tag:theconversation.com,2011:/es/topics/gambling-in-america-13055/articlesGambling in America – The Conversation2023-02-10T14:31:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1996572023-02-10T14:31:53Z2023-02-10T14:31:53ZA boon for sports fandom or a looming mental health crisis? 5 essential reads on the effects of legal sports betting<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509263/original/file-20230209-22-4dax04.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=132%2C97%2C4532%2C2930&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In a remarkable shift, pro sports leagues like the NFL have eagerly embraced gambling.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/one-hundred-dollar-football-royalty-free-image/471257888?phrase=sports betting&adppopup=true">michaelquirk/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A lifelong sports fan, I grew up hearing tales of sports figures felled by gambling scandals – baseball stars <a href="https://www.silive.com/news/2021/06/si-field-of-dreams-black-sox-outfielder-shoeless-joe-jackson-played-here-after-baseball-ban.html">“Shoeless” Joe Jackson</a> and <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pete-rose-gets-booted-from-baseball">Pete Rose</a>, <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/chalk/story/_/id/11633538/betting-chronicling-worst-fix-ever-1978-79-bc-point-shaving-scandal">the 1978-79 Boston College basketball team</a> and NBA referee <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25980368/how-former-ref-tim-donaghy-conspired-fix-nba-games">Tim Donaghy</a>. </p>
<p>Sports leagues wanted nothing to do with gambling, which they feared would taint the integrity of the game. They had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/02/nyregion/how-politics-nipped-a-sports-betting-bill.html">lobbied heavily</a> for the passage of <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/102/s474/summary">the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992</a>, also known as the Bradley Act, which banned sports betting in the U.S.</p>
<p>Then, in May 2018, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/us/politics/supreme-court-sports-betting-new-jersey.html">overturned the Bradley Act</a>.</p>
<p>This time, the leagues and networks were fully on board. Gambling ads for companies like DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel started appearing in arenas and beaming across airwaves. Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams <a href="https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2022/09/15/davante-adams-becomes-brand-ambassador-for-official-gaming-parter-of-the-raiders-mgm-resorts/">signed a sponsorship deal</a> with MGM. And point spreads started being prominently featured on sports media outlets. </p>
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<p>Curious, I started placing some bets myself. I instantly grasped the allure: Here I was, watching games that I would have otherwise never watched – that didn’t involve my favorite teams, the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots – and I was engaged and excited from start to finish. The leagues, too, must have been keenly aware of this opportunity to engage fans when they decided to change their tune on gambling. </p>
<p>With the five-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision approaching, I wanted to learn more about what scholars at the forefront of gambling research had been discovering. How many people were betting on sports? For those <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/14/589087523/supreme-court-rules-states-are-free-to-legalize-sports-betting">who criticized</a> the Supreme Court decision five years ago, was their hand-wringing misplaced? Were rates of problem gambling actually on the rise? If so, who was most at risk?</p>
<p>Gambling research can be challenging; <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">laws and regulations vary by state</a>, and gambling researchers <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">receive almost no federal funding</a>. </p>
<p>But a small and dedicated group of scholars in the U.S. and abroad have been gauging the impact of this new era in American sports. With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.</p>
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<h2>1. A new fan experience</h2>
<p>Prior to becoming the chair of Penn State’s sports journalism program, <a href="https://www.bellisario.psu.edu/people/individual/john-affleck">John Affleck</a> had worked as a sports reporter and editor for The Associated Press. Both in the newsroom and in his early years at Penn State, there was nary a peep about gambling. </p>
<p>Now he notices his students regularly talking about the point spread and over/under for upcoming games.</p>
<p>He writes about <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">how quickly gambling has become integrated in sports media</a>, with announcers and analysts peppering in references to gambling during live coverage and postgame analysis.</p>
<p>He describes the thousands of betting tip channels on YouTube, the segments on TV devoted to gambling and the betting lines that appear in game previews.</p>
<p>“In the nearly five years since the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting, a whole industry has sprouted up that, for tens of millions of fans around the country, is now just part of the show.”</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">How legalized sports betting has transformed the fan experience</a>
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<h2>2. Is New Jersey a canary in the coal mine?</h2>
<p>After the Supreme Court’s May 2018 ruling, New Jersey was one of a handful of states primed to pounce: Legislation had been prepped in advance, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/nyregion/sports-betting-legalized-nj.html">and the governor signed a bill legalizing sports betting</a> less than a month after the federal ban was overturned.</p>
<p>But the state also included something in their legislation that other states didn’t: It gave the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University access to data on every bet placed in the state, and tasked it with conducting regular studies on gambling in New Jersey. </p>
<p>Lia Nower, who directs the center, <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">highlights some worrisome findings</a> from her team’s forthcoming gambling prevalence study – particularly for young bettors.</p>
<p>She and her team found that those who bet on sports were more likely than other gamblers to have problems with drugs or alcohol and experience anxiety and depression. Most alarming, about 14% of sports bettors reported thoughts of suicide, with 10% saying they had attempted suicide. And the fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey were young adults between the ages of 20 and 25 – over 70% of whom had placed in-game bets. </p>
<p>“Since about 70% of the sports bets we analyzed were losing bets,” Nower writes, “most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford.”</p>
<p>Nower also explains how other countries with a longer history of legal sports betting have enacted a raft of regulations intended to protect gamblers and curb the worst excesses of the gambling companies – a topic another scholar, Alex Russell, <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">explores in his history of sports gambling in Australia</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">Data from New Jersey is a warning sign for young sports bettors</a>
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<h2>3. Technology facilitates impulsive betting</h2>
<p>If there’s one key difference between the early 1990s, when the Bradley Act passed, and today, it’s the advent of smartphones.</p>
<p>In many states, there’s no need to drive to a casino to place a bet on a game; all you need to do is download a gambling app. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299495/forecast-number-of-online-sports-bettors-us/">According to one estimate</a>, there were about 19 million online sports bettors in 2022.</p>
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<p>Clinical psychologist and gambling researcher Meredith K. Ginley explores how <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">these apps facilitate impulsive in-game betting</a> that can cause losses to mount until the final whistle blows.</p>
<p>“Proximity to gambling venues is a known risk factor for problematic levels of gambling,” she writes. “Sports wagering apps essentially load a casino onto the phone in your pocket.”</p>
<p>Many apps offer tools that let users set deposit, loss and wagering limits to encourage responsible gambling. But, she adds, the apps are also “heavily ‘gamified’ to feel more like an interactive video game” with “push notifications, free play, leaderboards and more.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">Sports betting apps' notifications and leaderboards encourage more and more wagers – a psychologist who treats gambling addictions explains why some people get hooked</a>
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<h2>4. A new problem gambler profile emerges</h2>
<p>Sure enough, some sports bettors have developed gambling problems.</p>
<p>Tori Horn, a clinical psychologist at the University of Memphis <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">who treats people with gambling disorder</a>, has seen a shift in the profile of her typical patient – from clients who were usually older and gambled in casinos to younger men, mostly in their 20s, who are seeking treatment for problems with sports betting. </p>
<p>Horn explains how many of her patients started betting via gambling apps after learning about promotions like FanDuel’s “No Sweat First Bet,” which offers free bets to new users. </p>
<p>In addiction therapy, therapists often encourage clients to avoid places, people and situations that are associated with the substance. </p>
<p>For these reasons, problem sports gamblers – particularly those who use apps – “present a unique challenge,” she writes, since it is “incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to ask a client to stop using their smartphone or stop watching sports.”</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-treat-people-with-gambling-disorder-and-im-starting-to-see-more-and-more-young-men-who-are-betting-on-sports-198285">I treat people with gambling disorder – and I’m starting to see more and more young men who are betting on sports</a>
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<h2>5. The ‘hidden addiction’</h2>
<p>But might concerns over sports betting be overblown?</p>
<p>James P. Whalen, who directs the Institute for Gambling Education and Research at the University of Memphis, cautions against reaching any sort of premature conclusions about legal sports betting as a societal scourge.</p>
<p>“A review of 30 years of research on the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder reveals a pattern,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-americans-are-problem-gamblers-so-why-do-so-few-people-ever-seek-treatment-197861">he writes</a>. “More gambling availability tends to lead to a spike in the number of people reporting gambling issues in the short term. However, populations tend to adapt over time; the rate of gambling problems decreases accordingly.”</p>
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<p>Regardless, there are still millions of Americans who are caught in the throes of gambling addiction. And treating the disorder – so stigmatized that it’s often called the “<a href="https://cocaberks.org/problem-gambling-the-hidden-addiction/">hidden addiction</a>” – is complicated by the fact that relatively few people seek treatment compared with other mental health disorders.</p>
<p>“The other challenge is the rate at which people discontinue treatment,” Whelan adds. For most mental health disorders, 20% of people who start therapy will drop out before completing a standard course of treatment, he explains.</p>
<p>“By comparison,” he notes, “the dropout rate for gambling harms is nearly double: 39%.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-americans-are-problem-gamblers-so-why-do-so-few-people-ever-seek-treatment-197861">Millions of Americans are problem gamblers – so why do so few people ever seek treatment?</a>
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With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1978652023-02-09T13:34:03Z2023-02-09T13:34:03ZData from New Jersey is a warning sign for young sports bettors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508402/original/file-20230206-27-cp4rbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C53%2C3593%2C2488&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fans celebrate at the William Hill Sports Book in Atlantic City, N.J.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fans-gather-at-william-hill-sports-book-at-ocean-resort-news-photo/1127223046?phrase=sports%20book%20new%20jersey&adppopup=true">Lisa Lake/Getty Images for William Hill US</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for Super Bowl LVII, a record-breaking 50 million bettors are expected to have <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/new/record-50-million-americans-to-wager-16b-on-super-bowl-lvii/">US$16 billion</a> of their own skin in the game, according to the American Gaming Association. </p>
<p>In January 2023, Ohio and Massachusetts launched legal sports betting, joining Washington D.C. and <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">34 other states</a> that have passed laws since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban in 2018. State legislatures have generally been eager to capitalize on the tax windfalls from sports betting and get their slice of <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/resources/aga-commercial-gaming-revenue-tracker/">the billions</a> wagered annually. Voters are also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/08/legal-sports-betting-support-americans/">increasingly supportive of legalization</a>. </p>
<p>Here in New Jersey, sports betting, both online and in person, has been legal since June 2018. The state is the only jurisdiction that requires yearly evaluations of the relationship of online gambling and sports wagering to problem gambling. </p>
<p>The Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, which I direct, <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">conducts those annual evaluations</a> using data from all sports bets placed in New Jersey since 2018. Our findings suggest that the nation’s love affair with sports betting may be having unintended consequences.</p>
<h2>Sports betting tied to poor mental health</h2>
<p>In a forthcoming statewide gambling prevalence study, we found that those wagering on sports in New Jersey were more likely than others who gamble to have high rates of problem gambling and problems with drugs or alcohol, and to experience mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Most alarming, findings suggest that about 14% of sports bettors reported thoughts of suicide, and 10% said they had made a suicide attempt.</p>
<p>A small group of bettors seem to be most at risk. About 5% of all sports bettors placed nearly half of all bets and spent nearly 70% of the money. That means the people losing the most money are the most essential to operator profits.</p>
<p><a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">The fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey</a> are young adults, ages 21 to 24. Most have placed in-game bets, and about 19% spent half of their money betting during games, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">when emotions and impulsive spending are highest</a>. </p>
<p>Although regulators require operators to allow bettors to set limits – on losses, deposits or time spent gambling – only about 1% of young bettors use any of the safeguards, less than any other age group. Since about <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">70% of the sports bets we analyzed</a> were losing bets, most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford. </p>
<h2>A vulnerable population</h2>
<p>It is possible, then, that states could unwittingly be introducing a cohort of young people to problem gambling and a lifetime of negative consequences. </p>
<p>That’s because the younger that people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jpsychires.2012.02.007">start gambling</a>, the more activities they bet on. And the more frequently they bet, the more likely they are to develop serious gambling problems. Studies suggest that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9726-y">those who gamble as young adults</a> have higher-than-average rates of problem gambling.</p>
<p>The danger is compounded by the easy access afforded by tablets and mobile phones, which eliminate most barriers to gambling even for those who are underage. Children who are exposed to the unrelenting parade of gambling ads <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12728">report they remember</a> both the products and the betting terms from those ads, and some teens say <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.128">they intended to gamble as a result</a>. If <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107460">parents or other household members also gamble</a>, those children may later develop not only gambling problems, but also problems with drugs and alcohol. </p>
<h2>Few regulatory measures in place</h2>
<p>In the U.S., the Marlboro Man can no longer gallop across <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/federal-cigarette-labeling-advertising-act">the nation’s television airwaves</a>. Alcohol ads <a href="https://alcohol.org/laws/marketing-to-the-public/">can’t contain</a> statements that are misleading, patently false or target those who are underage.</p>
<p>However, there are currently no such federal guidelines for gambling ads. Major League Baseball, which banned Pete Rose and locked him out of the Hall of Fame for gambling, openly sanctions <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2021/08/10/why-nearly-all-mlb-ballparks-will-have-a-sportsbook-attached-to-it-in-the-future/?sh=52ba50cb36d8">sports books attached to stadiums</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianred/2021/01/12/major-league-baseball-teams-and-a-new-revenue-stream-online-gaming-business-partners/?sh=a0866755ef95">partnerships with gambling operators</a>. The same goes for the NFL and most of its teams, with former stars like Eli Manning <a href="https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/23/see-it-new-york-giants-legend-eli-manning-appears-new-caesars-ad-with-brothers/">encouraging betting</a> in ads and Pro Bowl wide receiver Davonte Adams becoming the <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/news/davante-adams-likely-first-active-nfl-player-with-gambling-related-sponsor">first active player</a> with a gambling sponsor.</p>
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<img alt="Man holding betting slip." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508401/original/file-20230206-29-rmkopb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A man holds a betting slip on the first day of legal sports betting in New Jersey on June 14, 2018.</span>
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<p>Those who recognize they have a gambling problem also have no assurances that they can find help. </p>
<p>Gambling treatment services <a href="https://naadgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NAADGS_2021_Survey_of_Publicly_Funded_Problem_Gambling_Services_in_the_United_States_v2.pdf">vary by state</a>, from specially trained, culturally competent counselors in a few states to a total lack of services in others. Most children and teens receive no education in schools about problem gambling as they do for drugs and alcohol. Some universities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/business/caesars-sports-betting-universities-colleges.html">are openly partnering with gambling companies</a> and sponsoring esports competitions, which invite underage betting.</p>
<p>The federal government is noticeably silent on a glamorized addiction. Nationally, there are no federal policies, prohibitions or federally funded research or <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">prevention programs</a>, despite all the revenue generated by taxes on gambling winnings.</p>
<p>Internationally, gambling-related abuses and tragedies have led countries <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">like Australia and the U.K.</a> to enact new regulations and significant penalties for operators. The U.K., for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2022.0020">requires operators to conduct affordability checks</a> on patrons to ensure they can afford their losses and prohibits gambling advertising by athletes, celebrities or social media influencers who appeal to children and teens.</p>
<p>I think it’s only a matter of time before similar proposals make their way to the U.S. In the meantime, however, millions of people in more than half the country will legally lay their hard-earned money on the line for a chance to win big on Sunday.</p>
<p>Hopefully, they can afford to lose.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197865/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lia Nower has been a member of advisory boards, and has conducted research and grant reviews for U.S. and international governments, government-related agencies, private firms, and industry operators. These include New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement & Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Ohio's Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Camelot (United Kingdom), Crown Casino (Australia), the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (Canada), Churchill Downs (U.S.), Aristocrat Leisure (Australia), the New York Council on Problem Gambling, Publiedit (Italy) and the National Council on Problem Gambling (U.S.).</span></em></p>Researchers who analyzed every sports bet placed online since 2018 found that young adults are the fastest-growing group of bettors, with more than 70% of them placing in-game bets.Lia Nower, Professor and Director, Center for Gambling Studies, Rutgers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1978612023-02-08T13:41:04Z2023-02-08T13:41:04ZMillions of Americans are problem gamblers – so why do so few people ever seek treatment?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508445/original/file-20230206-29-977c0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C5%2C1781%2C1258&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Only about 10% of people with a gambling problem ever seek treatment.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/silhouette-of-man-facing-the-light-royalty-free-image/1190407585">Sean Gladwell/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The opportunity to gamble has moved from a trip to Vegas, to a drive to a local casino, to the phone in your pocket. And if you’re a sports fan, nudges to place bets <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-legalized-sports-betting-has-transformed-the-fan-experience-194994">have become nearly impossible to ignore</a>, with sports gambling ads and promos routinely appearing on TV, social media, sports radio and in arenas.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">The stunning expansion of sports wagering</a> following <a href="https://doi.org/10.2308/apin-52199">decades of casino expansion</a> certainly gives any rational person reason to pause. </p>
