tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/betting-apps-76702/articlesBetting apps – The Conversation2023-02-07T13:35:20Ztag: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/1412422020-07-02T14:49:19Z2020-07-02T14:49:19ZFootball betting among young Nigerians may create problems but a ban isn’t the answer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344781/original/file-20200630-103688-1kitj3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">European football leagues' popularity and increased internet access make football betting attractive among young people in Nigeria.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/manchester-uniteds-nigerian-striker-odion-ighalo-celebrates-news-photo/1223098301?adppopup=true">Catherine Ivill/AFP via Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Nigeria, football betting has a long history that can be traced to colonial times, when pool betting was popular, especially among older adults. Since then, more younger people have taken up betting on the results of football matches, including <a href="https://8brand.co.za/the-rise-and-rise-of-sports-betting-in-nigeria/">European league</a> football. </p>
<p>The country has many betting outlets where people can place a bet manually. They can also open an account online with a betting company, using a debit card, and place bets on the website or app. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190412005143/en/Nigeria-Sports-Betting-Sector-Report-20192020--#:%7E:text=According%20to%20a%20report%20by,N730%20billion%20in%20a%20year.">report</a> revealed that about 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 are involved in active sport betting. They spend almost ₦2 billion on sports betting daily. This translates to about ₦730 billion annually. In an economy where the 2020 national budget is <a href="https://nairametrics.com/2020/06/11/senate-passes-the-revised-n10-8-trillion-2020-budget/">almost ₦11 trillion</a>, this is huge. </p>
<p>Two factors are responsible for increasing football betting among youth in Nigeria. One is the increase in poverty and unemployment. Among Nigeria’s estimated population of <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=NG">around 200 million</a>, around <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/06/19/the-start-of-a-new-poverty-narrative/">87 million</a> are said to be extremely poor. The youth unemployment rate in 2018 was put at <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/youth-unemployment-rate">36.5%</a>. </p>
<p>According to the National Bureau of Statistics, <a href="https://africacheck.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/q1-q3_2017_unemployment_report_VOLUME_1-1.pdf">29.7% of youths</a> between the ages of 15 and 34 were unemployed at the third quarter of 2018. Betting may appear to be a way to make quick money, either as a betting operator or as a gambler.</p>
<p>The second factor driving and enabling football betting in Nigeria is the growing use of the internet and smart mobile phones. In 2017, <a href="https://guardian.ng/business-services/nigerias-mobile-phone-penetration-hits-84-per-cent/">84% of Nigerians</a> had mobile phones. The number of internet users in Nigeria is <a href="https://www.ncc.gov.ng/stakeholder/media-public/news-headlines/614-ncc-hinges-nigeria-s-122-million-internet-users-protection-on-effective-governance">122 million</a> based on figures from the <a href="https://www.ncc.gov.ng/the-ncc/who-we-are">Nigerian Communication Commission</a>. This is more than half of <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=NG">Nigeria’s estimated population</a>. The increase in internet users in Nigeria can be attributed to affordability of internet access; with less than ₦100 (less than US$1), internet connectivity is assured. It is easy and convenient for people to place bets online using their phones. </p>
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<p>I was interested in the potential consequences of this situation for Nigerian society and particularly for young people. I wanted to know whether the ease of online betting for economically hard-pressed young Nigerians was creating any social problems such as conflict, crime and addictive behaviour.</p>
<p>For my <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2020.1753710">study</a>, I collected data from in-depth interviews with fans of European football clubs, betters, parents and guardians of fans and betters, security personnel, owners and operators of betting outlets as well as football viewing centres in Lagos, Ibadan, Oyo State, south west Nigeria and Yola, Adamawa State, north east Nigeria. In addition, I observed betting activities and collected data from recent online news reports and other published works.</p>
<p>From the various interviews conducted and my observation, I found there was a link between football betting by young Nigerians and a perceived increase in violence and criminal activities. But in my view the answer is not to ban such betting but to address the unemployment and poverty which propel people into it.</p>
<h2>Behaviour around betting</h2>
<p>My interviews and observations in the field show that there is a concern about teenagers stealing to fund their football betting. I was in a security meeting in Adamawa State where parents complained to the police that they had noticed unprecedented theft of their money by their teenage children/wards to fund football betting. A parent interviewed in Adamawa State explained that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I noticed that money was getting lost in our house on daily basis. At first I thought it was mere misplacement. Later I started to hear from my neighbours also complaining of loss of money within their homes. We later got to know that our sons were the ones stealing the money to play football betting because we always see them with receipts of bet and we know that they do not have business from where they can get money for betting.</p>
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<p>Interactions with these teenage betters show that they spend between ₦1,000 (about $2) and ₦3,000 (about $7) on betting daily. But the jackpot rarely comes. At football viewing centres, customers are routinely warned about fighting. One operator of a viewing centre in Yola told me:</p>
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<p>In recent times, we have witnessed <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325697911_Comfort_or_Conflict_Investigating_the_Attitude_and_Experiences_of_European_Football_Fans_in_Television_Viewing_Centers_in_Nigeria">outbreaks of violence</a> among our viewers. Some of these fights are over unresolved longstanding issues. Sometimes, it is as a result of anger sustained from major loss in football betting. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Football betting may also sometimes promote ritualism, especially the use of “good luck charms”. I spoke to one gambler who said:</p>
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<p>You cannot just go and put a huge amount of money into betting without any form of spiritual enhancement that will guarantee and insure you. If you do that without spiritual enhancement, you will just continually give your
