A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine Led by researchers at the University of California San Diego Qualcomm College and School of Medicine, the dramatic increase in sports betting and gambling addiction help seek help since Landmark Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court ruling, paving the way for states to legalize sports Gambling.
Dr. John W. Ayers, senior author of the study, said: “When the Supreme Court legalized the book of sports (a place where betting in various sports competitions), in Murphy v. In the NCAA case, public health experts have attracted little attention.” UC San Diego Altman Institute for Clinical and Translation (ACTRI) and Qualcomm Institute Vice President of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health Innovation at the Department of Public Health. “Now, sports betting has expanded from one state to 38 states, with hundreds of bets (mostly online), and as millions seek help, the record-breaking demand for gambling addiction is consistent.”
Unprecedented growth in sports betting
Since the Supreme Court ruling in 2018, the study has documented growth in the sports book industry:
- The number of states that have operating sports books from 2017-2024 38.
- Comprehensive sports bets from $4.9 billion in 2017 to $121.1 billion in 2023and Place 94% of bets online in 2023.
“Sports betting has been deeply embedded in our culture,” said Matthew Allen, a third-year medical student. “From ruthless ads to social media feeds and comments in games, sports betting is now out of the box.” Nowhere. Once a taboo activity, limited to the margins of society, has been completely normalized.”
The researchers noted that these trends are expected to grow, largely due to the industry’s investment in sports betting as the future of gambling, a rename of Caesars Sports Magazine and Casinos by Caesars Entertainment.
Public health blind spots
“Although gambling addiction is a recognized disease in the diagnostic and statistical manuals of mental disorders, it is still largely overlooked in health care and public health without formal surveillance.” Psychiatry. “Without systematic surveillance, we will fly blindly and millions of people bet on the movement.”
To fill this gap, the research team analyzed the overall search trends of Google search trends, which mentioned gambling, addicted, addicted, anonymous or hotlines from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2024.
“Many people who struggle with addiction are not publicly discussing it,” said Davey Smith, MD, professor of medicine and director of ACTRI. “By analyzing search trends, we can get a real-time picture of the true scale of gambling addiction in the United States.”
Record gambling addiction help seek help
At the same time as the growth of sports betting, the Internet seeks help from gambling addiction, such as “I’m addicted to gambling,” which has increased cumulatively. 23% nationwide Since Murphy v. NCAA v. June 2024, this corresponds to 65 to 7.3 million nationwide searches for gambling addiction help seeking help, whose monthly searches are at its peak.
According to the state’s beginning, the opening of sports books always corresponds to the increased demand for gambling addiction. Illinois (35%), Massachusetts (47%), Michigan (37%), New Jersey (34%), New York (37%), Ohio (67%), Pennsylvania (50%) and Virginia (30%) Searches related to gambling addiction experienced a significant increase after any sports books opened in their state.
“The search volumes observed in all eight states were significantly higher, so our findings were accidental,” said Atharva Yeola, a student researcher at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute. The above is that these results are less than one in 25.6 billion likely to occur randomly.”
Online sports books drive greater risks
The study found that online sports books have a much greater impact on seeking help with gambling addiction than traditional physical sports betting. For example, in Pennsylvania:
- Introduced Retail Sports Books Causes a 33% of gambling addiction helps seek search In the five months before the online sports book was released.
- when Online Sports Books Available, search surge 61% – Significantly larger, continuous increase It lasted for many years
“This model highlights the amplified risks associated with the accessibility and convenience of online sports betting,” added Dr. Adam Poliak Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Bryn Mawr College.
Policy and public health reforms are needed
“Expanding legal sports betting to an always-in-the-blocking range has exceeded our ability to understand and address its public health consequences,” said Nimit Desai, a third-year medical student. “Our The findings are a call for alertness to makers, healthcare professionals and public health advocates to take action now.”
To mitigate the risks posed by the expansion of sports betting, the researchers recommend that the following interventions be explored:
- Increase funding for gambling addiction services Use Sportsbook tax revenue to ensure an accessible, evidence-based treatment plan.
- Enhanced advertising regulations Similar to those implemented for tobacco and alcohol to limit where to advertise and target products.
- Clinical training programs for healthcare professionals Improve gambling addiction diagnosis and treatment.
- Stronger safeguards for online sports booksincluding betting restrictions, age restrictions, mandatory rest and restrictions on the use of gambling credit cards.
- Movement to expand public awareness Emphasize the risks and warning signs of gambling, reduce stigma and encourage early intervention.
- Continuous data sharing and research collaborationunite regulators, health care providers and regulators to assess the effectiveness of interventions and improve policies.
“There is a lack of sports betting regulations because the Supreme Court, not the legislators, legislators,” Ayers concluded. “Congress must act by passing common sense safeguards. History shows that before the regulations catch up, unchecked industries ( Whether it’s tobacco or opioids, it’s a huge harm. We can take positive steps to prevent gambling-related hazards, or repeat past mistakes and pay later.”
Yeola, Allen, Desai, Poliak, Yang, Smith, Smith and Ayers wrote “Health Attention to Gambling Addiction in the Age of Sports Betting” (DOI: 10.1001/Jamainternmed.2024.8193). It can be online JAMA Internal Medicine website.
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