<p>For most bettors, gambling is an occasional form of entertainment – Powerball tickets <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-winning-record-2-billion-powerball-jackpot-could-still-lead-to-bankruptcy-193921">when the jackpot swells to $1 billion</a>, <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/super-bowl-squares-grid-2023-best-numbers/ltur0ayv6wvsdkyjjk2cnmdo">Super Bowl squares</a> with co-workers, a birthday trip to the casino.</p>
<p>But for other people, the possibility of developing a gambling disorder looms.</p>
<p>To what extent should Americans be worried? </p>
<h2>To gamble is to be human</h2>
<p>A nuanced answer begins with the fact that gambling has been popular for a long, long time. </p>
<p>Evidence of gambling has been found <a href="https://dgschwartz.com/books/roll-the-bones/">in ancient cultures around the world</a>. Archaeologists have unearthed dice marked with pips, or dots, in Mesopotamia that date back to 1300 B.C. Historians have located records of dice games in Greek and Indian cities before 400 B.C. </p>
<p>In North America, one Navajo myth tells <a href="https://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/nav/gambler.htm">the story of Noqoìlpi</a>, or “the gambler.” Informal gambling games and lotteries were common in the American Colonies, including <a href="https://www.ephemerasociety.org/colonial-america-lotteries/">lotteries to fund the Continental Army</a>. </p>
<p>In the U.S., sports and gambling have long been intertwined. In the decades after the Civil War, pool halls were set up near Western Union stations so gamblers <a href="https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3673&context=jclc">could easily place bets on horses</a>. And sports like baseball and boxing became hugely popular in the 19th century, in part <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-gambling-built-baseball-and-then-almost-destroyed-it-123254">because they attracted action from bettors</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Magazine cover featuring baseball coach in red uniform looking dejected." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508457/original/file-20230206-19-j5nxa8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Baseball great Pete Rose was punished with a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for betting on games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.si.com/.image/t_share/MTY4MTkwMDczNzQxMjU2NjA1/1989-0403-pete-rose-si-cover-001291038jpg.jpg">Sports Illustrated</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For as long as there’s been gambling, there has also been problem gambling.</p>
<p>Several writers in ancient India <a href="https://doi.org/10.4103%2F0019-5545.37674">highlighted the consequences of habitual gambling</a>. Over 150 years ago, Dostoyevsky famously wrote “Crime and Punishment” <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/dostoyevsky-crime-punishment-birmingham-sinner-saint/620175/">to pay off gambling debts</a>. And in the 20th century, sports betting imploded the careers of baseball legends <a href="https://www.silive.com/news/2021/06/si-field-of-dreams-black-sox-outfielder-shoeless-joe-jackson-played-here-after-baseball-ban.html">“Shoeless” Joe Jackson</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/24/sports/rose-in-deal-is-said-to-accept-lifetime-ban-for-betting-on-reds.html">Pete Rose</a>.</p>
<h2>When problems arise</h2>
<p>I describe this history because it shows that humans have always seemed to find a way to gamble, whether it’s legal or not. And, inevitably, some bettors will experience harm or a gambling disorder.</p>
<p>I direct <a href="https://www.memphis.edu/gamblingclinic">the Institute for Gambling Education and Research</a>, where we focus on the treatment of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t39/">gambling disorder</a> and <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">gambling problems</a>.</p>
<p>Psychologists have only recently begun to view problem gamblers as a form of addictive behavior, in which gambling urges, tolerance and withdrawal are akin to how substance use disorders unfold. Researchers have found that brain imaging data and symptom patterns of problem gamblers are similar to those of people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Gamblers can build a tolerance, meaning that they need to gamble more and bet in higher amounts in order to maintain the same levels of excitement. And attempts to cut back or stop can lead to emotional struggles. </p>
<p>There are also financial and social ramifications to gambling disorder.</p>
<p><a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-018-0251-9">Distress about money</a> is the most frequently cited reason people start questioning whether they have a problem. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Problem_and_Pathological_Gambling/TqSbEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Problem+and+Pathological+Gambling+Whelan,+Andrew+W.+Meyers,+Timothy+A.+Steenbergh&pg=PR2&printsec=frontcover">But other symptoms include</a> damage done to relationships, deterioration in mood and the physical costs of this distress. Problem gamblers often lie about or hide their gambling, which can make it difficult for loved ones to recognize.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9471-4">best prevalence research</a> shows that somewhere between 1% and 2% of the U.S. adult population, or 2 to 4 million adults, will experience a gambling disorder in their lifetime. Another 3% to 5%, or 5 to 9 million people, will, at some point in their lives, report a subclinical problem, which means that some gambling disorder symptoms are present but the psychiatric diagnosis is not warranted.</p>
<p>Despite some hand-wringing over the expansion of sports betting, I believe any increase in the rate of problems is likely to be temporary. <a href="https://opus.uleth.ca/bitstream/handle/10133/3068/2012-PREVALENCE-OPGRC%20(2).pdf">A review of 30 years of research</a> on the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder reveals a pattern. More gambling availability tends to lead to a spike in the number of people reporting gambling issues in the short term. However, populations tend to adapt over time; the rate of gambling problems decreases accordingly. </p>
<p>It will be interesting to see whether the same pattern plays out for sports betting. </p>
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<h2>Barriers to treatment</h2>
<p>My team also operates an outpatient clinic where we treat people with gambling disorder. Our research and therapy sessions have pointed to some encouraging news, along with a few barriers. </p>
<p>The good news is that treatment, particularly when it includes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2009.04.002">cognitive behavioral techniques</a>, significantly reduces gambling disorder symptoms and psychological distress. While long-term treatment is recommended, an effective <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000710">course of treatment</a> is about eight to 10 sessions. </p>
<p>Yet there are still roadblocks. People are often hesitant to try treatment; those who do frequently drop out. </p>
<p>People are often unaware they have gambling problems, even when they report having symptoms of problem gambling. We don’t exactly know why. The impact, though, is substantial. Only about 10% of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/jba.3.2014.3.7">individuals with a gambling problem ever seek treatment</a>. As a comparison, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201200454">rate of seeking help</a> among those with substance use disorders runs somewhere between 10% and 50%. It’s considerably lower than those experiencing depression and anxiety, 70% to 90% of whom will seek treatment. </p>
<p>We also know that gambling disorder is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9775-x">one of the most stigmatized mental health concerns</a>. We find that people tend to blame someone who has developed gambling problems, and view them as dangerous or untrustworthy. By contrast, someone experiencing depression and anxiety is less likely to be blamed for their problems.</p>
<p>The other challenge is the rate at which people discontinue treatment before completing the standard course of therapy. For most mental health concerns, 20% who start a psychological treatment <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028226">fail to continue in that treatment</a>. By comparison, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000710">dropout rate for gambling harms</a> is nearly double: 39%. </p>
<p>We believe that dropout rate is not explained by people not wanting to put in the work to change. Instead, the relationship with the therapist and ambivalence about the progress being made tend to derail the course of treatment. Finances are also a real problem. Patients might not be able to afford their appointments, or <a href="https://www.ncpgambling.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ACA-brief-web-layout-publication.pdf">their insurance doesn’t cover</a> a diagnosis of a gambling disorder.</p>
<h2>Gaps in knowledge and funding</h2>
<p>About a decade ago, a friend who is an alcohol researcher observed that the thinking and research about gambling was about four decades behind where it is for alcohol. The gaps in knowledge were evident. We still don’t have good models for how a gambling problem develops, or how to conceptualize an addiction without a substance. We don’t know the long-term effects of experiencing gambling problems and gambling disorder. And we don’t fully understand the extent to which improvements from treatment are maintained.</p>
<p>While researchers around the world are chipping away at these knowledge gaps, there continue to be huge challenges – not the least of which is that gambling regulations keep changing and new forms of gambling are always emerging. </p>
<p>More importantly, there is little funding available to learn more about gambling disorder – and almost no funding from the U.S. government. In 2022, the National Institutes of Health <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/management-reporting/fy-2022-financial-management-plan">invested over $570 million</a> to study alcohol use problems. </p>
<p>The amount the NIH budgeted to study gambling? </p>
<p>Zero.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197861/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James P. Whelan receives funding from Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services </span></em></p>Treatment has a high success rate. Getting problem gamblers in the door – and getting them to complete a full course of therapy – is another matter.James P. Whelan, Research Professor of Clinical Health, University of MemphisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1982852023-02-07T13:35:20Z2023-02-07T13:35:20ZI treat people with gambling disorder – and I’m starting to see more and more young men who are betting on sports<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508172/original/file-20230204-5389-wfiqrk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C16%2C1014%2C793&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many young sports bettors think they're knowledgeable enough to 'beat the system.'</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Lehr/The Conversation via DALL-E 2</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OcbcVXYAAAAJ&hl=en">As a therapist who treats people with gambling problems</a>, I’ve noticed a shift over the past few years – not only in the profile of the typical clients I treat, but also in the way their gambling problems develop.</p>
<p>In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court made the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/politics/sports-betting-ncaa-supreme-court/index.html">landmark decision</a> to allow states to legalize sports wagering. Tennessee, where I am studying clinical psychology, took advantage of this ruling, and in late 2020, the state legalized <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/in-depth/money/2020/10/31/tennessee-sports-betting-online-fanduel-draftkings-betmgm-action-247/6056604002/">online and mobile sports betting</a>.</p>
<p>With most <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/sportsbook-5217715">sportsbooks</a> offering betting apps, my clients are finding it more difficult to quit gambling than ever before. Unlike other forms of gambling, such as playing roulette or slots at a casino, these apps are on their phones and in their pockets, accompanying them wherever they go.</p>
<p>This availability makes it that much harder to resist any urges that might arise – and presents unique challenges for helping clients reduce their gambling.</p>
<h2>A new type of client emerges</h2>
<p>When I first started treating people for gambling disorder in 2019, my clients were usually older and gambled in casinos, with slot machines and card games among their favorite forms of gambling. They also tended to be poorer and often talked about how they began gambling to make some side money, viewing it as a second job. Many of them had retired and would say things like, “Going to the casino gets me out of the house” or “The casino is like my ‘Cheers’” – a nod to the popular watering hole in the eponymous sitcom. </p>
<p>That all changed when sports betting was legalized in Tennessee in November 2020.</p>
<p>Since then, I’ve noticed that my average client has started to look different. I’m now providing therapy to younger men, mostly in their 20s, who are seeking treatment for problems with sports betting. These clients tend to earn more money and be wealthier than my previous clients – a pattern that sports betting <a href="https://theconversation.com/access-to-sports-betting-in-the-us-has-exploded-since-2018-and-were-just-starting-to-learn-about-the-effects-192055">researchers have observed</a>.</p>
<p>Several of them reported being avid sports fans or having a competitive streak. And they thought they could “beat the system” due to their extensive sports knowledge.</p>
<p>Many of them started betting on sports after hearing promotions for various betting companies. Even if you’re a casual sports fan with no interest in betting, you can’t miss these ads, which regularly air during televised sporting events. For example, some ads for FanDuel, one of the more popular sports betting apps, highlight a “No Sweat First Bet,” with <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/education/what-does-each-sportsbook-bonus-mean">new users eligible for a risk-free bet of up to $1,000</a>.</p>
<p>There’s also a social element to sports betting. One client talked about betting on sports as a way to bond with relatives who also gambled. Similarly, a few college students I have treated told me that they started betting because they wanted to fit in with their fraternity brothers.</p>
<h2>The apps don’t make it easy to set limits</h2>
<p>But once gambling issues begin, it can be hard for these clients to stop. Most of them started by placing smaller bets on a single outcome. Over time, they start to bet more to recoup their losses. Before they knew it, their bets had increased, with many not realizing how this change even happened.</p>
<p>Betting apps are available on any smartphone and are connected to clients’ bank accounts, making it quick and easy to deposit more funds. This often leads clients to lose track of how much money they have lost. As one client told me, “It’s easier to spend money on these apps because you never really see it. The transactions are all done electronically.”</p>
<p>These apps do not make it easy for those with gambling problems to sign up for cool-off periods or self-exclusion. <a href="https://casino.draftkings.com/responsible-gaming-on-draftkings?wpsrc=Organic%20Search&wpaffn=Google&wpkw=https%3A%2F%2Fcasino.draftkings.com%2Fresponsible-gaming-on-draftkings&wpcn=responsible-gaming-on-draftkings">Cool-off periods</a> allow the user to set a time frame – from a few hours to several months – where they will be unable to log into their betting account. <a href="https://www.responsiblegambling.org/for-the-public/problem-gambling-help/self-exclusion/">Self-exclusion</a> allows the user to ban themselves from the app for longer periods of time. Specific exclusion lengths differ by state. <a href="https://www.playtenn.com/tennessee-sportsbook-self-exclusion/#:%7E:text=You%20can%20choose%20to%20exclude,consider%20your%20length%20of%20exclusion.">In Tennessee</a>, there are one-year, five-year and lifetime ban options. </p>
<p>While many apps have these features, my clients often have to search online for this information, and even when they do find it, they can’t figure out how to put these guardrails in place. If they wish to set a cool-off period or ban themselves from all sports betting apps, they must do so from each app, one at a time, which can be tedious.</p>
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<h2>It’s impossible to avoid sports and smartphones</h2>
<p>Sports betting presents unique challenges <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">for treating gambling problems</a>. </p>
<p>In addiction treatment, therapists, like me, often encourage clients to fill their time with activities that aren’t connected to gambling or to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.04.006">avoid situations where they may be likely to gamble</a>. But when gambling is available at the touch of a button, it becomes harder to determine what situations may lead to gambling, which makes it harder to figure out what to avoid.</p>
<p>Before the apps, clients had to make plans for how and when to gamble. Now, all they have to do is pick up their phone and open an app. It is also incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to ask a client to stop using their smartphone or stop watching sports.</p>
<p>This is why I often tailor treatment to each client’s needs and circumstances. Some may wish to quit altogether, while others may simply want to cut back on their gambling. This has forced me to consider other possible alternatives, such as showing them how to set screen time limits for sportsbook apps or talking about strategies to watch less sports.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9471-4">Most people</a> who bet on sports don’t develop gambling problems. But with so few regulations in place – advertising or otherwise – those who are the most at risk are especially vulnerable to developing problems.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198285/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tori Horn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the past, typical clients tended to be retirees living on fixed incomes who played slots and card games.Tori Horn, PhD Student in Clinical Psychology, University of MemphisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1983582023-02-06T13:28:34Z2023-02-06T13:28:34ZSports betting apps’ notifications and leaderboards encourage more and more wagers – a psychologist who treats gambling addictions explains why some people get hooked<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507897/original/file-20230202-7246-m8e93e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C638%2C6060%2C4528&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You can keep placing new bets throughout the whole game.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/watching-soccer-game-at-home-royalty-free-image/1426353191">svetikd/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Joe is a full-time college student who also works some nights as a security guard. He played basketball all through high school and loves to follow the sport. Tonight one of his favorite teams is playing and he’s placed a US$100 bet for them to win.</p>
<p>As he sits in his vehicle with one eye on the parking lot and one eye on his physics textbook, he listens to the game. His phone keeps vibrating. <a href="https://www.gamblinginsider.com/in-depth/4015/the-mobile-marketing-challenge-personalising-push-notifications">A notification</a> from a sports wagering app asks if he’d like to place <a href="https://www.thelines.com/betting/prop-bets/">a prop bet</a> – a sort of side bet unrelated to the specific outcomes of the game – for a specific player to make five rebounds tonight. He adds $20 for this bet. His app buzzes again, now suggesting a prop bet for a certain player to make four three-point shots this game. The odds look good; he knows this player; he adds $40 here.</p>
<p>The game continues and his app keeps pinging him about more bets. By the end of the game, Joe’s team has won. He feels good about how well he knows basketball and his ability to pick a winning team and is buzzing from the thrill of chasing in-game bets. But he’s actually down $50 on the evening, as he lost most of his prop bets, and he’s not done nearly enough of his physics homework. He settles in for a long night and tries to push away any thoughts about how much money he actually ended up losing. And I’m certain Joe will be back placing bets the next time his teams are playing.</p>
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<p>Although Joe isn’t a real person, and the specifics of a sports wagering app can vary from vendor to vendor and even from <a href="https://www.legalsportsbetting.com/states-with-legal-sports-betting/">state to state</a>, this scenario illustrates the kind of game play many sports wagerers report. One estimate suggests there were around <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299495/forecast-number-of-online-sports-bettors-us/">19 million online sports bettors</a> in the U.S. in 2022; as more states gradually legalize these apps, the number of Joes out there is <a href="https://theconversation.com/access-to-sports-betting-in-the-us-has-exploded-since-2018-and-were-just-starting-to-learn-about-the-effects-192055">bound to rise</a>.</p>
