Study says, gambling disorder spikes in state where sports betting is legalized

[Russlenat]

That's according to this report. https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

Gambling disorder is a recognized mental health condition in which patients often cannot stop gambling, despite the growing distress and harm they experience.

Sports betting has exploded across the U.S. following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for states to legalize online sportsbooks in 2018. Experts say the findings offer more evidence of potential fallout from the decision — at a time when more online betting sites, like prediction markets, are taking off.

The rate of gambling disorder in states with legalized sports betting rose from 3.0 per 100,000 to 4.8 per 100,000, according to Epic Research, a private firm known in the medical field for its research on public health trends.

So what does the research say, is sports betting more harmful than casino games like slots?

I get that sports betting people are more confident because they believe in their skills, so they tend to put bigger money on it. Compared to slots, some people only use it as a pastime and they do not really bet big.

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

[Charles-Tim]

So what does the research say, is sports betting more harmful than casino games like slots?

They are all the same if discussing about losses, but some people deceive themselves to a thinking that sport betting is a skilled thing which can let them win money than to lose money. That is very far from what is happening because this is how some people got addicted.

Casinos or sports, addiction or thinking you can make money from any or both is not good.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Most likely gamblers feel safe or at ease when they know that gambling is legalized. So they don't overthink about the consequences if they are going to be caught or not. So they freely go and bet at will and this could lead to gambling addiction.

And as for any other things in life, it has pros and cons and this study might point to the latter of gambling being legalized is some parts of the world. And anything that is being abused or there is no balance, it can affect us in a very negative way.

[Dunamisx]

I don't seem to agree with all this sometimes because if we look outside the context of sportsbet or gambling entirely, we still have a number of people facing different challenges when it comes to mental health and they are not even gamblers, so what are we saying here, that one has the right to gamble or is being permitted in his country does not mean you should not apply wisdom in gambling and do things as expected to as not to get addicted in it.

[Rruchi man]

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

If the government legalize gambling on a level where there is no proper control or regulation in place, or even without proper orientation as programs to control the rate of addiction, the rate of addition is bound to spike and increase because people who have been held back from gambling because they did not want to break any government rule will not have any other reason to stay away from gambling.

There are many people who will love to gamble as long as they are breaking no rules.

[Russlenat]

I don't seem to agree with all this sometimes because if we look outside the context of sportsbet or gambling entirely, we still have a number of people facing different challenges when it comes to mental health and they are not even gamblers, so what are we saying here, that one has the right to gamble or is being permitted in his country does not mean you should not apply wisdom in gambling and do things as expected to as not to get addicted in it.

Of course, you will apply wisdom, and that is what “responsible gambling” means in sports betting. But the point is, once it is legalized, people become more eager to gamble because they are no longer hiding what they are doing.

This is where the responsibility of the government comes in, to make sure there is proper regulation of gambling, including advertisements. That is very important because if gambling is open, sportsbooks can run ads anywhere, and of course that could lure many people to try gambling.

And personally, I could also be a victim of addiction because I bet bigger in sports betting than in other types of games. If I can bet $100 in sports, I cannot do the same in slots. The reason is that the house edge in slots is high, while in sports betting, I believe it can be analyzed.

But in reality, I still lose.  

[xenomorfo]

That's according to this report. https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

Gambling disorder is a recognized mental health condition in which patients often cannot stop gambling, despite the growing distress and harm they experience.

Sports betting has exploded across the U.S. following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for states to legalize online sportsbooks in 2018. Experts say the findings offer more evidence of potential fallout from the decision ? at a time when more online betting sites, like prediction markets, are taking off.

The rate of gambling disorder in states with legalized sports betting rose from 3.0 per 100,000 to 4.8 per 100,000, according to Epic Research, a private firm known in the medical field for its research on public health trends.

So what does the research say, is sports betting more harmful than casino games like slots?

I get that sports betting people are more confident because they believe in their skills, so they tend to put bigger money on it. Compared to slots, some people only use it as a pastime and they do not really bet big.

