{"id":841177,"date":"2025-04-15T21:12:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T02:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/game-over-the-startling-impact-of-sports-betting-on-public-health\/"},"modified":"2025-04-15T21:12:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T02:12:36","slug":"game-over-the-startling-impact-of-sports-betting-on-public-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/game-over-the-startling-impact-of-sports-betting-on-public-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Over: The Startling Impact of Sports Betting on Public Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_455507\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-455507\"><a href=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/Sports-Betting-Online-Smartphone-App.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/Sports-Betting-Online-Smartphone-App-777x518.jpg\" alt=\"Sports Betting Online Smartphone App\" width=\"777\" height=\"518\"  ><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-455507\">Sports betting is booming, but so is gambling addiction. Online sportsbooks, easy access, and aggressive advertising are driving record-high addiction help-seeking. Experts call for urgent policies to curb the risks before it spirals further.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The legalization of sports betting has fueled a nationwide addiction crisis.<\/h3>\n<p><em>With billions wagered and online sportsbooks making betting effortless, help-seeking for gambling addiction has hit record highs. Yet, public health efforts remain dangerously inadequate. Without urgent reforms\u2014stricter advertising, stronger betting safeguards, and expanded treatment services\u2014the crisis will only worsen.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Surge in Gambling Addiction Following Legalization of Sports Betting<\/h4>\n<p>A new study published today (February 17) in <em data-start=\"25\" data-end=\"49\">JAMA Internal Medicine<\/em> by researchers at the University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine highlights a sharp rise in sports betting and gambling addiction help-seeking. This increase has followed the 2018 <em data-start=\"264\" data-end=\"280\">Murphy v. NCAA<\/em> Supreme Court decision, which allowed states to legalize sports betting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the Supreme Court legalized sportsbooks \u2014 a venue where people can wager on various sports competitions \u2014 in Murphy v. NCAA, public health experts paid little attention,\u201d said the study\u2019s senior author John W. Ayers, Ph.D., who is vice chief of innovation in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, deputy director of informatics at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI), and Qualcomm Institute scientist. \u201cNow, sportsbooks have expanded from a single state to 38 states, with hundreds of billions of wagers, mostly online, coinciding with record-breaking demand for help with gambling addiction as millions seek help.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_455484\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-455484\"><a href=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/Online-Sports-Betting-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/Online-Sports-Betting-777x518.jpg\" alt=\"Online Sports Betting\" width=\"777\" height=\"518\"  ><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-455484\">New research from UC San Diego provides the most comprehensive look yet at how the rapid expansion of sports betting venues, particularly online, is driving record increases in gambling addiction across the United States. Credit: Areli Alvarez of Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Unprecedented Growth in Sports Betting<\/h4>\n<p>Since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, the study documents staggering growth in the sportsbook industry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The number of states with operational sportsbooks grew from <strong>1 in 2017 to 38 in 2024<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Total sports wagers skyrocketed from <strong>$4.9 billion in 2017 to $121.1 billion in 2023<\/strong>, with <strong>94% of wagers during 2023 placed online<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cSports betting has become deeply embedded in our culture,\u201d said Matthew Allen, a third-year medical student. \u201cFrom relentless advertising to social media feeds and in-game commentary, sportsbooks are now everywhere. What was once a taboo activity, confined to the fringes of society, has been completely normalized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The researchers note these trends are projected to grow, in no small part due to the industry\u2019s investment in sportsbooks as the future of gambling, as evidenced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/business\/casinos-gaming\/caesars-entertainment-reveals-sports-betting-rebranding-move-2412130\/\">Caesars Entertainment\u2019s rebranding to Caesars Sportsbook and Casino<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_455483\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-455483\"><a href=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/US-Sportsbook-Operators-and-Total-Wagers-2017-to-2023.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/US-Sportsbook-Operators-and-Total-Wagers-2017-to-2023-777x932.jpg\" alt=\"US Sportsbook Operators and Total Wagers 2017 to 2023\" width=\"777\" height=\"932\"  ><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-455483\">The number of sports venue operators (top) and total wagers in the U.S. (bottom) surged from 2017 to 2023. Credit: John W. Ayers of UC San Diego<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>A Public Health Blind Spot<\/h4>\n<p>\u201cDespite gambling addiction as a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it remains largely overlooked in healthcare and public health with no formal ongoing surveillance,\u201d said Kevin Yang, M.D., a third-year resident physician in the Department of Psychiatry<strong>. <\/strong>\u201cWithout systematic surveillance, we are flying blind while millions bet on sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To fill this gap, the research team analyzed aggregate Google search trends for queries that mentioned gambling, addiction, addict, anonymous or hotline, from January 1, 2016, through June 30, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people struggling with addiction don\u2019t openly discuss it, but they do turn to the internet for answers,\u201d said Davey Smith, M.D., professor of medicine and director of ACTRI. \u201cBy analyzing search trends, we can gain real-time insight into the true scale of gambling addiction in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_455482\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-455482\"><a href=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/US-Internet-Searches-for-Gambling-Addiction-2016-to-2024.