<p>I’m a licensed clinical psychologist who has <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bTo-_-oAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">researched</a> <a href="https://thegamblingclinic.com/">and treated gambling-related harm</a> for over a decade. I’m interested in how and why bettors like Joe seem able to focus on how they picked a winning team while discounting that they actually ended up in the red. Humans are built to like reward, pleasure and winning. Sports wagering apps bring these specific opportunities right to your smartphone for immediate enjoyment.</p>
<h2>Gambling feels good in the heat of the moment</h2>
<p>Several theories from neuroscience and psychology can point to why some people might be particularly primed to enjoy gambling.</p>
<p><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1975-24897-000">One prominent theory of learning</a> suggests people are <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315806914-8/framework-taxonomy-psychiatric-disorder-jeffrey-gray">driven by two basic brain systems</a>. One leads people to seek new, exciting and novel situations. A complementary system encourages them to apply caution, notice risk and keep themselves safe. </p>
<p>In action, these systems are a bit like the gas and the brake on a car – but imagine driving, as my great uncle used to, with both feet. Everyone has both pedals, but how sensitive you are to the brake or how much you crave more gas varies from person to person.</p>
<p>Think of how some people avoid airplanes entirely, while others board because of their excitement about the vacation on the other side, and still others willingly launch themselves out of the plane as skydivers. Sports wagering opportunities can be akin to that plane. One person’s individual blend of desire for novelty and caution can lead them to hesitantly download an app while another person can’t wait to make the jump.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="people watch play standing around a casino craps table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507900/original/file-20230202-10310-cm8k8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Just a photo of a craps table can activate reward-related parts of a gambler’s brain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/gamblers-play-craps-in-city-of-dreams-casino-on-december-17-news-photo/461559500">Lucas Schifres/Getty Images AsiaPac</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Neuroscientists know that certain genes, brain regions and neurotransmitters, including dopamine, are part of this balancing act of risk and reward. The areas of the brain related to reward may function a bit differently in people who are more driven to engage in higher-risk activities.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07786-5">when researchers show study participants</a> who are frequent gamblers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00242.x">images of people gambling in casinos</a>, their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-019-00177-2">brains may react</a> in a way similar to when they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0599-z">exposed to cues for natural rewards</a> like food or sex. These findings mirror what has been shown for how people’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1200">brains react to cues</a> for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.12.004">alcohol, cocaine and cigarettes</a>.</p>
<h2>Wagering apps amp up the attraction</h2>
<p>Beyond the rewarding nature of gambling itself, there may be some structural aspects of sports wagering apps that make them particularly attractive – and, in turn, potentially create higher risk for some people.</p>
<p>For example, Joe really likes basketball, and he’s confident about his skill in knowing how his team will play. Placing a bet on the game may make him more excited to watch a game he already enjoys. Each time his favorite teams play will be an automatic cue to place another bet. There’s a natural pull to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_10">more engaged in activities you like and are good at</a>. And when researchers told study participants they would either <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0599-z">just watch or also bet</a> on a sporting event, it led to different activation in the brain, particularly in areas related to reward.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="two pairs of hands hold smartphones with TV showing basketball game in background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507964/original/file-20230202-14692-ry9pr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Live betting can add an additional layer of excitement to watching a game.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/betting-in-basketball-royalty-free-image/822362418">Manuel-F-O/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People are also more likely to participate in activities that are readily accessible and have low barriers to entry. Common advice you might hear if you want to decrease the amount of sugar in your diet is to clear sweets out of your pantry. Sure enough, you’re <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198115610571">more likely to eat a cupcake on the counter</a> than one you have to go all the way to the store for.</p>
<p>In the same way, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.77.4.616">proximity to gambling venues is a known risk factor</a> for problematic levels of gambling. Sports wagering apps essentially load a casino onto the phone in your pocket. The easy access – along with the novelty and excitement – likely increase the risk of potential harm.</p>
<p>And wagering apps are heavily “gamified” to feel more like an interactive video game and less like a staid banking app. Push notifications, free play, leaderboards and more can increase engagement and fun. But these features can also make users feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39583-8_17">more detached from the actual money</a> they’re spending and make it harder to disengage if they become concerned about the cash or time spent on the app.</p>
<h2>Hardening your defenses</h2>
<p>Most people who gamble or bet on sports <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-014-9471-4">don’t experience any harm</a>. Like Joe, they might lose a few bucks. But overall they may find the enjoyment gained by the thrill of deeper engagement with their team and the chance to win is within their budget. Spending on sports wagering can be like springing for movie tickets because of what’s gained from seeing the content in a theater – there’s an added dimension to the entertainment.</p>
<p>When I work with clients, I suggest setting spending limits or loss limits. Many apps offer responsible gaming tools that let users set deposit, loss and wagering limits. For people who are really concerned about their gambling, <a href="https://gamban.com/">blocking software</a> can be an option. The National Council on Problem Gambling’s <a href="https://responsibleplay.org">responsibleplay.org</a> site provides additional strategies and resources.</p>
<p>I also remind clients that sports wagering companies are running a business designed to make money despite a user’s ability to pick a winning team. The apps are very skilled at tapping into what makes betting exciting and rewarding. Players can aim for a level of expenditure that keeps it fun and low-risk. There’s no need to become an app’s best customer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meredith K. Ginley receives funding from the State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to provide prevention and treatment-related services to help mitigate gambling-related harms. </span></em></p>Sports wagering apps bring in-play betting right to the palm of your hand. Easy, ever-present access can lead to excitement and fun – or problem gambling.Meredith K. Ginley, Assistant Professor of Psychology, East Tennessee State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1949932023-02-03T13:30:38Z2023-02-03T13:30:38Z40 years of legal sports betting in Australia points to risks for US gamblers – and tips for regulators<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507437/original/file-20230131-10022-fhws2c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=591%2C335%2C2286%2C1587&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The country's history of state-sanctioned gambling goes back to the early 19th century.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/finance-economy-racing-australia-by-neil-sands-a-man-fills-news-photo/83528625?adppopup=true">William West/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/270263728.pdf">love to gamble</a>. It’s often said that if they could, they would bet on two flies crawling up a wall. The <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/1960-04-19/act-1960-029">Sydney Opera House</a> and <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46640222">Sydney Harbour Bridge</a> were funded, in part, by government lotteries.</p>
<p>It’s only been five years <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/us/politics/supreme-court-sports-betting-new-jersey.html">since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned</a> a federal law that essentially banned sports betting in most states, but in Australia, the novelty of legal sports betting has long worn off: It’s been legal <a href="https://www.vgccc.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/Australian_gambling_comparative_history_and_analysis_project_report_1999.pdf">since the 1980s</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=hJZwAYkAAAAJ&hl=en">I’ve been researching gambling in Australia</a> since 2011, and I’ve been a team member on some major studies of online gambling. I’ve also led studies on <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10899-019-09848-x">risk factors for problematic sports betting</a> and the harms associated with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10899-018-9810-y">certain types of sports betting</a>.</p>
<p>Americans just starting to get familiar with sports betting can learn some lessons from Australia’s approach to sports betting and the research on its effects.</p>
<h2>A culture of gambling</h2>
<p>Australia has a long history of state-sanctioned gambling, dating back to the <a href="https://twitter.com/dictionaryofsyd/status/654093938979004417">first known organized horse racing event</a>, which took place <a href="https://www2.sl.nsw.gov.au/archive/discover_collections/society_art/races/horse/hydepark.html">in 1810</a>.</p>
<p>Bettors were initially required to go to a race track to place a bet. This was a hassle for many bettors, so <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/270263728.pdf">illegal bookies</a> started taking bets in places like bars. Their prices tended to be favorable because, unlike official bookmakers at the tracks, they didn’t pay a tax. </p>
<p>This prompted state governments to open off-course betting companies, starting with the state of Victoria’s <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/tab-an-idea-that-became-a-licence-to-print-money-19920423-k4v62">Totalisator Agency Board in 1961</a>. Other states soon followed. </p>
<p>While horse betting has long been legal in Australia, sports betting wasn’t legal <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nt/consol_act/raba1983153/">until 1983</a>. That year, Totalisator Agency Boards began taking bets on sports – typically soccer, cricket and boxing. Nongovernment sportsbooks didn’t appear until 1993, when <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/gambling-2010/submissions/subdr376.pdf">Sportsbet became the first private company to obtain a license</a>. Online sports betting followed, with Centrebet.com.au, an online gambling website, <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Fcommsen%2Fj0000351.sgm%2F0010;query=Id%3Acommittees%2Fcommsen%2Fj0000351.sgm%2F0006">launching in 1996</a>.</p>
<p>Today, many online operators take bets on sports, races and even things like <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8224531/Sportsbet-allows-punters-place-bets-Prime-Minister-Scott-Morrison-tie-colour.html">what color tie the prime minister will wear</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black and white photo of rows of women sitting at computer terminals." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507420/original/file-20230131-15237-ay8vn7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Employees of Australia’s Totalisator Agency Board take and place bets over the phone in 1985.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/tabs-21st-birthday-the-tab-telephone-betting-service-news-photo/1080252258?adppopup=true">Fairfax Media Archives/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Slowing the pace of bets</h2>
<p>Gambling’s foothold in Australian culture has had a host of repercussions.</p>
<p>Australians are the <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/costs/scary-graph-shows-how-australians-are-the-biggest-losers/news-story/4a437cd5f735b87988549b37af12917f">biggest losers worldwide</a>, losing more than twice as much to gambling per person than almost every other country. This is largely due to the ubiquitous presence of slot machines <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pokies-pub-test-FINAL_0.pdf">in hotels and bars</a>. But Australians also <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/costs/scary-graph-shows-how-australians-are-the-biggest-losers/news-story/4a437cd5f735b87988549b37af12917f">lose more per capita</a> on sports and race betting.</p>
<p>Because sports betting in Australia existed prior to online gambling, governments had to work out what types of betting to allow online. The country has regulations in place that restrict some forms of wagering, like fast-paced betting.</p>
<p>Slot machines, for example, are fast-paced, because each spin is a bet, and a person can easily slip “<a href="https://gamblingresearch.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/04/Murch-and-Clark-2021-Understanding-the-Slot-Machine-Zone-PREPRINT.pdf">into the zone</a>,” losing track of their spending. <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/about-interactive-gambling-act">Online slots are banned</a> for this reason.</p>
<p>Similar restrictions exist for online sports betting. Most people will place a bet <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10899-013-9415-4">before a match starts</a> and will mostly bet on who will win, or possibly by how much they will win. </p>
<p>But, over time, more betting options have become available. People can now bet on who will score first, or next, or whether a certain number of points will be scored in a quarter or half. <a href="https://freakonometrics.hypotheses.org/58041">Since 2002</a>, Australians have also been able to place bets “live” or “in-play” – in other words, during a game.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man in suit holds sign advertising betting odds to passersby." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507423/original/file-20230131-12-gj3y4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An employee for Sportsbet holds a sign advertising betting odds for a cricket match in 2010.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/haydn-lane-from-sportsbet-com-au-holds-up-the-odds-of-news-photo/107565307?adppopup=true">William West/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Australia, live sports betting can be done, but not online. They must be placed by telephone call or at a venue, such as a bar, casino or betting shop, which is a storefront where people can place bets. This is partly to allow staff to intervene if someone is showing signs of problems, much like a bartender who can cut off a customer who has had too much to drink. Whether these interventions regularly occur <a href="https://www.gambleaware.nsw.gov.au/resources-and-education/check-out-our-research/published-research/responsible-conduct-of-gambling-study">is another matter</a>.</p>
<p>There is also a particularly fast-paced form of sports betting, known as <a href="https://www.playmaryland.com/sports-betting/micro/">microbetting</a>. Think of placing a bet on whether the next pitch in baseball will be a ball or a strike. </p>
<p>In studies I’ve conducted with other gambling researchers, we found that microbetting is done almost exclusively by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9810-y">higher-risk gamblers</a>. In Australia, microbetting is not allowed even via phone calls, but consumers can access markets in other countries to place these bets, even though they are <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/online-gambling-services">strongly discouraged from doing so</a>.</p>
<h2>Ads flood the airwaves</h2>
<p>With so many online betting sites in Australia, there’s a lot of competition, which means Australians are inundated with gambling ads and promotions.</p>
<p>In fact, there are <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/documents/679/OBrien-Children-and-young-peoples-exposure-to-gambling-ads-Sep-2019_PBFEExL.pdf">five times as many TV ads for gambling</a> as there are alcohol ads – and Australia has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/3k3ax5/how-dangerous-australias-drinking-culture-alcohol-global-drug-survey-2019">a pretty big drinking culture</a>.</p>
<p>These gambling ads are effective. A series of studies that I worked on, which were led by Professor Nerilee Hing from the Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory at CQUniversity, found that people who see more ads and promotions are more likely to <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/resources/publications/effects-of-wagering-marketing-on-vulnerable-adults-408/">bet when they don’t intend to</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.10">bet more than they intend</a>, and place bets on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.30">more unlikely outcomes</a> – meaning they lose more.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eLfsXqYpAzY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Former sprinter Ben Johnson, who was stripped of his Olympic medals after being caught doping, stars in an ad for Sportsbet.</span></figcaption>
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<p>We also examined public advertising, such as TV ads, compared to direct messages, such as emails or text messages. We found that direct messages are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.99">more effective</a>, can be personalized and may be harder to regulate because they are not public.</p>
<p>Australians can also <a href="https://www.finder.com.au/gambling-transactions-using-your-credit-card-are-they-allowed">use credit cards</a> to place bets. These transactions are not treated as regular online purchases, but instead as cash advances, meaning there are no interest-free periods, and there are also higher interest rates and cash advance fees. Many consumers don’t realize this and end up being forced to fork over more money than they anticipated. Some gambling operators have even <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/18/sportsbet-calls-for-ban-on-using-credit-cards-to-gamble-online-as-ama-warns-of-rising-harms">called for a ban</a> on the use of credit cards for online gambling.</p>
<h2>Regulations in play</h2>
<p>Earlier, I pointed out that some of the key ideas around restrictions for online gambling are about reducing harm. But online gambling is still available at any time, as long as you have a phone or tablet, and just about all of us do. So, imagine someone experiencing a strong gambling urge, especially someone with little self-control. It’s easier than ever to place a bet via any number of payment methods, including credit cards, at any time, including when you’re drunk.</p>
<p>Fortunately, further regulations are being introduced.</p>
<p>The federal government is ultimately responsible for legislating online gambling in Australia. The <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/communities-and-vulnerable-people-programs-services-gambling/national-consumer-protection-framework-for-online-wagering-national-policy-statement">National Consumer Protection Framework</a> is a government initiative intended to implement changes to online sports and race betting, including restrictions on gambling promotions, and a national self-exclusion program.</p>
<p>Heavy bettors typically have accounts with multiple gambling operators, and if they wanted to opt out, previously they would have had to do so with each operator. Soon, they will be able to self-exclude in one place, through a government-run program called “<a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/betstop-national-self-exclusion-register">Betstop</a>,” and this will apply across all online operators. </p>
<p>Consumers are also able to set limits and monitor how much they have spent. As of 2019, every online gaming provider is required to offer deposit limits, although consumers do not have to take them up. However, our research team has found that voluntary limits – many of which are sky-high – only have so much use, and that mandatory limits with reasonable maximum levels would <a href="https://www.cqu.edu.au/cquninews/stories/research-category/2022-research/setting-limits-makes-a-difference,-but-gamblers-need-more-prompts-to-opt-in-cqu-research">make a bigger difference</a>. </p>
<p>Unlike Australia, where sports betting was legal before online betting was invented, U.S. states are introducing legalized sports betting at a time when technology allows for many types of betting products, including particularly dangerous ones. It is important for U.S. legislators and regulators to consider not just whether sports betting should be legal, but which betting products should be allowed, and what harm-reduction regulations could be implemented.</p>
<p>Different U.S. states have <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2023/01/09/where-is-sports-betting-legal-america-2022/?sh=62db3f04386b">different restrictions on sports betting</a>, with some not allowing it at all, some only allowing it in person, and some allowing just about everything, including online wagers. Some states also have restrictions on <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/sports-betting-laws-by-state-5219064">certain bet types</a>.</p>
