UC San Diego study reveals rise in sports betting addiction reports
The university said there has been a dramatic increase in recent years.
Key Points
- The study tracked gambling addiction reports after PASPA was overturned
- The senior author said public health experts did not pay much attention to the rising trends
Researchers from the University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine have led a new sports betting study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
According to the findings, there has been “a dramatic increase” in sports wagering and gambling addiction since the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban.
The study’s senior author John W. Ayers claimed that public health experts “paid little attention” following the decision to overturn PASPA in May 2018.
He said, “Now, 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.”
Ayers also serves as the Vice Chief of Innovation in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, as the deputy director of informatics at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI), and as a Qualcomm Institute scientist.
Since the Supreme Court decision, more than 38 states have passed laws legalizing sports wagering.
Good to know: Mobile sports betting is currently available in 30 states
Third-year medical student Matthew Allen discussed how sports wagering has affected culture.
He said, “Sports betting has become deeply embedded in our culture. From 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.”
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