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/images\/US-Internet-Searches-for-Gambling-Addiction-2016-to-2024-777x463.jpg\" alt=\"US Internet Searches for Gambling Addiction 2016 to 2024\" width=\"777\" height=\"463\"  ><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-455482\">Monthly internet searches for gambling addiction in the U.S. grew from January 2016 to June 2024. Credit: John W. Ayers of UC San Diego<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Record Levels of Gambling Addiction Help Seeking<\/h4>\n<p>Parallel with the growth in sportsbooks, internet searches for help with gambling addiction, such as \u201cam I addicted to gambling,\u201d have cumulatively increased<strong> 23% nationally <\/strong>since Murphy v. NCAA through June 2024. This<strong> corresponds with approximately 6.5 to 7.3 million searches for gambling addiction help-seeking nationally<\/strong>, with 180,000 monthly searches at its peak.<\/p>\n<p>By state, the opening of sportsbooks consistently corresponded with increased demand for gambling addiction help seeking. Illinois (35%), Massachusetts (47%), Michigan (37%), New Jersey (34%), New York (37%), Ohio (67%), Pennsylvania (50%) and Virginia (30%) all experienced significant increases in gambling addiction-related searches following the opening of any sportsbooks in their state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe significantly higher search volumes observed in all eight states make it virtually impossible that our findings occurred by chance,\u201d said Atharva Yeola, a student researcher in the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute. \u201cStatistically speaking, the probability of these results happening randomly is less than one in 25.6 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Online Sportsbooks Drive Even Greater Risk<\/h4>\n<p>The study found that online sportsbooks had a substantially greater impact on gambling addiction help-seeking than traditional brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. For example, in Pennsylvania:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The introduction of <strong>retail sportsbooks<\/strong> led to a <strong>33% increase in gambling addiction help seeking searches<\/strong> during the five months before online sportsbooks launched.<\/li>\n<li>When <strong>online sportsbooks<\/strong> became available, searches surged <strong>61%\u2014a significantly greater and more sustained increase<\/strong> that persisted for years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThis pattern highlights the amplified risks associated with the accessibility and convenience of online sports betting,\u201d added Adam Poliak, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science at Bryn Mawr College.<\/p>\n<h4>Policy and Public Health Reforms Needed<\/h4>\n<p>\u201cThe expansion of legalized sports betting to always be at arm\u2019s reach has outpaced our ability to understand and address its public health consequences,\u201d said Nimit Desai, a third-year medical student. \u201cOur findings are a wake-up call for policymakers, healthcare professionals and public health advocates to act now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To mitigate the risks posed by the expansion of sports betting, the researchers recommend the following interventions be explored:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increased funding for gambling addiction services<\/strong> using sportsbook tax revenues to ensure accessible, evidence-based treatment programs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhanced advertising regulations<\/strong> similar to those implemented for tobacco and alcohol to restrict where products can be advertised and who can be targeted.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clinical training programs for healthcare professionals<\/strong> to improve gambling addiction diagnosis and treatment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stronger safeguards for online sportsbooks<\/strong>, including betting limits, age limits, enforced breaks and restrictions on credit card use for gambling.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expanded public awareness campaigns<\/strong> highlighting the risks and warning signs of gambling, reducing stigma and encouraging early intervention.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ongoing data sharing and research collaborations<\/strong>, uniting regulatory bodies, healthcare providers and regulators to assess the effectiveness of interventions and refine policies in real time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cSportsbook regulations are lacking because the Supreme Court, not legislators, legalized them,\u201d concluded Ayers. \u201cCongress must act now by passing commonsense safeguards. History has shown that unchecked industries\u2014whether tobacco or opioids\u2014inflict immense harm before regulations catch up. We can either take proactive steps to prevent gambling-related harms or repeat past mistakes and pay the price later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reference: \u201cGrowing Health Concern Regarding Gambling Addiction in the Age of Sportsbooks\u201d by Atharva Yeola, Matthew R. Allen, Nimit Desai, Adam Poliak, Kevin H. Yang, Davey M. Smith and John W. Ayers, 17 February 2025, <i>JAMA Internal Medicine<\/i>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamainternmed.2024.8193\">DOI: 10.1001\/jamainternmed.2024.8193<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> University of California &#8211; San Diego <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/game-over-the-startling-impact-of-sports-betting-on-public-health\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sports betting is booming, but so is gambling addiction. Online sportsbooks, easy access, and aggressive advertising are driving record-high addiction help-seeking. Experts call for urgent policies to curb the risks before it spirals further. The legalization of sports betting has fueled a nationwide addiction crisis. With billions wagered and online sportsbooks making betting effortless, help-seeking<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":841178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29433,28594],"tags":[7879,117330],"class_list":{"0":"post-841177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-impact","8":"category-startling","9":"tag-impact","10":"tag-startling"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=841177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/841178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=841177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=841177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=841177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}