<p>While some people will argue that it is up to bettors to keep themselves safe, it is important to remember that no one sets out to develop a gambling problem. And gambling products are, by nature, addictive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194993/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Russell has received funding from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the New South Wales Office of Responsible Gambling, the South Australian State Government, the Queensland Justice and Attorney-General, Gambling Research Australia, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the National Association for Gambling Studies and the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. He has had travel expenses paid to present research by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, PsychMed and the Hawthorn Hawks Football Club Players’ Association.</span></em></p>Australians lose more money gambling on sports, per capita, than any country in the world.Alex Russell, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1920552022-10-31T15:31:12Z2022-10-31T15:31:12ZAccess to sports betting in the US has exploded since 2018 – and we’re just starting to learn about the effects<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492141/original/file-20221027-25221-351sfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C26%2C5973%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Since 2018, more than 30 states in the U.S. have legalized sports betting.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/bettting-on-sports-royalty-free-image/1131390744?phrase=sports betting&adppopup=true">Seth Love/iStock via Getty Images.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For most of U.S. history, sports betting was rare.</p>
<p>Some people certainly bet on sports illegally via a bookie, or placed bets in the few places where it was legal, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/29/history-of-sports-gambling/">such as Nevada</a>. </p>
<p>However, gambling policy took a sharp turn in 2018, when <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-476_dbfi.pdf">the Supreme Court decided</a> that each state in the U.S. had the right to legalize or prohibit sports wagering as they saw fit.</p>
<p>The effects of this ruling were swift, with many states introducing legislation to legalize sports betting within months. <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">Four years later</a>, more than 30 states have legalized sports betting, and many more are working to legalize it in the immediate future.</p>
<p>This wave of legalized sports betting has opened the floodgates for new gambling opportunities. Not surprisingly, many Americans <a href="https://www.hbo.com/real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel/season-28/1-real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel-january-2022">have expressed concern</a> that the burgeoning access to sports wagering will create an influx of people with new gambling problems.</p>
<p>We’re <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UMwkCl8AAAAJ&hl=en">clinical psychologists</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=gCnmj3kAAAAJ&hl=en">professors</a> who research behavioral addictions such as compulsive sexual behavior disorder and gambling disorder. Recently, we’ve begun a new line of research into sports wagering in the U.S. <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797990">Our initial findings</a> highlight how many Americans are gambling on sports, as well as the demographic most likely to do so.</p>
<h2>The many forms of sports betting</h2>
<p>Before talking about that study, it’s important to clarify what we mean when we talk about sports betting. Like most other types of gambling, it can take many different forms. <a href="https://gaming.library.unlv.edu/infographs/types_sports_betting.pdf">Traditional sports betting</a> refers to betting on the outcomes of sporting events. These bets could be placed on who wins a game, how many points the game was decided by, or the game’s total combined score.</p>
<p>Beyond the traditional form, sports betting can also involve <a href="https://insidersbettingdigest.com/esports/">betting on esports</a>, which is professional, competitive video game play. It may also involve <a href="https://sites.psu.edu/pfsports/what-are-fantasy-sports/">paid fantasy league play</a>, which refers to people “drafting” virtual teams of players and competing against other participants’ virtual teams over the course of a sports season. </p>
<p>Finally, sports betting may also involve participating in <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-rise-of-daily-fantasy-sports-will-mean-for-problem-gambling-79998">daily fantasy league play</a>. This form of betting is similar to regular fantasy leagues, but players select new teams weekly and compete week to week, rather than throughout a whole season.</p>
<h2>Young men at risk</h2>
<p>In early 2022, we embarked upon a long-term research project to study who is gambling on sports in the U.S. and how their gambling behaviors change over time. </p>
<p>We worked with the polling and data analytics firm <a href="https://today.yougov.com/about/about/?sourceid=1178109&rlid=sitelink&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSP5s8MyObD6K1AVwfS6BJf2M1jGk9HGy5AaFxiG691DC8Cz3IbbjfcRoCt8wQAvD_BwE">YouGov America</a> to recruit a nationally representative sample of over 2,800 American adults. We also collected another representative sample of over 1,500 American adults who had recently bet on sports. </p>
<p>We surveyed these two samples, asking them about their sports betting behaviors and a range of other mental health concerns. We also asked about symptoms of <a href="https://www.icrg.org/press-room/media-kit/faq/what-problem-or-pathological-gambling">gambling disorder</a>, which is an addictive disorder characterized by excessive or out-of-control gambling behavior. </p>
<p>We have just published <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797990">our first round of findings from the early stages of this work</a>.</p>
<p>In this initial paper, we tried to identify who was most likely to gamble on sports and how sports gambling related to problem gambling. Importantly, we did not just ask these people if they had “bet on sports.” We also asked about participating in fantasy sports, daily fantasy sports leagues and betting on esports. </p>
<p>In our nationally representative sample, we found that only a fraction of Americans have bet on sports recently. Although 17.2% of Americans reported having bet on sports in their lifetime, only 6.2% reported that they had done so in the past year. Similarly, only 5.9% reported participating in a paid fantasy sports league over the past year, only 4.2% reported being involved in daily fantasy sports leagues and only 4.1% reported betting on esports in the past year. </p>
<p>In short, sports betting is still a relatively rare activity in the U.S., and our data does not necessarily show increases from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021019915591">prevalence rates 20 years ago</a>.</p>
<p>But we also looked at who was most likely to bet on sports. Across all forms of sports betting, we found that younger men with college degrees and higher incomes were more likely to bet on sports than other Americans.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Bar patrons celebrate while watching a baseball game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492147/original/file-20221027-29020-6wwsi3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">College-educated young men with good-paying jobs is the group most likely to bet on sports.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/new-york-yankees-fans-watch-them-play-the-philadelphia-news-photo/92620216?phrase=fans%20watching%20baseball%20bar&adppopup=true">Jared Wickerham/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, we examined whether sports betting was related to symptoms of gambling disorder. Again, our results were quite clear: Traditional sports betting, daily fantasy league play, and betting on esports were all associated with much higher odds of being categorized as a moderate or high-risk gambler. </p>
<p>Simply put, these forms of sports betting are risk factors for also having problems with gambling. </p>
<h2>An eye toward the future</h2>
<p>Taken together, our findings do not necessarily suggest that sports betting is resulting in a wave of new gamblers across the country. Also, among those who do bet on sports, most seem to be doing so without ill effects. </p>
<p>Yet, sports betting is associated with symptoms of gambling disorder, which means this is a risky behavior – perhaps similar to alcohol use or other forms of gambling, like playing slot machines. Most people who engage in any of these behaviors will do so without problems. But for some people, access to sports gambling will likely result in the development of symptoms of gambling disorder. </p>
<p>As both researchers and clinicians, we are especially worried about this possibility: Any increase in people seeking help for gambling disorders could overwhelm the nation’s treatment centers, <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/treatment-for-problem-gamblers-not-a-sure-bet-1">which already find themselves overextended and underfunded</a>.</p>
<p>For this reason, we believe it’s important to quickly identify people who are at risk of developing gambling problems. This is one of our main objectives in our ongoing study of sports wagering. By identifying who is most likely to develop a gambling problem, we hope to influence policymakers and gambling industry professionals to help introduce safeguards protecting those at risk.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192055/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua B. Grubbs receives funding from the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the Kindbridge Research Institute, and the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio. Joshua B. Grubbs is also a member of the Problem Gambling Advisory Board for the state of Ohio.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shane Kraus receives funding from the International Center for Responsible Gaming, the Nevada Problem Gambling Project, and Kindbridge Research Institute. He also serves on the Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling for the state of Nevada.</span></em></p>Any increase in people seeking help for gambling disorders could overwhelm the nation’s treatment centers, which already find themselves overextended and underfunded.Joshua B. Grubbs, Associate Professor of Psychology, Bowling Green State UniversityShane Kraus, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las VegasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/966102018-05-16T10:27:29Z2018-05-16T10:27:29ZSupreme Court delivers a home run for sports bettors – and now states need to scramble<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/219069/original/file-20180515-195321-ljma8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People line up to place bets in the sports book at the South Point hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nev.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Supreme-Court-Sports-Betting/1b82c966901b4e96a0fa4531bfa1e6e2/8/0">AP Photo/John Locher</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On May 14, the United States Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/us/politics/supreme-court-sports-betting-new-jersey.html">invalidated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act</a>, a federal law that prohibited states, aside from a few exemptions like Nevada, from allowing sports betting operations. </p>
<p>In a victory for states’ rights, the court ruled that the law unconstitutionally interfered with states’ ability to implement their own legislation on the issue.</p>
<p>So now what? As someone who studies sports wagering and gambling law, I’ve been following the case closely. While the decision marks an end to years of legal action to challenge the federal law, it also now creates a host of issues for states that are considering sports betting legislation and regulation. </p>
<h2>To legalize or not to legalize</h2>
<p>First and foremost, it’s now on states to decide whether to legalize sports betting. Many, like Pennsylvania and New York, have preemptively <a href="http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/19740480/gambling-sports-betting-bill-tracker-all-50-states">introduced or passed legislation</a> to do just that. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"996151873529925632"}"></div></p>
<p>But for those that have already legalized sports betting or end up doing so in the coming months, there’s a lot of work to be done – and decisions to be made.</p>
<p>The states that do legalize sports betting will have to decide whether it will be operated by the state, <a href="https://statelaws.findlaw.com/gambling-and-lotteries-laws/details-on-state-state-lottery-laws.html">like lotteries</a>, or if private enterprises will be allowed to offer sports bets. If private businesses are permitted, states must consider whether sports betting will be limited to certain types, such as casinos and racetracks, or if online operators and smaller retailers will also be able to participate. </p>
<p>Then there are the types of wagers that will be permitted and prohibited. Does the legalization of sports betting allow for wagering on events that are related to professional sports, such as the NBA draft? Do esports count as a “sport” for wagering purposes? Will betting on events beyond sports be legalized, too? For example, in Nevada, you can’t bet on the outcome of elections, but you can bet on approved esports events and the NBA draft. </p>
<p>States will also need to determine whether <a href="https://www.oddsshark.com/sports-betting/how-live-betting-works">live betting</a> – also known as in-running, live-game or in-game betting – will be offered. This type of wager, <a href="http://www.lootmeister.com/betting/live-betting-revolution.php">which has become increasingly popular in Nevada</a>, allows you to bet on certain aspects of the game as it unfolds. For example, at halftime of a game, you could bet on the outcome regardless of what happened in the first half.</p>
<p>There’s also the issue of how bettors will establish betting accounts and place their bets. Will they be able to do so through an app on their phones? Or must it be done in person at a licensed location?</p>
<h2>Building a regulatory framework</h2>
<p>Some elected officials think the federal government could play a role by building a regulatory template for states to follow. Before the decision, Congressman Frank Pallone of New Jersey had <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/politics/article/sports-betting-gambling-now-legal">already introduced legislation</a> to create one. However, Congress might not have the appetite to tackle the issue, given other priorities and the upcoming midterm elections.</p>
<p>Moreover, Nevada’s system could easily serve as a starting point for states from which to build. <a href="https://www.gamblingonline.com/laws/nevada/">Since 1949</a>, the state has been auditing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsbook">sports books</a>, resolving patron disputes, approving technology for use in sports books, and approving wagering options.</p>
<p>So far, little has been said about the benefit the federal government will receive from an expansion of sports wagering throughout the United States. The current tax code imposes a <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/20/leagues-casinos-legal-sports-bets/">0.25 percent federal tax</a> on the total amount wagered on sports.</p>
<p>However, the sports leagues also want a cut of the bets – and have pushed for what they call an “<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-the-supreme-courts-pending-sports-gambling-decision-states-are-already-prepping-for-legalization-95360">integrity fee</a>.” But it’s really just a share of all wagers made. This could prove detrimental to sports book operators, since sports betting, by its nature, <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/sports-columns/todd-dewey/oddsmakers-cry-foul-over-nbas-proposed-integrity-fee/">is a relatively low-margin business</a> – after all, they do have to pay out on winning wagers. If states aren’t careful, integrity fees, burdensome taxes, license fees and regulatory costs might push out suitable, experienced operators – and force patrons to remain in the illegal market.</p>
<p>These are just a snapshot of issues that states will have to grapple with, and a careful, cautious and informed approach must be undertaken. But in the long term, it will serve states and bettors well: A legal, regulated market is much better than the illegal, unaccountable system that’s been operating for years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96610/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Roberts works for UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation, William S. Boyd School of Law, and S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah. She owns her own boutique law firm, Roberts Gaming Law, Ltd., and is a Director of Nevada Esports Alliance, Futuro Academy charter school, and Clark County Bar Association.</span></em></p>With leagues lobbying for their share, a thriving illegal market that needs to be stifled, and bettors chomping at the bit, the headaches are just beginning.Jennifer Roberts, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Nevada, Las VegasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/479142015-10-06T10:10:24Z2015-10-06T10:10:24ZWith a shaky legal foundation, are daily fantasy sports a billion-dollar house of cards?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97285/original/image-20151005-28744-yy7spp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">DraftKings will sponsor professional poker players like Ken Weimer – indicative, perhaps, of the demographic they're courting.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldpokertour/16982734757/in/photolist-kD9tRK-kD9nRZ-kDaZfJ-oWaSZ5-n71WEc-jzAThV-jzATfF-i8uGSU-i8v35i-rUvpC9-rSLwRP-rSGXnF-oWaTYZ-i8x2tV">World Poker Tour/flickr </a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You can’t escape it. Advertising for Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is everywhere. </p>
<p>Put in some cash. Create a team – or multiple teams – on any given day. Root for your guys. Win big. It’s a compelling story told thousands of times in 30-second vignettes of “ordinary guys” netting millions. And it makes for great ads.</p>
<p>In just one week in early September – the seven days leading up to the start of the NFL regular season – industry leaders DraftKings and FanDuel combined to spend nearly <a href="http://adage.com/article/media/fantasy-draft-sites-pour/300290/">US$30 million</a> on television advertising alone, in addition to massive ad buys on radio and online. By the end of the NFL season, that television number <a href="http://adage.com/article/media/fantasy-draft-sites-pour/300290/">is expected to reach</a> $200 million.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">‘I’ve deposited a total of $35 on FanDuel, and won over $2 million.’</span></figcaption>
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<p>Where is all this money coming from? That’s easy. DFS have millions of users, millions in revenue, and the <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/technology/254082-gop-chairman-fantasy-sports-hearing-likely">backing</a> both of major sports leagues and broadcasters. </p>
<p>Bloomberg recently <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-10/you-aren-t-good-enough-to-win-money-playing-daily-fantasy-football">reported</a> that new investment rounds brought in $426 million for DraftKings and $363 million for FanDuel, raising their valuations to more than $1 billion each. It’s the kind of money that buys a lot of advertising.</p>
<p>With all of the advertising and all of the money, attention is sure to follow – and not all of it has been good. </p>
<p>Lawmakers and law enforcement officials at all levels of government <a href="http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/09/17/mass-ag-reviewing-daily-fantasy-sports-as-lawmakers-look-into-lottery-expansion/">are asking the obvious questions</a>: isn’t this gambling? And isn’t this kind of gambling illegal?</p>
<h2>50 states, 50 sets of rules</h2>
<p>As it turns out, this a surprisingly difficult question to answer. America’s gaming laws are enormously complex. Most regulation occurs at the state level, with each state free to create its own set of rules regarding legality, administration and enforcement. </p>
<p>Layered on top of these state gaming regulations are federal statutes that help enforce state laws by addressing the use of interstate banking and the rise of offshore and online gambling. </p>
<p>Complicating matters even further is a <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-106/pdf/STATUTE-106-Pg4227.pdf">federal law</a> that specifically targets sports gambling by prohibiting states from legalizing wagering on the outcome of sports contests. (A few states, such as Nevada, are exempt.)</p>
<p>Given this complexity, the more important question may not be whether DFS are legal, but rather whether DraftKings and FanDuel can sustain their business models without knowing the answer.</p>
<h2>Chance or skill?</h2>
<p>The way the regulatory system is constructed, it is up to each individual state to define what does and doesn’t constitute gambling. </p>
<p>In most states, gambling is defined as a contest in which participants pay a monetary entry fee (consideration) to compete for a prize (reward), with the winner determined primarily by chance rather than skill. And any contest meeting this criterion is either outlawed or very tightly regulated. This can include anything from poker and casino games to bingo and raffle tickets.</p>
<p>Applying this definition to DFS, where consideration and reward are a given, it is this last element – chance versus skill – that dominates the gambling analysis. </p>
<p>But using the same basic definition for gambling doesn’t mean that every state reaches the same conclusion. It’s one thing to draw a distinction between chance and skill. But how do you apply that distinction to a game that includes elements of both?</p>
<p>For instance, successful DFS managers possess considerable knowledge of the prior statistical performance of individual players and teams, as well as the skill to apply that information as a predictor of future performance in a particular context. </p>
<p>Yet certain elements remain beyond the knowledge and predictive abilities of even the most savvy manager – elements such as injuries, officiating, games plans and components of performance for which there is no statistical measure. </p>
<p>How much weight does each of these elements carry in determining the winner of a DFS contest? And is it the elements of skill or the elements of chance that dominate? </p>
