Legalization = increased addiction

[swogerino]

I was reading some statistics and it became apparently obvious that addiction goes straight up when gambling is legalized.

Here's a news article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

For instance in the US it is a crucial point because eight now many states are legalising gambling whereas the only permissible form was state lotteries which were not so addictive. For instance you may buy a ticket but the odds of winning were so low that there was no instant gratification. And the proceeds we're largely used for good causes too.

Now gambling is all about super fast wins and advertising that is projecting false standards. So people are seeing it everywhere and accessing it by just making a bank wire that is instantly credited just like paying for a streaming subscription.

Maybe it's better for the collective good that gambling remains non legalized.

Legalized or not addiction will continue to grow because of one factor which is technology and exactly information technology which has made gambling so easily accessible even to person with below average intelligence. Now of course this very same group of people has a really high chance to get addicted because people much smarter than them have difficulty to control emotions so dopamine can hit this group really hard. This has nothing to do with gambling being legal or not but how good people are at handling emotions.

[viljy]

The legalized gambling industry pays taxes, which is the main interest of the authorities. What is the logic of government officials? It's simple: gambling will always exist, even with any restrictions. Therefore, it's better to benefit from it by legalizing it and collecting taxes. The inevitable side effect, such as an increase in the number of people addicted to gambling, is perceived as collateral damage.

Despite the fact that an increased number of addicted gamblers will only cause indirect losses in the long run (and only if they have to be treated at the expense of public funds), taxes will be collected immediately. However, only an overpopulated country can afford to waste its working-age population.

[Somegory]

What do you mean by lotteries aren't so addictive? Where did you get this information from? Since you used the US as a country of concern do you know how many lottery winners in the US? They are many.

If many people have already won lotteries what do you think will be happening right now? Many people will be trying so much to win the next lottery and it's why Americans are famous for purchasing lottery tickets on every payouts.

I know few people who had bought lottery tickets all the days of their lives, from their youthful days into their old age and they haven't won, don't say that lottery isn't addictive, lottery is life to some people.

[m2017]

I was reading some statistics and it became apparently obvious that addiction goes straight up when gambling is legalized.

Here's a news article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

Speaking of statistics, for the sake of completeness I will add a picture here (source - the article you indicated).

For instance in the US it is a crucial point because eight now many states are legalising gambling whereas the only permissible form was state lotteries which were not so addictive. For instance you may buy a ticket but the odds of winning were so low that there was no instant gratification.

Because lotteries use "delayed gratification" because you have to wait for some time to get the final results, that is, it can be called "slow" gambling.

And the proceeds we're largely used for good causes too.

Which ones? To buy yachts and villas for lottery organizers? Lotteries have always been a "tax for fools" and were used only for one plausible purpose - to extract money from the population (for their own purposes).

Now gambling is all about super fast wins and advertising that is projecting false standards.

People generally lead fast-paced lives these days. You wouldn't suggest banning cars to force people back to their old rhythm, would you? Thanks to online gambling, gambling has become fast-paced, as you don't have to travel several hours to the next city to get to a brick-and-mortar casino.

False advertising? Okay. Then let the regulator influence casinos to ensure their advertising is truthful and doesn't create false, inflated expectations.

Maybe it's better for the collective good that gambling remains non legalized.

And then there will be no control and “protection of consumer rights”? Even if gambling is banned now, people will not stop and will find a way to “get into” an illegal casino and the money that should have come in the form of taxes would “get stuck” in the pockets of corrupt officials and casino owners.

It seems to me that a different approach is needed here. It is possible to limit the level of possible spending on bets and time on online gambling. Of course, this is not an ideal solution, but a gambling ban is even further from ideal.

Issue coupons for the right to visit the casino (similar to food coupons in the USSR).

[TedMosby]

I don’t think legalization of the gambling industry alone is enough to increase addiction. IMO, it’s not that simple. Even without legalization, people already gamble a lot using their money. They can use a VPN if the website is restricted in their country, they can also use a fake identity, etc.

There are also many good things that could happen if the gambling industry is legalized in a country. The country can get extra income from taxes. Although the execution of this tax depends on how good and fair the government is in managing it. Also, if gambling is legalized, there are many things that can be clearly regulated, like self-exclusion programs, deposit and spending limits, and the country can create addiction treatment programs that can be funded by taxes from the gambling industry.

I don’t know if there are many countries like Singapore out there. But AFAIK, gambling is legal there. However, the number of local gamblers is lower than in many Western countries. They have strict and clear regulations that can keep locals from gambling. However, the country can still get high tax revenue from tourists who gamble there. Higher levies for locals and cheaper ones for tourists. The same thing also happens with car ownership there. Singapore's GDP is one of the highest, but it doesn't make Singapore full of cars. The regulations really play a significant role in this case.

So…
Legalization + bad regulation = big problem.
Legalization + good regulation = less problem.

[_act_]

I don’t think legalization of the gambling industry alone is enough to increase addiction. IMO, it’s not that simple. Even without legalization, people already gamble a lot using their money. They can use a VPN if the website is restricted in their country, they can also use a fake identity, etc.