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

what i always say, that this condition does not only occur with gambling, but can occur with anything.
this is the thing to keep in mind


I'm not saying it's nonsense about gambling, I'm saying it's serious, I'm saying you need to focus on the problem and not the cause. The problem is in the person.

[rdluffy]

To be honest, that statement makes logical sense and is quite obvious
If betting is legalized in a given area, it stands to reason that there will be more operating companies, more advertising, and a larger customer base, and, consequently, more people struggling with addiction

The exact same thing happens with cigarettes and alcohol

However, the other side of the coin is that legalization usually brings certain government imposed responsibilities for companies, such as awareness campaigns and mandatory self-exclusion options

[Synchronice]

That's according to this report. https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

Gambling disorder is a recognized mental health condition in which patients often cannot stop gambling, despite the growing distress and harm they experience.

Sports betting has exploded across the U.S. following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for states to legalize online sportsbooks in 2018. Experts say the findings offer more evidence of potential fallout from the decision — at a time when more online betting sites, like prediction markets, are taking off.

The rate of gambling disorder in states with legalized sports betting rose from 3.0 per 100,000 to 4.8 per 100,000, according to Epic Research, a private firm known in the medical field for its research on public health trends.

So what does the research say, is sports betting more harmful than casino games like slots?

I get that sports betting people are more confident because they believe in their skills, so they tend to put bigger money on it. Compared to slots, some people only use it as a pastime and they do not really bet big.

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

How accurate is the statistics, with vs without legalizing sports betting or gambling? There are lots of people who are addicted to gambling that do not report their addiction, so it's impossible to have a clear statistics.
Anyways, I think that things have to be legalized. If someone has a problem with addiction, that's not my fault if I want to enjoy sports betting and gambling. I'm responsible for my actions, others are responsible for their actions. Why should something become prohibited for me by law if I have a high self-control and someone doesn't? Why should I be punished for someone's impulsive decision making?

When it comes to sports betting and casino games, I think that casino games are more addictive, especially slots. On casino games, you can double or lose the whole amount of money in a second and in sports betting, you have to at least watch the full match before you know whether you won the money or not.

[Die_empty]

An increase in the number of gamblers will lead to a rise in gambling disorder. Sports are games with a large number of fans globally. So it is normal that legalization of sports betting in a country or state will lead to a spike in the number of gamblers. And once the number of gamblers increases, those who would suffer from gambling problems will also rise.

I don't think the research is saying that sports betting makes people addicted more than other forms of gambling. Rather, it indicated that the rise in sports betting in a location would lead to a rise in gambling disorder.

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

Of course, the legalization of gambling will definitely lead to more addiction. This is because gambling service providers would intensify promotion, which could be instrumental to over-gambling.

[Porfirii]

The problem with this kind of studies is that some tell you one thing as well as you can find many others who say the opposite. We should have to be able to verify if the methodology they have used was adequate, and how gambling disorder has progressed in states that share similar characteristics but have not legalised sports betting. Nor would it be surprising if in those that have not been legalised, fewer cases come to light than those that legalised it.

As to the difference between sports betting and gambling, on the one hand online casinos are constantly available, they are ubiquitous thanks to smartphones, but there is usually not a great social pressure to gamble (quite the opposite). On the other hand, although sports bets are always available through smartphones too, there are not always games that you are interested in and you usually have to wait for them to take place, but the social pressure can be huge if you like to watch sports with other friends who in turn bet.

[Yorubek]

When gambling is illegal in a country people naturally have a fear of doing that but when gambling is completely legalized a common person will gamble freely knowingly or unknowingly and as a result the amount of addiction can increase. However, I think that gambling addiction is completely dependent on the mentality or activities of the gambler, no one else is responsible for it. Before starting gambling, it is very important for us to gain the right knowledge, as a result of which we will be able to control greed, maintain self-control over ourselves and be saved from the destruction of gambling.

[mirakal]

I think it is very obvious, because it is like allowing something addictive to become legal, then people will naturally consume or use it more.