<p>There is simply no one answer as to whether DFS are a game of chance or a game of skill. Instead, there are multiple and contradictory answers, each carrying the same weight of authority – that of the state in which that particular definition applies.</p>
<p>So far, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/21/are-daily-fantasy-sports-even-legal/">five states</a> have affirmatively banned DFS as a form of illegal gambling, and attorney <a href="http://www.becker-poliakoff.com/dwallach">Daniel Wallach</a>, an expert in sports law, has identified at least <a href="https://twitter.com/WALLACHLEGAL/status/640903932261310464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">eight</a> other states where DFS are likely prohibited under current law. It just hasn’t yet been challenged. </p>
<p>However at least two states (<a href="http://www.kleinmoynihan.com/play-ball-kansas-officially-legalizes-fantasy-sports/">Kansas</a> and <a href="http://www.kleinmoynihan.com/update-maryland-law-exempting-fantasy-sports-from-gambling-prohibition-goes-into-effect/">Maryland</a>) have moved in the opposite direction, expressly legalizing fantasy sports games. Many others, while not directly addressing the issue, have simply shown no inclination to apply existing gambling regulations to DFS. </p>
<p>This state-by-state approach creates immense commercial uncertainty for the entire DFS industry, which includes <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/sports/fantasy-sports-website-draftkings-adds-dollar300-million-in-new-investment.html">high-profile investors</a> like Fox Sports, the NBA and the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. </p>
<p>At the moment, DraftKings and FanDuel prohibit residents of the <a href="https://www.fanduel.com/terms">five states</a> where DFS is unlawful from participating. As additional states examine the legality of DFS, the operators of DraftKings and FanDuel must realize that only so many states can be excluded from participation before their continued growth and viability are undermined. </p>
<h2>An ‘imagined’ national exemption?</h2>
<p>In an effort to avoid this legal and financial uncertainty, DFS operators argue that federal law creates an express exemption for fantasy sports games, so that state gambling prohibitions do not apply. </p>
<p>Specifically, DFS operators point to the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr4411/text">Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006</a> (UIGEA), a federal enforcement action intended primarily to combat the rise of online poker rooms and sports books that operated in violation of state and federal law. </p>
<p>However, the UIGEA contains what is known as a carve-out provision (or exemption) which excludes “any fantasy or simulation sports game” from its definition of an unlawful “bet or wager.” </p>
<p>The entire DFS industry essentially hinges on this one provision of law. This is not merely an exemption from financial restrictions, the DFS industry argues; it is an affirmative statement that fantasy sports games are not to be treated as illegal gambling. </p>
<p>It’s a bit of a stretch. And an incredibly shaky foundation for a billion-dollar business.</p>
<p>First, it’s not at all clear that the UIGEA exemption applies to all or even some of the DFS games run by DraftKings and FanDuel. By its very terms, the exemption applies only to fantasy sports contests that meet certain <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr4411/text">conditions</a>, one of which is that the outcome of the contest must “reflect the relative knowledge and skill of the participants.” </p>
<p>DFS operators have interpreted this rather creatively, not as a condition, but as a definition – in other words, that all fantasy sports contests are, by definition, games of skill. </p>
<p>But the more natural reading of the provision is that some fantasy games are games of skill and some aren’t, and that only those in which skill predominates are exempt under the UIGEA. </p>
<p>For the DFS industry, this “more natural” reading is problematic. It essentially leaves them exactly where they started in regards to state law: needing to show that DFS, unlike poker or traditional sports gambling (the original targets of the UIGEA), are games of skill, rather than games of chance. </p>
<p>Only then could the UIGEA exemption even arguably apply.</p>
<p>Second, even if the UIGEA exemption <em>does</em> apply to DFS, it doesn’t necessarily make them immune from <em>state</em> gambling laws. It is true, as DFS operators point out, that the UIGEA excludes fantasy sports from its definition of “bet or wager.” But it’s not a declaration that all fantasy sports contests are legal, regardless of their status under state law. </p>
<p>In fact, the UIGEA includes a separate <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr4411/text">rule of construction</a> indicating that “No provision…shall be construed as altering [any] State law…prohibiting…gambling.” This alone would seem to leave intact any and all state prohibitions on fantasy sports.</p>
<p>And that would likewise leave DFS operators back where they started: subject to a minefield of state-by-state regulation that is simultaneously ambiguous, contradictory and unresolved.</p>
<h2>The only solution is a federal solution</h2>
<p>DraftKings, FanDuel and other DFS operators have built a billion-dollar business on a legal house of cards. </p>
<p>The entire industry rests on a singular legal premise: that an obscure statutory provision, found in a federal law intended to strengthen the enforcement of state anti-gambling statutes, somehow exempts them (and only them) from those very same restrictions. </p>
<p>It is an interpretation that can only be described as creative and optimistic. And it will soon be tested.</p>
<p>Despite their popularity with the general public, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/05/opinion/rein-in-online-fantasy-sports-gambling.html?_r=1&utm_content=buffer5d3f1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer">DFS are under scrutiny from all corners</a>. For those who equate gambling with moral hazard – whether driven primarily by religious beliefs, connections with crime and corruption, or concern over socioeconomic impacts – DFS represents both a threat in itself, and a significant step toward the normalization of a destructive behavior. </p>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum, advocates of traditional gambling see DFS as unfairly exploiting a legal loophole to gain an advantage. Supporters of traditional sports books are particularly critical of the major professional sports leagues, which are presently <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2015/01/01/daily-fantasy-sports-gambling-fanduel-draftkings-nba-nfl-mlb-nhl/21165279/">profiting off DFS</a> while continuing to oppose other forms of sports gambling. Not surprisingly, <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/09/17/massachusetts-reviewing-fantasy-sports-site-draftkings/LOTZyLMlZnDL0VyoXhBGjJ/story.html">investigations</a> have been launched and <a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/rep-pallone-calls-for-hearing-on-legality-of-daily-fantasy-sports-1.1409780">hearings</a> have been requested.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97307/original/image-20151005-28755-1gxedw7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Traditional sports books argue that the daily fantasy sports industry exploits legal loopholes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ghoseb/5186138071/">Baishampayan Ghose/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some have suggested that DFS operators will counter with a state-by-state strategy to legalize fantasy sports. But this would be a Herculean task, with uncertain and uneven results. If even a few of the nation’s largest states – say Texas, Florida or New York – were to conclude that DFS constitutes illegal gambling, it would be difficult to sustain anything close to the billion-dollar valuations investors have placed on DraftKings and FanDuel.</p>
<p>The only real option for the DFS industry is a clear statement from Congress that it is immune from all gambling prohibitions, whether state or federal. </p>
<p>So don’t be surprised if the next phase in the rise of DFS is the employment of lobbyists – lots and lots of lobbyists – to swarm the halls of Congress in hopes of securing a more robust exemption. </p>
<p>If they get it, business will really start booming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47914/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>H. Brian Holland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The fledgling industry faces a minefield that could undermine its valuation and growth.H. Brian Holland, Professor of Law, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/426582015-06-08T10:16:44Z2015-06-08T10:16:44ZThe World Series of Poker’s Colossus event and America’s obsession with risk<p>Standing at an estimated height of <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vGhbJzigPBwC&pg=PA130&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false">110 feet</a>, the Colossus of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. </p>
<p>The statue, erected to honor Helios, the Greek god of the sun, showcased not only the devotion of the Greeks to their gods, but also symbolized the might and endurance of their civilization. </p>
<p>In America, there’s a different sort of colossus taking place: a poker tournament. Created as a new event in the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP), the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/lasvegas/lasvegasnow/la-tr-lvn-las-vegas-world-series-of-poker-colossus-20150601-story.html">record-breaking</a> (and aptly named) “Colossus Event” featured 22,374 players, who paid US$565 apiece to participate in the largest live poker tournament in history. </p>
<p>The tournament, which ran from May 29 to June 3, generated a prize pool of <a href="http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/payouts.asp?rr=5&grid=1136&tid=14205&dayof=">$11,187,000</a>, with Lance Garcia taking home a $638,880 grand prize. This is merely a predecessor of the WSOP Main Event in July, which will likely generate a prize pool in excess of $70,000,000. </p>
<p>If studying the Colossus of Rhodes gave historians insight into the mentality of the people of ancient Greece, what does this new “colossus” say about Americans?</p>
<p>Ultimately, it reveals a modern America that has shunned a traditional ethos of hard work and has become more willing to engage in risky financial behaviors.</p>
<h2>Gambling’s growing grip</h2>
<p>Gambling is nothing new in America.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3107314/Early-native-American-casino-Utah-cave-800-year-old-gambling-pieces-settled-disputes-helped-divide-chores.html">A recent archaeological discovery</a> found that Native Americans participated in games of chance and gambling as far back as 800 years ago. </p>
<p>However, for most of the 20th century, gambling was legal only in small pockets of the United States. This changed with the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which permitted Native American tribes to operate casinos on tribal lands. Then local and state governments realized that, through legalized gambling, they could increase revenues without increasing taxes. </p>
<p>Before, casino-style gambling was confined to the state of Nevada and Atlantic City. Today, there are currently <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/05/28/us-gambling-market-saturated-yet-casinos-keep-on-coming">60 casinos in the Northeast</a> alone. In 1989, the percentage of Americans who had visited a casino in their lifetime <a href="http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/public-perspective/ppscan/52/52006.pdf">was only 33%</a>. Today, the percentage who have visited a casino in the <em>last year</em> <a href="http://www.americangaming.org/newsroom/press-releases/2013-report-shows-commercial-casino-industry%E2%80%99s-highest-growth-rates-since">is 34%</a>. </p>
<p>Is it any wonder, then, that a recent survey by the American Gaming Association found that <a href="http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/poll-americans-accept-casinos-they-would-any-other-business">87% of Americans</a> now see gambling as an acceptable activity? </p>
<h2>The risk society</h2>
<p>Legalization helped to make gambling available, but changes in American culture have made it acceptable. </p>
<p>German sociologist <a href="http://www.ulrichbeck.net-build.net/uploads/constellations.pdf">Ulrich Beck</a> coined the term “risk society” in order to explain modern society’s preoccupation with the future and concepts of risk.</p>
<p>The 2008 financial collapse illustrated the volatile nature of the modern economic system – and the powerlessness of the average American to combat its forces. Today, most Americans face a grim reality. Their retirement savings can disappear overnight. Mortgages can be defaulted on. Perpetual employment is no longer a given. And most are unable to determine how vulnerable they actually are to risk, whether it’s being laid off from a job or unmanageable hospital bills from an unforeseen health problem. </p>
<p>Beck has <a href="http://www.skidmore.edu/%7Erscarce/Soc-Th-Env/Env%20Theory%20PDFs/Beck--WorldRisk.pdf">argued</a> that “Risk exposure is replacing class as the principal inequality of modern society.” Such a worldview holds that it’s not enough anymore to have assets or wealth; you must also be able to control how much <em>exposure</em> to risk your assets have. </p>
<p>According to Beck, the truly powerful in the new risk society are not simply individuals with vast financial assets, but those who have the power to protect them, like the large banks that received billion-dollar bailouts in the wake of the financial collapse. </p>
<p>The uncontrollable volatility of the economy can desensitize us to risk. This has increasingly led people to invest in Silicon Valley start-ups and partake in day-trading stocks, which offer great economic upside but also incredibly amounts of risk. </p>
<p>In the end, a focus on risk and reward has shifted our collective priorities. Psychotherapist Allen Kanner <a href="https://www.mediaed.org/assets/products/134/transcript_134.pdf">explained</a> that in the 1970s, when he asked kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, they chose professions like nurse and astronaut. Today, when he asks kids the same question, they respond, “I want to be rich. I want to make a lot of money.”</p>
<h2>Poker parlance</h2>
<p>For these reasons, it’s not surprising that gambling and poker have become more and more mainstream. Look no further than the phenomenal popularity of the World Series of Poker. </p>
<p>The championship main event of the WSOP has long been viewed as a bellwether for the state of poker. In 1988, the event attracted <a href="http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-tournaments/244-19th-world-series-of-poker-wsop-1988/1550/results">167</a> players, mostly professionals who were willing to ante up the $10,000 needed to enter the tournament and compete for the $700,000 first place prize. </p>
<p>In 2014, <a href="http://www.wsop.com/news/2014/Nov/5127/MARTIN-JACOBSON-WINS-2014-WSOP-MAIN-EVENT-CHAMPIONSHIP-AND-10-MILLION.html">6,683</a> (mostly amateur) players competed for a whopping $10 million first place prize. The remarkable size of this year’s colossus event only further demonstrates the growing willingness of Americans to pin their futures on the turn of a card. </p>
<p>The prevalence of poker in contemporary American culture is reflected in our everyday use of poker terminology. Poker terms like “putting your cards on the table,” “holding your cards close to your chest,” “keeping a poker face,” “going all in,” “betting,” “bluffing” and “going bust” are ubiquitous in our language. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Going-All-In-Decision-Everything/dp/0310337879">Going All In</a> is the title of a book about becoming a Christian. Football coaches now motivate their players by “raising the ante” and shoving their chips <a href="https://youtu.be/4ab2pnlWkd4">“into the middle.”</a> International political conflicts are analyzed in order to understand who is <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21652362-when-political-leaders-turn-option-writers-economics-bluffing">“bluffing,”</a> while Lady Gaga writes songs about her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESGLojNYSo">“poker face.”</a> </p>
<h2>A new American Dream</h2>
<p>Poker is a game that combines luck with skill. In a way, it represents a fusion of the old “American Dream” narrative – which is rooted in the Protestant work ethic and exemplified in stories of “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-vrqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=self+made+man+weiss&source=bl&ots=h6FvC242F4&sig=XT9YfI3jTvD-Bm2bsf-a0PGWitc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XyBuVbaWNIrPsAXQ24HwAQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=self%20made%20man%20weiss&f=false">self-made men</a>” like Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin – and modern realities of our risk-based society. </p>
<p>Successful poker players are decisive, strategic and analytical. But even the best admit there’s always a level of luck involved. The undeniable luck factor present in the game serves to mirror the uncontrollable risk that many people feel they face on a daily basis. </p>
<p>Poker, then, is a middle ground, a game that hovers between the randomness of the lottery and traditional proverbs extolling the virtues of hard work. Playing poker is a metaphor for both our desire to exert influence over risk and our inability to control it. </p>
<p>The Colossus of Rhodes stood for 56 years before it fell, while the World Series of Poker’s Colossus tournament lasted for only a few days. </p>
<p>But both tell a lasting tale about the societies that created them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42658/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aaron Duncan is affiliated with the National Communication Association and the American Forensics Association.</span></em></p>What happened to “a penny saved is a penny earned?”Aaron Duncan, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-LincolnLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/338212014-11-05T19:26:06Z2014-11-05T19:26:06ZBallot initiatives take the pulse of the nation<p><em>Editor’s note: There were <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/2014_ballot_measures">146 state-wide ballot measures</a> up for consideration by voters in this week’s midterm elections, covering all manner of controversial issues – from abortion and guns to minimum wage increases and workers’ sick leave. Add to these hundreds of <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Local_ballot_measure_elections_in_2014">local ballot measures</a> on equally contentious matters like fracking. What do the results, then, say about what direction the country is moving? We asked a panel of researchers for their reactions.</em> </p>
<h2>Marijuana legalization</h2>
<p><strong>Robert Mikos, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University</strong></p>
<p>Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia just voted to legalize recreational marijuana. In a sense, they broke no new ground – Colorado and Washington already legalized recreational marijuana two years ago. But the passage of these measures is extraordinary in another sense: marijuana legalization no longer surprises anyone. Even the federal government, which continues to ban marijuana, seems unlikely to raise a fuss. Indeed, following similar votes in Colorado and Washington in 2012, the Department of Justice announced that it would refrain from prosecuting marijuana users and dealers who comply with state law, so long as they do not implicate a distinct federal interest (like stopping inter-state shipments of the drug). As control of the Congress shifts to the Republican Party, it seems unlikely that the federal government will do anything but continue to sit on the sidelines for the next two years.</p>
<p>The votes on Tuesday are interesting for two other reasons as well. First, these votes arguably foretell how marijuana laws will evolve in the states over time. The four states and DC that were the first to legalize recreational marijuana were also among the first to legalize medical marijuana: Alaska, Oregon, and Washington legalized medical marijuana in 1998, Colorado did so in 2000, and DC first tried in 1999. This suggests that voters might be more comfortable taking the plunge (i.e., legalizing recreational marijuana) after dipping their toes in the pool first (i.e., legalizing medical marijuana). It also suggests that the next states to legalize recreational marijuana are likely to be ones with more mature medical marijuana programs, such as California (1996) and Maine (1999).</p>
<p>Second, the defeat of a medical marijuana initiative in Florida is as unsurprising as the passage of legalization elsewhere. The south has been resistant to marijuana reforms; it remains the only region of the country without a legalization state. To some extent, southern resistance might be due to public attitudes toward marijuana; but it also might stem from lawmaking procedures used in many southern (and some other states) that impede the adoption even of popular reforms. After all, over half (58%) of Florida voters actually supported legalization of medical marijuana; but that figure just was not enough to change state law – the constitutional initiative process requires 60% support, higher than the simple majority needed in many other states, like California. A vote to legalize marijuana elsewhere in the country might not be surprising anymore, but when it happens in the south it will be noteworthy.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Minimum wage increase</h2>
<p><strong>Kevin Lang, Professor of Economics, Boston University:</strong></p>
<p>What is very interesting is that even from some very red states, there has been support for increasing the minimum wage, while there has been opposition to that from the Republican party.</p>
<p>President Obama has proposed raising the minimum wage, so it is very interesting to see the large amount of public support for an increase in the minimum wage. It suggests that concerns about inequality that have been raised by some of the Democrats, and Hillary Clinton in particular, do resonate with the voters regardless of the other motivations for what was obviously a large Republican victory.</p>
<p>Economists tend to focus on the distributional and efficiency aspects of the minimum wage - that is to say, how much do they reduce inequality (if at all), how much do they reduce employment (if at all). When people think about the minimum wage, they tend to think about it in a very different way - which is a view that if you work full time, you should be able to support your family. </p>