Yes, legalization of gambling can increase the number of gamblers. If there are more gamblers, you should expect that those that will be addicted will increase.

So…
Legalization + bad regulation = big problem.
Legalization + good regulation = less problem.

This is not true. Also we are in the time that gambling ads are everywhere, even we can see it on the field while big clubs are playing and when competing in big competions like world cup and UEFA champions league.

[xenomorfo]

When gambling is legalized, it's heavily introduced to the masses through ads on the main channels of communication. As consequence, you have lots of people being introduced to gambling without proper guidance and knowledge. The chances of having disfunctional behaviors as consequence is huge, and that is what we have been seeing in society nowadays.

I remember when I started gambling. Very few people I knew talked about this matter. I know there were addicted people back then, but not at the current rates of tragic stories where people are destroying their lives due to gambling addiction. It's still 6% of total gamblers who develop a problematic behavior, but 6% from the total number of gamblers we have nowadays is much more impacting than in previous years.

I think if the mainstream channels were concerned about explaining how gambling works, mathematically speaking, we would have less cases of addiction, while still keeping it legalized.

It's not legalization that creates the problem, it's the lack of education.
Forbidding something only makes it more fascinating, not less used.
So if we have learned something from tobacco addiction, we can use this knowledge to prevent it from happening again. But states have no interest in this.

[Akbarkoe]

I was reading some statistics and it became apparently obvious that addiction goes straight up when gambling is legalized.

Here's a news article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

For instance in the US it is a crucial point because eight now many states are legalising gambling whereas the only permissible form was state lotteries which were not so addictive. For instance you may buy a ticket but the odds of winning were so low that there was no instant gratification. And the proceeds we're largely used for good causes too.

Now gambling is all about super fast wins and advertising that is projecting false standards. So people are seeing it everywhere and accessing it by just making a bank wire that is instantly credited just like paying for a streaming subscription.

Maybe it's better for the collective good that gambling remains non legalized.

That's the risk a country faces when legalizing gambling. When a country legalizes gambling, it should have a plan to prevent excessive addiction and be able to control both players and casinos. It should also have rehabilitation centers for gambling addicts as a way to address their problems. After all, casinos pay relatively higher taxes than other businesses, and this could be used to develop government services, one of which is rehabilitation centers.

However, if you don't want addiction to occur, then in my opinion, legalizing gambling was the wrong move. Lotteries would have been sufficient.

[Cointxz]

When gambling is legalized, it's heavily introduced to the masses through ads on the main channels of communication. As consequence, you have lots of people being introduced to gambling without proper guidance and knowledge. The chances of having disfunctional behaviors as consequence is huge, and that is what we have been seeing in society nowadays.

I remember when I started gambling. Very few people I knew talked about this matter. I know there were addicted people back then, but not at the current rates of tragic stories where people are destroying their lives due to gambling addiction. It's still 6% of total gamblers who develop a problematic behavior, but 6% from the total number of gamblers we have nowadays is much more impacting than in previous years.

I think if the mainstream channels were concerned about explaining how gambling works, mathematically speaking, we would have less cases of addiction, while still keeping it legalized.

It's not legalization that creates the problem, it's the lack of education.
Forbidding something only makes it more fascinating, not less used.
So if we have learned something from tobacco addiction, we can use this knowledge to prevent it from happening again. But states have no interest in this.

I agree on this one, but it’s not simple on implementing education to counter gambling since it requires a lot of preparation and learnings just to make everyone well versed on how to avoid or handle gambling activities.

It should be thought on the house by a family member instead of  making a curriculum just for this topic since it’s still part of the discipline which a parent can teach to their children.

Casino is not bad per se. It’s the way of people using it makes it bad so regulating it properly is the right approach.

[Nrcewker]

I think I discussed a similar topic a few days ago. I stated then, and I’ll say it again here that an addicted person doesn’t care whether gambling is legalized or not. The increase in the number of reported cases is likely because casinos are now legal, so these incidents are being reported more frequently. I believe the rate of gambling addiction has remained the same.

Instead of focusing on whether casinos are legalized or not, the government should focus on establishing and strengthening rehabilitation centers. People also need to be responsible and gamble within their limits. A responsible gambler only gambles with money they can afford to lose. If they lose that money, they should take a temporary break instead of trying to recover their losses immediately.

[Perfectbaby]

I do not know of other states but I will use my country as a positive point to express the issues at hand.

We know that gambling is legalize in our country and anyone can gamble provided you are up to gambling required age (+18).

We know, that it has actually affected most people in country but that doesn't mean that they will be gambling without taking precautions and also a preventative measure.

When it's legalized on those countries that does not gamble it will affect because that will be their first time gambling openly, therefore a responsible approach to gamble should be taken care to reduce on how frequent one could get addicted in returns.

[Die_empty]

So, ok, what are we going to base our opinion on?

Statistics show that the direct effect of legalization is increased addiction and problem gambling.
Can we even combat this? Maybe in the long term countries with better infrastructure to help those in need will do better but does it help at all when the risk is always there for everyone to get addicted more easily than with harder access without a legalization scheme?