The point is, both can be addictive, that is why we need to be responsible so we will not get addicted. But there are really some people who still get addicted, and we cannot fully blame them because they never wanted that to happen in the first place. So if the government legalizes sports betting, they should already understand its possible impact. What should they do? Regulate it effectively, follow those countries that regulated gambling well, and use them as a model.

As long as corruption is not too high in a country, I think these things can be possible. People can still gamble, while the addiction problem can also be controlled better.

[Inwestour]

So what does the research say, is sports betting more harmful than casino games like slots?

I get that sports betting people are more confident because they believe in their skills, so they tend to put bigger money on it. Compared to slots, some people only use it as a pastime and they do not really bet big.

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

I don't think we should separate slots and betting, they're both gambling games, and therefore, budget management rules, risk management—everything should be identical. If the number of such cases increased after sports betting became legal, it can only mean that gambling bans will work for some people. If the state prohibits it, they won't play, but if it's legalized, they'll see it as a license and continue to play. And then everything will work according to the law of large numbers, the more players, the more addicts.

[Gozie51]

So what does that mean? Are they saying that if the government allows gambling, it will result in more addiction compared to not legalizing it at all?

So I believe what the findings of the research is saying is that there have been increased numbers of disorder from gambling since it was legalized. However, it focused on sports betting and that is where I don't align with it because people get addicted to casino games too. I know of people who don't gamble on sports but they like betting on games, racing games etc. So it doesn't really mean that those who gamble in sports have had such mental challenge because legalizing gambling isn't just about sports even though people could stake higher in sports because they feel they can analyze the game and win.

For mental health issues, large number of youth now indulge in drugs. So they can also be drug addicts while they are sports gamblers and not necessarily that their mental health failure was only as a result of sports betting and addiction.

[Japinat]

First, I think there must be some typo error in the title, that “stake” should be “state.”

Anyway, what I can share here is that I agree because they stated the obvious. No study is necessary to know that this is what will happen. It is simple logic, you allow people to gamble, so addiction will grow.

Now that they already have the numbers, what is next? Will they find a way to combat gambling addiction so they can still justify why they allowed gambling and call it a win-win for the country and its operators?

[Oshosondy]

First, I think there must be some typo error in the title, that “stake” should be “state.”

Mention the person that posted the topic next time so that he can know what you are talking about so that he can be notified about it. I hope he will see it as I mentioned his username, Russlenat.

It is something that should be expected because people are easily targeted by gambling advertisements in states or countries that gambling is legal.

[JeffBrad12]

It's basically saying legalizing gambling is increasing the gambling disorders. When a country is legalizing gambling. It has the same meant they were opening the door for anyone who were not even familiar with gambling to gambling.
The more people gamble, the more people get gambling disorder due to the unable to gambling responsibly.

[Queen uloma]

So what does the research say, is sports betting more harmful than casino games like slots?

They are all the same if discussing about losses, but some people deceive themselves to a thinking that sport betting is a skilled thing which can let them win money than to lose money. That is very far from what is happening because this is how some people got addicted.

Casinos or sports, addiction or thinking you can make money from any or both is not good.

To be honest, whether it is casino or sports betting, losses will eventually happen in both sides. Some people believe that sports betting is a pure skill and they can consistently make money from it but that mindset is very dangerous. Even if you study the teams, statistics and players, there is still many things that no one can predict. The problem start when someone believe he must recover all his losses or he has mastered the game very well, that was how many people today became addicted to gambling, They begin to chase losses, start seeing gambling as a source of income and increase their stakes. Gambling should never replace work or become a financial plan. Whether it is casino or sports betting. Once it start controlling your emotions, your money or your decisions before it will turn to serious problem one need to be careful. The safest way is to see gambling as entertainment and only use money that you can afford to lose.

[Perfectbaby]

There is no difference in sports betting to casino game like slots, whenever someone is addicted to gambling it doesn't limited to a particular sports because all are for making their bet to double while they expect something at last.
Of course we can say that gambling is addictive but it doesn't means that only sports betting that is more addictive to people, people gets addicted to something they so much put interest because they believe that such thing would give them money they expected.