<p>So the focus of the minimum wage debate tends to be on how much do you have to earn in order for you to have a living wage. In San Francisco, people talk about whether the $15 minimum wage, which won’t be in effect until July 2018, will be enough to be liveable. That has been the nature of the discussion there.</p>
<p>The employment effects of the minimum wage, certainly in the short run, are very small. They are not zero; there is some job loss, and it’s probably the case that in the longer-run, there are somewhat larger effects. It takes time to change your technology and the like. The best evidence that we have - and I have to admit the evidence isn’t all that good - is that the employment effects are small.</p>
<p>At the same time, when we talk about inequality, the minimum wage is actually very poorly targeted to address family income inequality.</p>
<p>A significant minority of minimum wage earners are teenagers - some of them from disadvantaged families who are helping their families - but there are also minimum wage earners who are in relatively well-off families. Again our best evidence is that it does a little bit to reduce family income inequality, but its effects are not
dramatic.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Fracking</h2>
<p><strong>Ian Partridge, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Energy Studies at the University of Texas</strong></p>
<p>Eight counties and municipalities around the US had fracking bans on the ballot: three in California, four in Ohio and one in Texas. Half of the bans passed: San Benito and Mendocino Counties in California, Gates Mills in Ohio and Denton, Texas. It is hard to find a clear message in a 50/50 split: most voters in California vote for the environment and those in Ohio vote for jobs, but we knew that already.</p>
<p>The standout is Denton – a town that sits right on top of the Barnett Shale. It is not exactly a hotbed of liberalism – Republicans won every one of the six contested races in Denton County. So what happened?</p>
<p>My suspicion is that Denton voters were not voting to limit output of fossil fuels – highly unlikely in Texas, of all places. They probably weren’t voting to protect the state’s air or water or to limit methane emissions either. Without taking sides, many claims of environmental damage linked to fracking are disputable, and the oil and gas industry spent heavily to make that point. However, what cannot be disputed is that fracking is an industrial process. It is noisy and roads in fracking areas are frequently clogged with heavy trucks. That is the sort of issue that gets voters anywhere riled up, and I suspect that that is what Denton voted against.</p>
<p>So, what is next for the towns and counties that voted to ban fracking? A lot of <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/energy-industry-files-challenge-to-texas-first-fracking-ban-1415215144">expensive litigation</a> – that is what. They face legal problems on two fronts: do they have the power to ban fracking? And will they have to compensate owners of mineral rights that have lost value because the minerals cannot be exploited? The question of the rights of counties to pre-empt state regulation will require minute analysis of state constitutions and legislation, and the answer may vary in different states. However, the right to just compensation when a government – including a local government – takes private property is enshrined in the Constitution, so these local electorates are taking on the big battalions. Very likely, rather than incur huge legal costs, they will eventually settle for stricter limits on the nuisance created by noise and dust from fracking.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Personhood and the right to abortion</h2>
<p><strong>Jonathan Will, Associate Professor of Law and Founding Director, Bioethics & Health Law Center at Mississippi College</strong></p>
<p>Citizens of three states had the opportunity to vote on measures considered by many to be adverse to abortion rights during the November 2014 election cycle. </p>
<p>While the personhood efforts in Colorado and North Dakota failed, the Tennessee electorate approved an amendment making clear that their state constitution does not protect a right to abortion, and expressly authorizing the state legislature to regulate abortion services. </p>
<p>Unlike the amendment that passed in Tennessee, the state constitutional amendments proposed in Colorado and North Dakota said nothing explicitly about abortion. Instead, the measures sought to extend the protections associated with a “right to life” to human beings at all stages of development. Of course, by extending this aspect of legal personhood to the preborn, abortion necessarily becomes problematic. But these types of personhood measures have failed in every state to attempt them, including Mississippi, which is considered by many to be the most conservative (and anti-abortion rights) state in the country. </p>
<p>So why are personhood measures failing even while the Tennessee amendment passed?</p>
<p>The simple answer is that personhood measures implicate far more than abortion. By common medical understanding, abortion involves the termination of a pregnancy, which exists when the embryo implants in the uterine wall some two weeks after the sperm meets the egg in the fallopian tube. </p>
<p>But personhood measures seek to attach legal personhood <em>before</em> a pregnancy exists; perhaps as soon as the sperm penetrates the egg. Therefore, the loss of even single-celled <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/658686/zygote">zygotes</a> potentially becomes problematic, impacting certain forms of contraception, infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), and so forth.</p>
<p>The voting populace often has strong views about abortion, and the result in Tennessee suggests that at least in some states the majority of voters are in favor of greater restrictions on abortion. But there seems to be far less support for potential restrictions on contraception and/or IVF. </p>
<p>The more interesting question, and one that does not receive much public discussion, is why a voter would be against abortion rights (presumably because of the loss of human life), but in favor of IVF? Is there something meaningfully different about the developing embryo immediately before implantation versus immediately after? Many personhood supporters would say no. They believe that legal personhood should begin at fertilization. But during debates about personhood measures, certain supporters suggest that the proposed constitutional amendments would not implicate IVF. This is curious given that thousands of these pre-embryonic persons are lost each year through failed implantation or otherwise. </p>
<p><a>My current work</a> seeks to bridge this gap, or at the very least, to create a space in which meaningful discussion can be held. </p>
<hr>
<h2>Gambling and casinos</h2>
<p>*<em>Rachel Volberg, Associate Research Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst<br>
*</em></p>
<p>Now that the referendum to repeal casino gambling in Massachusetts <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/11/05/gambling-expansion-2014-winners-and-losers/">has been decided</a> (the repeal did not pass), I will confess that my vote weighed heavily on me. As a longtime gambling researcher, I was concerned about the negative social and health impacts associated with casinos and uncertain of whether the economic benefits promised would offset them. </p>
<p>However, as the Principal Investigator of a statutorily mandated study of the social and economic impacts of expanded gambling, I was excited about the possibility that for the first time in the US, we might be able to identify the extent and magnitude of the impacts of casino gambling and assist in effectively minimizing and mitigating the negative impacts that emerge.</p>
<p>At the end of the day I decided that if casino gambling was going to happen in my home state, I wanted it to be the way Massachusetts is doing it. I doubt if many have carefully read the <a href="http://massgaming.com/about/expanded-gaming-act/">Expanded Gaming Act </a>or understand how thoroughly empirical research is woven into the work of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.</p>
<p>Unlike many other jurisdictions, the Expanded Gaming Act gives equal weight to creating a vibrant casino industry and to minimizing and mitigating harms arising from that industry. The Gaming Commission has made this commitment explicit in its decision to dedicate funds, well ahead of the availability of any tax revenues, to carry out a clean baseline study before casinos open in the state. In my view, Massachusetts is creating a casino industry in the most responsible manner possible, and I am thrilled to be leading the charge to obtain the empirical evidence needed to create a sustainable casino industry in Massachusetts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33821/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Lang was an elected member of the Brookline School Committee. In that capacity, he supported a living wage law for the Town of Brookline, which set a minimum wage for anyone employed by the Town or by the School Department.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Volberg receives funding from an interdepartmental services agreement between the Massachusetts Gambling Commission and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Partridge, Jonathan F Will, and Robert A. Mikos do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Editor’s note: There were 146 state-wide ballot measures up for consideration by voters in this week’s midterm elections, covering all manner of controversial issues – from abortion and guns to minimum…Jonathan F Will, Associate Professor of Law and Founding Director, Bioethics & Health Law Center, Mississippi CollegeIan Partridge, Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Texas at AustinKevin Lang, Professor of Economics, Boston UniversityRachel Volberg, Research Associate Professor, Epidemiology, UMass AmherstRobert A. Mikos, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/322582014-11-04T15:24:16Z2014-11-04T15:24:16ZHow slots trick gamblers into losing more than they know<p>A 2011 Massachusetts law allows for the expansion of gambling, including slot machines. That law is now on the November 2014 election ballot for potential repeal. </p>
<p>This is a real opportunity for voters to consider where slot machine income comes from. Also, since slot machines are the most addictive form of gambling, Massachusetts voters should consider the source of gambling revenues, and whether slot machines are fair to gamblers. Let’s see what current research shows.</p>
<h2>Slot machine profits</h2>
<p>The industry estimate for slot machine “profits” is around $100,000 per machine per year of player losses. (See, for example, <a href="gaming.unlv.edu/reports/ct_monthly.pdf">slot machine revenue in nearby Connecticut</a>.)</p>
<p>These losses add up fast. A gambler who plays for just three hours one evening per week, and makes fairly small wagers of $1 per spin, would lose approximately $1,000 per month, or <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2014.918163">approximately $12,000 per year</a>, on average. </p>
<p>This is a very high cost of entertainment for what would appear to many as a relatively low wager per spin and relatively small number of hours per week. For many patrons casino gambling is much more expensive than going to big-name concerts or professional sporting events such as the Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, or Patriots. </p>
<p>Of greatest concern are players with a gambling problem, or those who may develop a problem in the future. Approximately <a href="https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/handle/10133/380">50% of slot machine revenue</a> is derived from players with moderate and severe gambling problems, who make up only 3%-4% of the general population. </p>
<p>Such players have very high losses which cause very significant negative consequences for them and their families. In the extreme cases, such as <a href="http://www.statejournal.com/story/26236710/gambling-addicts-widow-claims-casino-exploited-her-husbands-out-of-control-behavior">Scott Stevens of Ohio,</a> things can quickly spiral out of control. </p>
<p>Stevens’ case is particularly tragic: he embezzled from his employer and eventually committed suicide. He was a husband and father with a senior role in accounting and no known problems aside from gambling. But once he started playing slots he couldn’t stop.</p>
<h2>Characteristics of slot machines</h2>
<p>Slot machine manufacturers design the gambling experience to confuse and manipulate players’ emotions in an effort to keep players gambling. This is called maximizing ‘time on device’. Many of these manipulations are not readily revealed to the player. Here are some examples drawn from my research:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The cost of play of slot machines is hidden from the player. An estimate of the per-hour cost is 50 to 100 times the cost of a single spin, but this varies depending on the settings of the game. </p></li>
<li><p>Worse yet, the same game may be on multiple machines in a casino and programmed to pay out differently on each. Thus, even if a player knew the cost of play on one machine, that knowledge would not necessarily transfer to the same game elsewhere in the same casino. Players start to incorrectly guess how slots work and guess at the chance of making money by playing the machines. Obviously, there is randomness involved in how much a player loses at any given session, but slot machine players cannot even predict how expensive a session might be. </p></li>
<li><p>On modern slot machines, half of ‘wins’ are actually net losses. An example would be a $1 bet with a 30¢ payoff. This is a loss of 70¢, but the machine shows bright graphics and makes sounds announcing a win. Researchers call these events Losses Disguised as Wins (LDWs) and have clearly shown that players experience these as actual wins, giving the players the (incorrect) positive feelings that they are winning. Players who have many losses-disguised-as-wins overestimate the number of actual wins they receive in a session: they psychologically encode these net losses as actual wins. </p></li>
<li><p>Slot machines create ‘near miss’ outcomes: losses that appear close to jackpots. One trick to make this happen is to have the jackpot symbol to be surprisingly rare on the final reel. Near misses lead to prolonged play, and heavier losses. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Loss disguised as a win for states?</h2>
<p>There are also serious concerns about the financial aspects of slot machine facilities, particularly if slots are being claimed to be bringing good revenues into a state’s treasury.</p>
<p>For example, at many casinos slots players can apply for a loan. This seems predatory on the casino’s part as the casino knows that the player is out of money, and yet the casino lends the player money to gamble, knowing the player will likely lose that money back to them. Such predatory lending should be forbidden.</p>
<p>Finally, research shows that bringing casinos with slots to within 30 miles of major cities will usually boost the number of people with a gambling problem in that city. The best current research shows that introducing slots to Massachusetts, without working to ameliorate their harms, will have a high potential for causing significant <a href="http://www.ajgiph.com/content/3/1/2">negative effects on communities</a> in the Commonwealth.</p>
<p>_This article is part of a series on gambling in America. You can read the rest of the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/gambling-in-america">here</a> _</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32258/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Harrigan receives funding from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dan Brown is a co-investigator of a research grant from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre, for which Kevin Harrigan is the principal investigator.</span></em></p>A 2011 Massachusetts law allows for the expansion of gambling, including slot machines. That law is now on the November 2014 election ballot for potential repeal. This is a real opportunity for voters…Kevin Harrigan, Associate Professor, University of WaterlooDan Brown, Director, Undergraduate Studies, University of WaterlooLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/319392014-11-03T05:25:34Z2014-11-03T05:25:34ZLosses disguised as wins, the science behind casino profits<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62015/original/xsyrqn62-1413489372.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Your odds of winning are greatly improved if you own a casino.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Gambling is good business, or at least a profitable one. According to the American Gaming Association, in 2012 the 464 commercial casinos in the US served 76.1 million patrons and <a href="http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/11/1/us-economy/americas-wheel-fortune-spinning-again">grossed $US37.34 billion</a>. </p>
<p>Each year gaming revenues in the US yield more profits than the <a href="http://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2013_032514-v2.pdf">theatrical movie industry</a> ($US10.9 billion) and the <a href="http://riaa.com/media/2463566A-FF96-E0CA-2766-72779A364D01.pdf">recorded music industry</a> ($US7 billion) combined. Even the <a href="https://www.wrhambrecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SportsMarketReport_2012.pdf">$US22.5 billion combined revenue</a> of the four major US sports leagues is dwarfed by earnings from the commercial casinos industry.</p>
<p>Gambling is such good business that despite reported negative impacts – such as <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/266349/neighborhood-and-gambling.pdf">increased poverty and unemployment</a>, <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=233792">higher crime rates</a>, and <a href="http://uss-mass.org/documents/NationlAssocationRealtors-Casino-Research.pdf">decreased property value</a> in nearby neighborhoods – the state of Illinois early this year passed a law to allow slot machines in all establishments that sell alcohol. </p>
<p>Likewise, Massachusetts has recently approved Las Vegas casino mogul Stephan Wynn’s plan for a $US1.6 billion dollar casino resort just north of in the Boston area. Although this project and others could be stopped by a <a href="http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele14/pip143.htm">ballot question 3</a> “expanding prohibitions on gaming” on November 4. </p>
<h2>The spread of gambling in America</h2>
<p>Gambling is not just common, it’s also accepted. Despite the fact that for <a href="http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/view/102/102">an estimated 4%</a> of the population gambling represents a problematic and even pathological addiction, <a href="http://www.americangaming.org/sites/default/files/uploads/docs/aga_sos2013_fnl.pdf">85% of Americans</a> feel that gambling is either perfectly acceptable for themselves or if not themselves for others in a country where more than 20 States now allow some form of commercial casino.</p>
<p>It’s not too hard to see why casino lobbyists believe casinos make a positive contribution to the communities in which they operate. </p>
<p>It’s far less easy to understand why so many Americans enjoy gambling even though it tends to result in the loss of money.</p>
<h2>You lose, the casino wins</h2>
<p>As a general rule, we tend to repeat behavior that produces desirable results and avoid behaviors that result in loss. We repeat jokes that people laughed at, choose jobs that we enjoy and that pay the most money, and avoid behaviors that produce fines. Following this logic, one would expect a gambler to only play as long as they are winning and then cut their losses when they begin to lose. </p>
<p>Yet gambling appears to operate differently; <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11729554">players play faster</a> after losses and bet persistently regardless of the <a href="http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/bsi/article/view/34">percentage of payback</a>, <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1962-05888-001">magnitude of return</a>, or the lack of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15612606">winning entirely</a>. So what encourages gambling behavior if losing occurs more frequently, and payouts do not exceed buy-ins?</p>
<p>One explanation is that gamblers poorly judge the actual probability of winning, even as their pile of tokens and coins dwindles before them.</p>
<p>Some examples of this phenomenon can easily be seen in the language of gamblers. “My luck is going to turn,” “A win is coming,” or “I am on a hot streak,” are all statements that speak to an over-confidence in one’s ability to predict functionally random events. </p>
<p>Gamblers will often say these things after an unusual series of outcomes, for example ten straight losses on red at roulette. The gambler may then proceed to bet more on red, in the false hope that the next spin is more likely to come up red due to the overall probability of the game (50% chance of red).</p>
<p>This flawed logic is called “<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/%7Eachaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Gambler_s_fallacy.html">The Gambler’s Fallacy</a>”. It stems from a misunderstanding of how probabilities are assessed; in fact the outcome of the previous spin of the roulette wheel has no influence on the outcome of the next spin. The probability of red remains stubbornly fixed at 50%. </p>
<h2>Missed it by that much</h2>
<p>Another example of how gamblers misjudge losing outcomes can be seen when individuals respond to losses that are similar in appearance to a win. Receiving two out of three symbols necessary to win on a slot machine is a loss but players often <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21516368">respond to this “near miss”</a> with excitement, increased betting and more persistent play. </p>
