ receptions and Taylor 100+ rushing yards.

Payout $0: Colts didn't cover, Jones threw for 260 yards, Downs had 4 receptions and Taylor rushed for 94 yards.

At this point, I wasn't really enjoying this. I'd bet $50 and lost all $50 within hours, and that's when I started getting a tiny, nagging feeling, something saying I could make up for what I had just done. I got a glimpse of how gambling can lure you in. I opened up my FanDuel app.

Bet $20: Green Bay Packers moneyline vs Dallas Cowboys in Sunday Night Football.

Payout$38.52: Packers won 23-13.

I could have ended the night on a win, but I didn't. Just one more. I went to FanDuel's live bets and found a soccer game with +1000 odds.

"It's those intermittent rewards that people get," said Michael Dzwil, a psychotherapist and senior director of clinical outreach at Newport Healthcare. "You get sucked down that rabbit hole because you know what? You place five bets, you lose four, and it really bothers you. And then all of a sudden, you hit that last one. It's like, 'Oh, this is why I do it. It brings me back.'"

Bet $10: At halftime of the Liga Nacional match at Estadio Marquesa de la Ensenada in Guatemala, with Marquense leading Suchitepequez 1-0, I placed a wager for a draw.

Payout $0: With minutes left in the game and the score tied 1-1, I had the option to cash out at $71 or go for the $100 payout. I got greedy and stayed. Marquense won 2-1.

Lost $41.48

Day 3. Bet $50. Monday Night Football and MLB

Bet $10: Washington Commanders moneyline vs San Francisco 49ers in Monday Night Football.

Payout $0: 49ers won 23-17.

Bet $20: Commanders to cover +14.5 spread (I placed this with four and a half minutes left in the second quarter of Monday Night Football, the 49ers leading 13-3).

Payout $35.44: Commanders covered the spread.

Bet $10: Commanders vs 49ers same-game parlay, Jayden Daniels and Brock Purdy as anytime touchdown scorers.

Payout $0: Neither scored a TD.

Bet $10: Guardians moneyline vs Tampa Bay in Game 6 of ALCS.

Payout $0: Tampa Bay won 7-3.

Lost $14.56

Day 4. Bet $30. Opening day of NBA regular season

Bet $10: 3-leg parlay, Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama all for 25+ points.

Payout $0: Tatum scored 13, Brunson 21 and Wembanyama had 12.

Bet $10: LeBron James under 15.5 points in Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks.

Payout $18.47: James scored 14 points.

Bet $10: San Antonio Spurs moneyline vs Oklahoma City Thunder.

Payout $0: Oklahoma City won 116-104

Lost $11.53

Day 5. Bet $40: All on Pacers' opening game

Bet $40: Pacers moneyline vs New Orleans Pelicans.

Payout $67.40: The Pacers won 123-120.

Won $27.40

Day 6. Bet $40. All on Patriots vs Bears

Bet $20: Patriots moneyline vs Chicago Bears.

Payout $0: The Bears won 30-24.

Bet $20: A.J. Brown over 4.5 receptions.

Payout $0: Brown caught 3 passes.

Lost $40

Day 7. Bet $20. Game 1 of World Series, NBA parlay

Bet $10: Tampa Bay moneyline vs Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the World Series.

Payout $0: Brewers won 3-2.

Bet $10: 2-leg parlay, San Antonio Spurs moneyline vs Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors moneyline vs Memphis Grizzlies.

Payout $0: Rockets won 114-110 and the Grizzlies won 111-108.

Lost $20

Day 8. Bet $50. Realization: 'I'm awful at this'

Bet $10: 2-leg parlay, Indiana moneyline vs Michigan and Pittsburgh covers +20.5 spread vs Miami (Fla.).

Payout $0: Indiana won 13-6. Pittsburgh lost by 29 points, 52-23.

Bet$10: Same-game parlay, Indiana vs Michigan, Charlie Becker and Turbo Richard as anytime touchdown scorers and Indiana moneyline.

Payout $0: No touchdowns for Becker or Richard. Indiana won 13-6.

Bet $10: Dallas Mavericks moneyline vs San Antonio Spurs.

Payout $0: The Spurs won 122-106.

Bet $20: Ole Miss moneyline vs Texas.

Payout $0: Texas won 34-27.

Lost $50

Day 9. Bet $20. Ready for all of this to be over

Sports betting takes up a lot of space, time watching games, stress, financial worries. Some of it is fun. Some of it is draining. Overall, for me, it was exhausting.

I skipped betting on the NFL until the Sunday night game when I finally forced myself to make a wager.

Bet $20: Chiefs vs Seattle Seahawks, Kenneth Walker III 2+ touchdowns.

Payout$0: Walker scored no touchdowns.

Lost $20

Day 10. Bet $34.56. Had a little surprise for Special Olympics

On my final day of betting, I had $34.56 in my FanDuel account. I was feeling relief that Monday Night Football and MLB would be the last sports gambling I would partake in for a long while.

Bet $10: Philadelphia Eagles moneyline vs Cowboys.

Payout $0: Cowboys won 38-21.

Bet $24.56: This was my final bet and what was left in my account. I took the Pacers moneyline vs Milwaukee Bucks.

Payout $0: Bucks won 110-102.

Lost $34.56

And with that, my account was empty. I had bet $414.56 in 10 days and won $224.86 for a total loss of $189.70. But I had only spent $200 of the money I had been given, by taking my winnings and re-betting, to get to $400 of gambling.

Which left me with $200 ungambled money, a little to give to the Special Olympics of Indiana. Not the $10,000 I had dreamed of at the start. But it was something.

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Hunsinger on X @danahunsinger33. Reach her via email dbenbow@indystar.com.  

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: A sports betting experiment: I had $400 free money and 10 days to gamble