Gambling is legal in all the states in the US except for two: Hawaii and Utah. And statistics show that these two states have the lowest rate of gambling addiction. Meanwhile, the two most friendly gambling states in the US, Nevada and South Dakota, have the highest rate of gambling addiction. Nevada also has the highest overall gambling revenues in the country.

https://www.deseret.com/business/2026/04/21/most-gambling-addicted-nevada-least-utah-sports-betting-wallethub/

It's both a question of ethics as well as practical sociology because maybe there's a way to do legalized gambling without prompting such high increases in addiction and it could be that we haven't discovered it yet. But till then is it ok to let casinos just be while the results of increased addiction are expected?

An outright ban will reduce gambling addiction, but it is not a fair decision. Many people are responsible gamblers who are enjoying the activity.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

Well, legalization could actually increase the addiction like you said but even if it's not legalized there would still be addiction and some scammers would also use the opportunity to start stealing from people and also, the government would likely not benefit from it, so I think it's just necessary for the benefit of the government and also some lucky citizens that always win big prizes, just that they should keep giving addiction awareness to the public so that people can know what they are doing.

[Porfirii]

I am not questioning the fact that legalisation entails an increase in cases, but it would be necessary to consider, in trying to measure the real impact, whether the figures available before legalisation were real, or were reduced precisely because of that circumstance.

Probably, a good part of those who have this type of problem in countries where it has not yet been legalized, are reluctant to ask for help for their rehabilitation, and are not counted.

[Darker45]

Gambling isn't a necessity. It's not the only source of fun or entertainment either. On the contrary, it carries so much danger. So, I think it's beneficial rather than detrimental to society if it's completely eradicated.

There are benefits from gambling like employment, taxes on the part of the government, and of course fun. However, coming from a country where gambling is cultural and where almost everybody has experienced gambling, I think the benefits aren't worth the cost.

[Orpichukwu]

The problem is not just legalisation alone; the problem also boils down to false advertising. The way and manner in which most casinos portray themselves as a means of making fast money is alarming and should be regulated the same way they legalised gambling. That way, how it attracts people into gambling will reduce.

[ultrloa]

I was reading some statistics and it became apparently obvious that addiction goes straight up when gambling is legalized.

Here's a news article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

For instance in the US it is a crucial point because eight now many states are legalising gambling whereas the only permissible form was state lotteries which were not so addictive. For instance you may buy a ticket but the odds of winning were so low that there was no instant gratification. And the proceeds we're largely used for good causes too.

Now gambling is all about super fast wins and advertising that is projecting false standards. So people are seeing it everywhere and accessing it by just making a bank wire that is instantly credited just like paying for a streaming subscription.

Maybe it's better for the collective good that gambling remains non legalized.

If the government fighting gambling addiction that legalization is provably the dumbest action they could do. Since gambling operation will not stop but rather it continues so those people into gambling will continue to do their thing and same effect will still happen with those people exceed on their gambling limits.

The real fight against gambling addiction is taking collective efforts to shutdown all online casinos operating in their jurisdictions. If there's no online gambling site operates then number of people experience bad faith on gambling will slowly declining.

[Satofan44]

I was reading some statistics and it became apparently obvious that addiction goes straight up when gambling is legalized.

Here's a news article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/sports-gambling/gambling-disorder-increased-legalized-sports-betting-rcna351785

For instance in the US it is a crucial point because eight now many states are legalising gambling whereas the only permissible form was state lotteries which were not so addictive. For instance you may buy a ticket but the odds of winning were so low that there was no instant gratification. And the proceeds we're largely used for good causes too.

This data is preliminary, the conclusion is biased, and you can't draw your thoughts from a single study. Actually, this result would be surprising as we usually have decrease in addiction and use with legalization or decriminalization of other things.

Now gambling is all about super fast wins and advertising that is projecting false standards. So people are seeing it everywhere and accessing it by just making a bank wire that is instantly credited just like paying for a streaming subscription.

Maybe it's better for the collective good that gambling remains non legalized.

The issue is again confusing correlations with causality. Things could be happening at similar times for unrelated reasons and any number of variables can be involved. Almost everyone has a smartphone and access to the internet these days, and most people are wasting away copious amounts of their short lives on these shit devices. In recent years there have been pushing to introduce gambling elements or even gambling in almost everything and anything, there are advertising heavily and influencing people to gamble. So while you can compare states with and states without, a conclusion that legalization directly is responsible for all this increase in reported addiction is completely wrong.

For example, more awareness and education of gambling addiction with a reduction of mental illnesses being taboo would lead to an increase in diagnoses for gambling addiction without it being related to anything else that is happening in the same time.

[Dunamisx]

Everyone should have right to do anything they wish, as long as this is all about entertainment and nothing added to harm us or anyone, how we now engage in having fun while gambling determines on what comes as a result, many gamblers today could not manage to compose themselves in gambling, and this is what later leads to addiction because they are always found gambling without moderating how they do it over time.

[rachael9385]

You need to understand that if gambling is legalized it doesn't mean that everyone will get addicted to it because of this because In countries where gambling is legalized it is still a matter of Choice and decisions. Addiction to gambling is something that is developed and legalization doesn't always mean addiction will be increased.