<p>Winning and almost winning are such similar events to many people that they respond in the same way to both. People pause, for example, for longer after a win than a loss. This is known as a “<a href="http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1341&context=tpr">post-reinforcement pause</a>.” People often pause for longer after a near-miss. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/61724/original/xjw6j2nr-1413315993.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s no accident near misses are pretty common on slot machines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Winning and almost winning are so alike in gamblers’ brains that research on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine">dopamine</a>-transmitting pathways of anticipation and reward show remarkably similar activation patterns for a near-miss and a win.</p>
<p>Near-miss effects are not limited to outcomes that <em>look</em> similar to win. Outcomes that are closer to a win in a more abstract sense also cause a similar response. </p>
<p>For instance, the near-miss effect has been demonstrated in games where “nearly winning” might relate to scoring a number that is <a href="http://arts-sciences.und.edu/psychology/analysis_of_gambling_behavior/back_issues_pdfs/aogb-summer-2009-issue-2.pdf">close to a winning number</a>, such as in blackjack. </p>
<p>Near-miss outcomes are not the only form of almost winning that contributes to the behavioral confusion faced by gamblers. Modern slot machines also present a myriad of features that are designed to confuse outcomes. </p>
<h2>Slot confusion</h2>
<p>One feature present in almost every modern slot machine is the partial win or “loss disguised as a win.” </p>
<p>Since slot machines have gone from the traditional 3-reel 1-line slot machine to the modern 5-reel video slot, often with 25 or more winning lines, near-miss outcomes have become almost unidentifiable from other losing outcomes. </p>
<p>By encouraging individuals to play on more than one line, casinos have created a scenario where players are awarded a win on almost every spin. </p>
<p>Despite the increased frequency of winning, the proportion of money returned is often far less than the entire bet, such as winning 10c on a 50c bet. This 80% loss is accompanied by the same sounds on the machine as a real win and occupies the same area of the screen that wins are reported in. </p>
<p>Since noticing near-misses on modern slot machines is difficult, game makers have incorporated other game features such as free-spin symbols, mini-games, and progressive awards, which create new near miss situations while often not guaranteeing any increased value of a win themselves. </p>
<p>For example, special symbols might be placed on the reels that provide 10-free spins whenever three appear anywhere within the game screen. These symbols will often make a special sound, such as a loud thud when they land; and if two symbols land, many games will begin to play fast tempo music, display flashing lights around the remaining reels, and accelerate the rate of spin to enhance the saliency of the event. </p>
<p>When you win these sorts of outcomes you feel as though you have won a jackpot; after all, 10 free spins is 10x the chances to win big money right? The reality is that those 10 free-spins do not change the already small probability of winning on any given spin and are still likely to result in a loss of money. For many games, features such as this have entirely replaced standard jackpots.</p>
<p>These features share one important characteristic: they allow the casinos the ability to provide more outcomes that feel like a win while not increasing the actual payout. The effect of these features is so significant that in 1989 the <a href="http://www.gamblingresearch.org/content/slot-machine-structural-characteristics-creating-near-misses-using-high-award-symbol-ratios">Nevada Gaming Commission</a> banned algorithms that purposefully increased the prevalence of near-miss outcomes. Of course, this only applied to the intentional increasing of near misses when a loss is already determined, i.e. artificially producing a near miss instead of what the reels would have normally landed on.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, these laws do not preclude the intentional design of reel layouts that, without additional manipulation, produce frequent near misses and losses disguised as wins. These laws also do not apply to the newer game features which either highlight the near miss, such as accelerating reels, or create entirely new topographies of outcomes, as is the case with free-spins or mini-games. </p>
<p>While the question of how to best manage artificial manipulations of near misses may be a topic of future regulatory discussion, the decision to play games with these illusions will ultimately fall upon the end user. </p>
<p>As long as you are willing to expose yourself to the game in the first place, the casino need only sit back and wait. And with increasing availability of casinos across the US, they won’t need to wait long.</p>
<p>_This article is part of a series on gambling in America. You can read the rest of the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/gambling-in-america">here</a>. _</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31939/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Gambling is good business, or at least a profitable one. According to the American Gaming Association, in 2012 the 464 commercial casinos in the US served 76.1 million patrons and grossed $US37.34 billion…Mark R Dixon, Professor of Behavioural Psychology, Southern Illinois UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/319342014-10-30T09:47:52Z2014-10-30T09:47:52ZThe problem with gambling research<p>Casino gaming is on the rise across much of the developed world, with governments increasingly unable to resist the allure of windfall taxes and a hefty influx of cash for the local economy. Massachusetts embraced the trend in 2011 when the state legislature voted to legalise casinos. <a href="http://www.wbur.org/2014/09/26/problem-gambling-big-business">Construction is underway</a> for the state’s first casino at Plainridge Park, with 1,250 slot machines, harness racing and an estimated 500 new jobs.</p>
<p>That decision is now up for review, with a repeal referendum to be considered in the November midterms. In deciding whether to support the repeal, Massachusetts voters will need unbiased information about the social impact of gambling and its downsides. Sadly it’s going to be much harder to come by than you might think.</p>
<h2>A compromised research agenda</h2>
<p>Anyone looking for good quality evidence about the consequences of gambling first needs to understand how knowledge about gambling is produced. How do we know what we know? Who dictates the research agenda? How is research funded? How do we ensure that we have a sound base of impartial knowledge on which to build policy? </p>
<p>The answers to these questions are profoundly depressing. While in the fields of tobacco and alcohol research, academics regularly debate conflicts of interest and interrogate the strategic use of research and evidence, many gambling researchers remain dependent on industry funding. Gambling is an area largely devoid of disclosure policies, and many researchers are unreflective or outright defiant about industry influence. </p>
<p>Researchers, regulators and policy makers champion a “partnership model” for producing research, not so much “business as usual” as “we are all in this together.” This remarkable state of affairs contrasts markedly with other fields and produces a weak knowledge base that is unevenly influenced by industry interests.</p>
<p>The impact on the discipline is striking. A large proportion of spending goes on prevalence studies – <a href="http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/16066359.2012.680079">counting problem gamblers</a> in the general population. These surveys are popular with industry because they make it possible to downplay the absolute numbers of pathological gamblers, along with the percentage of the general population at risk from gambling problems, the percentage of gamblers who experience problems and the proportion of profits that come from problem gamblers (<a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/95707/24-appendixb.pdf">estimated at between 30 and 50%</a>). </p>
<p>Prevalence studies also tend to sidestep the question of social class, thus disguising the inconvenient fact that <a href="http://theconversation.com/who-wins-from-big-gambling-in-australia-22930">most of the harm from gambling occurs in disadvantaged populations</a> – those with the least capacity to absorb it.</p>
<h2>The problem with problem gamblers</h2>
<p>Complementing prevalence studies is a vast body of research on problem gamblers. Much of it rests on the assumption that gambling is a <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/horizons/spring2014/gamblingwhytaketherisk/">harmless leisure activity</a> which makes a <a href="http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-95742011001000022&lng=en&nrm=iso">net contribution to public funds through either taxation or out of town tourism</a>.</p>
<p>The idea that normal consumers gamble without ill-effect creates a separate category of defective consumers labelled as “<a href="http://abs.sagepub.com/content/51/1/33.abstract">problem gamblers</a>”. According to this framework, solutions to problems with gambling are to be sought on an individual level. The alternative approach – to see gambling as an aspect of public health that may be managed by limiting the supply of particular products - is poorly supported by industry or government funding, particularly where taxes on the profits of gambling have become an important source of state income, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-25/key-facts-gambling-in-australia/2730414">as in Australia</a>, <a href="http://www.utppublishing.com/Casino-State-Legalized-Gambling-in-Canada.html">Canada</a> and, increasingly, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/101575912">the United States.</a> </p>
<p>A minority of critical researchers continue to agitate for change – arguing that research should not be funded by the industry, that priorities should not be set by industry-influenced panels, and that research should have a public health remit.</p>
<h2>The role of researchers</h2>
<p>So far, these arguments have fallen on deaf ears. Senior researchers are not only content to take industry money, they are also prepared to defend these arrangements. </p>
<p>In December 2000 Nottingham University decided to accept a donation from British American Tobacco of £3.8 million to establish an International Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The executive editors of leading respiratory medicine journal Thorax, John Briton and Alan Knox, wrote an <a href="http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_388.pdf">open letter</a> arguing that “accepting money from the tobacco industry degrades the reputation of our University and undermines the work of all with a commitment to the teaching of medicine and the promotion of public health.” </p>
<p>Professor Richard Smith, editor of the British Medical Journal, resigned from his post at Nottingham, followed by a team of 20 cancer researchers, led by Professor David Thurston. </p>
<p>Almost 14 years later, Professor <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/science/people/alex.blaszczynski.php">Alex Blaszczynski</a>, editor-in-chief of the journal International Gambling Studies, and one of the most prominent gambling scholars in the world, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/clubs-bet-12m-on-gambling-research-xenophon-claims-stalling-tactic-20140530-399ud.html">received $1.2 million from the New South Wales clubs industry</a> to study problem gambling in Australia. Australians have the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6313083.stm">highest gambling losses</a> per resident adult of any country in the world and spend more on gambling than they do on alcohol or petrol.</p>
<p>Asked to defend this arrangement, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/clubs-bet-12m-on-gambling-research-xenophon-claims-stalling-tactic-20140530-399ud.html#ixzz3E8ize5Eu">Blaszczynski said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Because of the nature of gambling, you do have to start looking at gaining access to data held by the industry, by patrons who are in industry venues and start looking at real life research that provides sensible, evidence-based information.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Blaszczynski’s defence is disappointing. It does not engage with the most pressing criticism: scholars in the fields of alcohol and tobacco have shown that industry funding <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.12384/abstract">systematically influences</a> findings. </p>
<p>Further, by accepting that industry can control such access, Blaszczynski is, in effect, arguing for a monopoly on knowledge production for those who get along with the industry. </p>
<h2>How industry funding frames the agenda</h2>
<p>Blaszczynski’s acceptance of industry funding is not, however, exceptional and many in the field of gambling studies in the US, where <a href="http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF17/20131210/101570/HHRG-113-IF17-Wstate-VolbergR-20131210.pdf">funding for research is one-twentieth that of Australia and Canada</a>, would vigorously defend his actions. </p>
<p>US universities enter into <a href="http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/apr/03/las-vegas-sands-donating-7-million-unlv/">partnerships with individual casino companies</a>. US academics compete for funding from the National Centre for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) which is paid for by the <a href="http://www.americangaming.org/about-aga">American Gaming Association</a> and claims to have mandated, “stringent firewalls to separate the gaming industry’s contributions from the research it funds”. The effectiveness of these firewalls, and similar mechanisms in the UK and Australia, <a href="http://www.parliament.nz/resource/mi-nz/50SCHE_EVI_00DBHOH_BILL12021_1_A333056/040eb61e1717887db3b1a708ec93aae95fa17474">is debatable</a>. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, the National Centre for Responsible Gaming focuses exclusively on the disease model of gambling addiction and does not fund research with a wider social purview. Senior research director Christine Reilly recently <a href="http://the2x2project.org/gambling-public-health/">justified this approach</a> by saying: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>To me it seems kind of silly to spend time and money on an issue that is extremely difficult to research, because you can’t count on people’s memory.“ </p>
</blockquote>
<p>John Warren Kindt, Professor of Business and Administration at the University of Illinois recently <a href="http://the2x2project.org/gambling-public-health/">described NCRG output</a> as "research designed not to hurt the gambling industry and to misdirect the debate”.</p>
<h2>The trust deficit</h2>
<p>Some research with a broader public health remit can be found in <a href="https://ama.com.au/position-statement/health-effects-problem-gambling">Australia</a> and the <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9156.html">US</a>, but, as I discovered when I interviewed researchers for my <a href="http://www.gold.ac.uk/gamblingineurope/report/">study of gambling research,</a> it is likely to be criticised and ignored. The price of independence is the loss of funding and access to data. </p>
<p>We depend on researchers and public health organisations to inform us about the potential harms associated with gambling, consuming alcohol or smoking. The purpose of this research is to better understand how risky activities affect communities and help us to judge what restrictions, if any, should be placed on their supply and promotion. </p>
<p>We cannot trust gambling research. We must therefore be sceptics. Every expert invited to give evidence to a committee on gambling should be asked, “Have you ever accepted money from the industry to conduct a piece of research, write a paper or attend a conference?” </p>
<p>In the absence of a culture of disclosing interests, every paper submitted as evidence should be contextualised – again we must ask “Who paid for this research?” and “How did this person gain access to data?” </p>
<p>It’s not much - it doesn’t produce the independent research that we so urgently need - but until the field of gambling research undergoes meaningful reform it’s the least we need to do. </p>
<p>In the meantime, voters such as those in Massachusetts looking for independent research, will have little choice but to roll the dice.</p>
<p><em>This article is part of a series on gambling in America. You can read the rest of the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/gambling-in-america">here.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31934/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Cassidy is funded by the European Research Council, grant number 263433. Between 2006 and 2009 she received £90,697.22 from ‘Research into Problem Gambling’, a collaborative research initiative between the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (lead organisation) and the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RiGT), now the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT). All aspects of the grant were administered by the ESRC. Near the end of the project, I was asked by the RiGT to submit publications for prior approval, a request that I declined. Between 2007 and 2009 I received ad hoc support from the National Lottery Commission for the Gambling Research Network, a group of early career and PhD researchers coming together in London two or three times a year. Money covered refreshments and no explicit restrictions or inducements were placed on the group by the NLC. I have not received any other direct or indirect payments from the industry or any other groups substantially funded by gambling to conduct research or to speak at conferences or events. I have paid to attend industry-sponsored events and attended free, industry-supported events in order to conduct anthropological fieldwork. No funding was received from any source in relation to the contents of this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles Livingstone is a Chief Investigator on a current Australian Research Council Grant investigating the mechanisms of industry influence of government by the Alcohol, Tobacco and Gambling industries. He has previously received grants from the Victorian Gambling Research Panel and the South Australian Independent Gambling Authority, and an international partner grant from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Council, organisations which distribute funds derived from the proceeds of gambling. He has also received funding from local government and non-government organisations in relation to (i) the provision of expert evidence in relation to gambling applications and (ii) for specific research projects focused on aspects of gambling policy, the costs of problem gambling, distribution of gambling derived-harm, and the extent to which gambling funds provide community benefits. He was a member of the Australian Government's Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling (2010-11). He is an editorial board member of the journal Independent Gambling Studies. He is a member of the Public Health Association of Australia and the National Association of Gambling Studies (Australia), and of the Australian Greens. He has not received research or other funding or support from and has not entered into any collaborative agreements with any gambling, alcohol or tobacco industry body. No funding was received from any source in relation to the preparation of this article.</span></em></p>Casino gaming is on the rise across much of the developed world, with governments increasingly unable to resist the allure of windfall taxes and a hefty influx of cash for the local economy. Massachusetts…Rebecca Cassidy, Professor of Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of LondonCharles Livingstone, Senior Lecturer, Global Health and Society, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/334432014-10-28T09:38:24Z2014-10-28T09:38:24ZEconomic benefits of casinos likely to outweigh costs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62779/original/fg3sxj28-1414366455.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Casinos like this one in Maryland bring benefits as well as costs. The challenge is working out which is greater.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.marylandlivecasino.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the past two decades, the US casino industry has expanded dramatically. According to the American Gaming Association, there are <a href="http://www.americangaming.org/sites/default/files/aga_sos2013_rev042014.pdf">now nearly 1,000</a> commercial and tribal casinos in the country. </p>
<p>Plans to expand casino gaming are typically controversial. Massachusetts presents one of the most interesting cases, with voters currently contemplating a measure to reverse casino legalization this coming Tuesday November 4. </p>
<h2>The cost benefit analysis</h2>
<p>Each time casino legalization or expansion is considered, similar issues come up. Casino proponents argue that casinos will create tax revenues, jobs, and can push average wages higher. </p>
<p>Opponents argue that the social costs, such as crime, industry “cannibalization,” and problem gambling, outweigh the potential benefits. Both sides discount the opposition’s claims. So what does the research show? </p>
<p>When it comes to the economic benefits of casinos, there have been several studies on economic growth, employment, and wages. Perhaps the most comprehensive study on employment and wages was done at the US county level. </p>
<p>Controlling for a variety of factors, the results showed that counties with casinos have higher employment (by around 8%) than those without; wages were slightly higher in <a href="http://www.ubplj.org/index.php/jgbe/article/view/529">casino counties</a>. </p>
<p>There is also published evidence that casinos have a positive impact on state-level economic growth, though that evidence has not been <a href="http://www.ubplj.org/index.php/jgbe/article/view/757">consistent over time</a>. </p>
<h2>Tax benefits</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most important political benefit of casinos is tax revenues. Although in most states legalized gambling provides a very small proportion of state tax receipts (usually far less than 5%), casino taxes do make it easier for politicians to avoid spending cuts or other tax increases. </p>
<p>In Massachusetts, one of the motivations for casino legalization is that many Bay State residents gamble at casinos in Connecticut and Rhode Island. If new casinos keep hundreds of millions of casino revenue in the state, that means additional tax revenue for the state.</p>
<h2>Problem gamblers</h2>
<p>On the cost side of the equation, researchers agree that the majority of costs are attributable to problem gamblers, who make up <a href="http://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/article/Pages/2005/v66n05/v66n0504.aspx">around 1% of the population</a>. These people develop a variety of problems, including reduced employment productivity; financial problems, bad debts and bankruptcies; committing crimes to get money for gambling; and <a href="http://youthgambling.mcgill.ca/en/PDF/Newsletter/Spring2014.pdf">lying to friends and family</a>. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the spread of casinos across the country may not have caused a significant increase in the prevalence of problem gambling. <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/adb/18/1/40/">Research has suggested</a> that when casinos expand in an area, there is a short-term increase in the problem gambling rate, but that the rate levels off over time. The result has been a fairly stable prevalence of problem gambling across place and time. </p>
<p>Since the 1990s researchers have been trying to put a monetary value on these social costs of problem gambling. Unfortunately, <a href="http://www.springer.com/economics/book/978-1-4614-7122-6">such measurement is tricky</a>. </p>
<p>Researchers have estimated that around 70% of problem gamblers have other problems, such as drug or alcohol abuse. Thus, it becomes impossible to attribute social costs specifically to the person’s gambling problem. Nevertheless, the scientific literature on the types of difficulties associated with problem gambling is well-developed.</p>
<h2>Crowding out competitors</h2>
<p>Casino critics typically argue that casinos will harm other industries. This is so-called “industry cannibalization.” The fact is that any new business that competes with existing businesses does the same thing. This is simply a part of market economies. </p>
<p>One can sympathize with existing firms; they never like having more competition. But in the end, a new casino creates a new option for consumers. If they didn’t enjoy gambling, consumers wouldn’t spend their money at casinos. </p>
<p>What about casinos’ impacts on lotteries? There have been recent claims that casinos could significantly harm the Massachusetts lottery. Recent empirical evidence from a study we did in Maryland <a href="http://gaming.mdlottery.com/">tends to contradict this</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://gaming.mdlottery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Casino-Impacts-Report-0724.pdf">We found</a> that the establishment of casinos in Maryland led to about a 2.75% decrease in lottery sales. This is hardly a major impact, but it is nothing to sneeze at.</p>
<p>Massachusetts has the most successful lottery in the country, and casinos will probably have a small negative impact on lottery sales. On net, though, gambling tax receipts will almost certainly increase with casinos.</p>
<h2>How, then, to assess impact</h2>
<p>Policymakers in different parts of the country have taken different approaches to understanding the impacts of casinos. Some states have commissioned <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/GamingStudy/docs/FGIS_Spectrum_28Oct2013.pdf">comprehensive studies</a>, while others have acted without much empirical evidence. Massachusetts has commissioned a <a href="http://www.umass.edu/seigma/">comprehensive multi-year study</a> of the economic and social impact of the introduction of casino gambling.</p>
<p>It’s true that casinos have a variety of impacts on their host communities; they create both costs and benefits, both of which are probably less important than casinos’ strongest supporters and opponents claim. </p>
<p>But from a purely economic perspective, even considering the difficulties in measuring them, the benefits from casinos likely outweigh the costs – with the key benefits being those to consumers who like casino gambling. </p>
<p><em>This article is part of a series on gambling in America. You can read the rest of the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/gambling-in-america">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33443/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Doug Walker has served as a consultant for a variety of gaming-related organizations, including government and industry groups. He is currently a visiting professor at the Cambridge Health Alliance, Division on Addiction. The views expressed in this article are the author's, and do not necessarily represent the College of Charleston or the Division on Addiction.</span></em></p>During the past two decades, the US casino industry has expanded dramatically. According to the American Gaming Association, there are now nearly 1,000 commercial and tribal casinos in the country. Plans…Doug Walker, Professor of Economics, College of CharlestonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/323462014-10-28T09:37:46Z2014-10-28T09:37:46ZWill gambling be good for the people of Massachusetts? The evidence suggests not<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60428/original/d82sfzg3-1412088851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An artist's rendering of Wynn's proposed $1.6 billion casino on the Mystic River, Everett.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>The [upcoming vote](http://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Casino_Repeal_Initiative,<em>Question_3</em>(2014) on whether to scrap plans to allow casino resorts in Massachusetts fits into a broader pattern of individuals and pressure groups resisting the expansion of commercial gambling in both the US and abroad. </p>
<p>The reaction comes after three decades of states around the world legislating to introduce more sophisticated and pervasive forms of gambling, in a move that marries <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-4446.12050/abstract">the revenue needs of governments</a> with the industry’s desire for profits. </p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21188851">mutually beneficial relationship</a> between states and gambling has created a <a href="http://theconversation.com/who-wins-from-big-gambling-in-australia-22930">powerful multi-national industry</a> equivalent in scale to Big Tobacco, which researchers recently dubbed “Big Gambling.”</p>
<p>Proponents of gambling, and particularly large casinos, argue that increased taxes, as well as job and wealth creation, contribute to the revitalization of local economies and pay for a range of important public services. </p>
<p>Such a case has been made for the planned resort casino in Boston, with supporters emphasizing the <a href="http://ggbnews.com/issue/vol-12-no-36-september-22-20142015/article/wynning-bid-in-boston">boost to tourism and the creation of local jobs</a> and a transport infrastructure that the billion dollar venture would bring.</p>
<p>However, critics point out that gambling only redistributes existing money, but does not generate much new wealth. In fact, it can have a detrimental effect on the surrounding economy as <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_34552_en.pdf">leisure spending is diverted</a> away from local businesses. Every dollar spent in a casino is a dollar that might have been spent in local restaurants, cinemas or shops. </p>
<p>Casinos tend only to deliver economic benefits when they attract <a href="http://www.commonwealthmagazine.org/Voices/Back-Story/2014/Summer/010-Running-the-casino-numbers.aspx#.VEZ7pvnF-8Q">international high-rollers</a> rather than locals. High-rollers spend – and lose – large sums of money that benefit the region. Locals, by contrast, simply deplete the more limited resources of residents, to the cost of the local economy as a whole. Australian research, for example, has found that only around <a href="http://www.auscasinos.com/assets/files/pdf/TheAustralianCasinoIndustry-EconomicContribution-0203.pdf">5% of Australian casino customers are international tourists</a>, contributing some 18% of revenue, while locals make up the majority of players – as well as <a href="http://theconversation.com/what-are-the-odds-new-casinos-lead-to-social-harm-19161">the majority of revenue</a>.</p>
<h2>Problem gambling</h2>
<p>Alongside these (contested) economic benefits, researchers have shown that the growth of commercial gambling also brings a range of negative impacts for individuals, their families and communities. </p>
<p>Problem and pathological gambling has been recognised as a mental health issue since the 1980s, and was <a href="http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx">recently re-categorised</a> by the American Psychiatric Association as an addiction. Surveys from around the world estimate that between 0.6 and 4% of people experience problems with gambling, with the <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_34552_en.pdf">highest figures concentrated</a> among the economically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities and the young. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60435/original/jwtcny92-1412089637.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The proposed Wynn casino is likely to make more money from locals than high-rollers.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although these numbers may appear relatively small, such players account for a large proportion of gambling losses, with some studies suggesting that between <a href="http://ann.sagepub.com/content/556/1/153">a third and a half of casino profits</a> come from this group. </p>
<p>Those suffering from gambling problems experience debt, bankruptcy, the loss of their jobs, homes and relationships, as well as <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/gambling-2009">depression and suicide</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/62216/">My own research</a> has shown that the problems associated with gambling extend well beyond the individual, and ripple out to affect their wider families, workplaces and communities. </p>
<p>The loss of money and time involved in excess gambling impacts gamblers’ social relationships in a range of ways. Relationships and marriages can be undermined or destroyed through lack of trust and loss of shared funds. Workplaces suffer from employee absenteeism, lost productivity and fraud, while the children of people with gambling problems do less well at school, and are more likely to truant and develop gambling problems themselves as they get older.</p>
<p>Research carried out in the US has found that proximity to casinos increases the levels of these problems in the local population, with those living within ten miles of a casino having approximately <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/266349/neighborhood-and-gambling.pdf">double the rates of gambling problems</a> than those who live further afield. </p>
<p>Certain games are more strongly associated with these kinds of negative social impacts than others; in particular electronic gaming machines which have a high “event frequency” which makes it possible to bet – and lose – very quickly.</p>
<h2>A tax on the poor</h2>
<p>Western-style casinos, such as the one proposed in Massachusetts, are dominated by these machines, which account for some <a href="http://theconversation.com/what-are-the-odds-new-casinos-lead-to-social-harm-19161">40% of casino profits</a>, as well as a contributing to <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_34551_en.pdf">high levels of problem gambling</a>.</p>
<p>As the <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ngisc/index.html.">National Gambling Impact Study Commission</a> found, the expansion of gambling when a new casino comes into town is seen by some residents as undermining the quality of life, damaging local businesses and bringing about increased levels of crime, traffic and anti-social behaviour. </p>
<p>Research from <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/230779781_Modelling_vulnerability_to_gambling_related_harm_how_disadvantage_predicts_gambling_losses">Australia</a>, <a href="http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/73285/7/73285.pdf">Great Britain</a> and <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/266349/neighborhood-and-gambling.pdf">America</a> has also consistently shown that it is low income and ethnic minority groups and communities who are most affected by the global spread of gambling.</p>
<p>Such a distribution reveals that the revenue raised through gambling is a <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Selling_hope.html?id=VtuxAAAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">highly regressive</a>, and damaging, form of taxation.</p>
<p>It is against this backdrop that groups and communities have begun to mobilize to counter the spread of gambling. Massachusetts’ “Repeal the Casino Deal” group has its counterpart in Britain’s “Campaign for Fairer Gambling”, and Australian politician Nick Xenophon’s single ticket “no pokies” policy. (“Pokies” is the Australian term for slot machines.)</p>
<p>As awareness of negative social impacts grows, local resistance is increasingly demanding that legislatures re-think the consequences of the global expansion of gambling. </p>
<p><em>This article is part of a series on gambling in America. You can read the rest of the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/gambling-in-america">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32346/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerda Reith has received funding for her research from a range of organisations including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Scottish Government and the Responsibility in Gambling Trust. All her research is independent, and the views expressed in this article are her own. She is affiliated with The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board - the independent body that advises the Gambling Commission </span></em></p>The [upcoming vote](http://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Casino_Repeal_Initiative,Question_3(2014) on whether to scrap plans to allow casino resorts in Massachusetts fits into a broader pattern of individuals…Gerda Reith, Professor of Social Science, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/333542014-10-28T09:37:00Z2014-10-28T09:37:00ZThis is why there are so many defibrillators in casinos<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62670/original/vcrv7qg8-1414097992.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Check for that little white box before you step up to the table ...</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sahara_Hotel_and_Casino.jpg">Antoine Taveneaux</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>My brief experience in a casino was pretty typical, I’d say.</p>
<p>Flashing lights. The faint smell of booze. Not much chatter among patrons. The sounds of dice rolling, machines buzzing, and coins clanking. The same butts inhabiting the same stools for hours on end. Everything you see on TV or in the movies is fairly accurate, to my untrained eye.</p>
<p>But one thing I didn’t notice in either the movies or real life, likely due in part to the gaudy décor, was the abundance of defibrillators lining the walls.</p>
<p>While nearly as common as water fountains and restrooms in public spaces like schools, malls, and airports, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have more recently taken up residence in a place that probably needs it most of all: the casino.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62674/original/v5n45wtf-1414098690.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Life saver.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/frederickmdrocks/3703453975/">David Bruce Jr.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23522611">study published last year</a> comparing out-of-hospital cardiac events and defibrillator locations, Canadian researchers found something interesting: although schools were relatively low-risk locations for cases of cardiac arrest, nearly 75% of schools had AEDs. Conversely, while one could expect to see one cardiac arrest event per year at casinos and racetracks, there were not nearly as many of the life-saving devices at hand.</p>
<h2>What is cardiac arrest?</h2>
<p>AEDs are small, portable units that can diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias. Arrthymias occur when the heart is still active, but dysfunctioning in a pattern that prevents proper circulation of blood. Arrythmias can quickly grow to involve entire chambers of the heart, resulting in fibrillations, or disordered, chaotic electrical activity. Although not all arrhythmias are life-threatening, some can result in cardiac arrest, or the complete cessation of heart pump function.</p>
<p>After chest pad placement, the AED analyses the electrical output of the heart for a few seconds to determine whether a shock is needed. The purpose of the shock is to essentially “stun” the heart, disrupting the chaos and allowing it to return to a normal rhythm. <a href="http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/workplace/easy-as-aed">According to the American Red Cross</a>, the chance of survival is reduced approximately 10% for each minute that defibrillation is delayed. And with the average response time for first responders being roughly ten minutes after a 911 call, defibrillation can be a lifesaver. Every year, roughly one in 1,000 Americans will go into cardiac arrest, and only <a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/WhatisCPR/CPRFactsandStats/CPR-Statistics_UCM_307542_Article.jsp">8% who suffer away from the hospital will survive</a>.</p>
<h2>A perfect storm, brewing for decades</h2>
<p>Although sudden in the moment, cardiac arrest is not as random as it seems. In fact, the risk factors for the condition are brewing in many individuals for decades: a sedentary lifestyle, combined with obesity, diabetes, or smoking. The vast majority of deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest are actually <a href="http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/104/18/2158">a result of underlying coronary heart disease</a>. High cholesterol, blood triglycerides, and older age are ticking time bombs for coronary heart disease, which currently contributes to <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm">one in four deaths in America</a>.</p>
<p>While people with heart disease may live out their lives and be relatively unaffected on a day-to-day basis, there’s one thing that can completely upset the already delicate balance of the body: stress. Like in gambling.</p>
<p>The funny thing about stress is that it can be good (winning $5,000) or bad (losing $5,000) and still exert the exact same effect on the body. When we become overwhelmed, a region of the brain involved in emotional processing, the amygdala, sends an SOS to another brain region called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus can be thought of as the “command center” of the stress system. </p>
<p>When faced with a stressful situation, an axis called the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) nervous system is activated. This is caused by a signal sent from the hypothalamus to the adrenal glands, which secretes the stress hormone adrenaline. During this time, adrenaline concentrations may be up to <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=WShgfE0Q6q4C&pg=PA307&lpg=PA307&dq=adrenal+50-fold&source=bl&ots=A-RvwD1GjJ&sig=sEGUptZ2j7qnb-s2byt3p2tGpFA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GEhOVOnTNcHmsATO_YLwDQ&ved=0CGEQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=50-fold&f=false">50 times the typical amount</a> in the bloodstream. It’s thanks to adrenaline that we experience increased heart rate, sharper vision, and rapid breathing when faced with a stressful situation. Adrenaline is great for outrunning a predator or jumping out of a speeding car’s way.</p>
<p>But the hormone <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17635893">can do nasty things</a> to someone who already has a damaged heart after decades of an unhealthy lifestyle. The increased heart rate and blood pressure accompanying the stress response are not friendly toward cholesterol plaques built up along the arterial wall. This can result in decreased oxygen to the heart (when the heart needs it most, no less) or formation of blood clots, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.</p>
<h2>AEDs: successful when accessible</h2>
<p>A decade ago, Columbia University researchers analysed stored data in 200 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. In the month that followed the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, there was a <a href="http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1135955">2.3-fold increase in risk</a> for ventricular arrhythmias.</p>
<p>In a now-famous <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200010263431701">New England Journal of Medicine paper</a> from 2000, researchers reported improved patient outcomes thanks to Las Vegas security officers trained to use AEDs. When the first defibrillation was administered within three minutes of a witnessed collapse, the survival rate was nearly 75%. According to ER doctor Bryan Bledsoe in a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB113841670933859017?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%253A%252F%252Fonline.wsj.com%252Farticle%252FSB113841670933859017.html">2006 Wall Street Journal story</a> on these recent changes in the Las Vegas Strip, “The safest place in America to suffer sudden cardiac arrest is a casino.”</p>
<p>The next time you’re in a public space, glance around and see if you can find an AED — they’re typically in white boxes mounted to the wall and include the symbol of a red heart emblazoned with a white lightning bolt. If you see someone in need, you needn’t have medical background to use an AED; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3trpw_We0UQ">instructions are given</a> through words, images, and spoken voice.</p>
<p>And in the meantime, whether you’re a cardshark or prefer the slots, make sure you’ve got a healthy heart before you sit down to play. After all, if you manage to hit it big in roulette, you’ll want to enjoy those winnings for years to come.</p>
<p><em>This article is part of a series on gambling in America. You can read the rest of the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/gambling-in-america">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33354/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
My brief experience in a casino was pretty typical, I’d say. Flashing lights. The faint smell of booze. Not much chatter among patrons. The sounds of dice rolling, machines buzzing, and coins clanking…Jordan Gaines Lewis, Neuroscience Doctoral Candidate, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.