money to bet companies with their managers and staff to feed fat on while you continue to stay broke. Even bet company operators use spiritual power to ensure that their clients do not win…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There have been calls from moralists, especially in religious circles, for the government to criminalise betting, especially football betting. I witnessed two such discussions during an Islamic preaching in Yola, Adamawa State. In fact, <a href="http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/borno-govt-urged-to-ban-football-betting-nigerian-monitor/">one state</a> has been urged to take the first step. I believe this is unlikely to be effective. It would only push betting into the background and make it more difficult for the government to regulate and control it. Government should instead pay more attention to widespread poverty and unemployment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141242/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Saheed Babajide Owonikoko does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What needs attention is the lack of opportunity that drives sports betting.Saheed Babajide Owonikoko, Researcher, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1241572019-09-26T20:12:42Z2019-09-26T20:12:42ZThe odds you’ll gamble on the Grand Final are high when punting is woven into our very social fabric<p>With the AFL Grand Final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney this Saturday on the hallowed turf of the MCG, punters around the country will be encouraged to place their bets hoping they can score a sweet victory. </p>
<p>Many will even have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-08-13/gambling-operators-are-invading-your-smartphone/11405678">personalised messages</a> to bet sent to their phones.</p>
<p>But there have been major concerns at the links between sports betting and the AFL this year. In recent months, Collingwood’s Jaidyn Stephenson <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-20/jaidyn-stephenson-afl-betting-collingwood-magpies/11228156">bet on AFL matches</a>, which led to him being banned for ten games. This brought the issue back onto the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/programs/qld-grandstand-saturday/queensland-sport/11214106">public radar</a>. </p>
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<p>Stephenson announced during a press conference he was regretful, would take responsibility for his actions, and promised to <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/collingwood-young-gun-jaidyn-stephenson-learns-his-fate-after-betting-probe-c-173782">do better in the future</a>. </p>
<p>But what if Stephenson was merely reflecting the norms of Australian society, which has seen the establishment of sports betting as an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01482963150013007">everyday social practice</a>?</p>
<p>Australia is the gambling world leader by a mile. Australia’s betting losses per adult are the highest in the world, and they’re around <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/world/australia/australians-gambling-betting-machines.html">50% higher</a> than the country in second place, Singapore.</p>
<p>And with sports betting heavily marketed and apps making it easier than ever to bet, punting will only become more deeply entrenched in Australian culture. If we really want to do something about tackling gambling related harm, we need to de-normalise sports betting as an everyday social practice in Australia. </p>
<h2>A season of gambling debates</h2>
<p>Debate about the AFL’s relationship with sports betting has raged all season. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley called the punishment of Jaidyn Stephenson a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-20/nathan-buckley-accuses-afl-of-hypocrisy-over-gambling/11228402">hypocrisy</a> given the AFL has a long-standing sponsorship deal with <a href="https://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-12-01/beteasy-named-exclusive-afl-wagering-partner">BetEasy</a>. </p>
<p>Brisbane Lions have announced betting company Neds will appear on their <a href="https://www.lions.com.au/news/2019-06-26/neds-extend-with-the-lions">guernsey</a> from next season. And concerns about AFL’s relationship with gambling companies even led Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood to say he would support players taking a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-27/afl-urged-to-cut-player-pay-to-curb-gambling-advertising/11251154">pay cut</a> to end gambling sponsorship.</p>
<p>These concerns are related to the effect gambling has on society. Gambling expenditure in Australia was estimated <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/latest-edition-australian-gambling-statistics/">at A$23.7 billion</a> in 2016–2017, an average of A$1,251 per adult who gambled. Research estimates between <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/gambling-2009/report">80,000 and 160,000</a> Australian adults suffer from severe gambling problems; and between 250,000 and 350,000 are identified as at moderate risk. </p>
<p>Problem gambling can lead to a severe harms for the partners, families, communities and employers of gamblers – including <a href="http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/3/307">financial hardship</a>, family breakdown, headaches and nausea, stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, the social cost of gambling harm is conservatively estimated at <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/gambling-2009/report">A$4.7 billion per annum</a>.</p>
<h2>Australians associate sport with betting</h2>
<p>While gambling and related harm has traditionally been understood as an <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296315001307">individual issue</a>, this is changing with growing recognition forms of gambling such as sports betting are becoming <a href="https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/sports-betting-embedded-australian-sporting-culture/">normalised</a>.</p>
<p>Sports betting is now the fastest growing sector of the gambling market. What’s more, sports betting is heavily marketed, especially during the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2012.00856.x">television broadcast</a> of sports like the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjt1LOZy-vkAhXegUsFHUHiCogQFjAAegQIAxAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidegambling.com.au%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fpdf_file%2F0016%2F23083%2FResearch-report-Brand-community-and-sports-betting-in-Australia.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3E0EKimeN41COuCzvliGhu">AFL</a>. And a recent report pointed to how Sportsbet – one of the biggest players in the market, has spent nearly <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-05/sportsbet-documents-reveal-millions-spent-on-marketing/10833196">half a billion dollars</a> over the past five years on marketing to Australians.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-long-and-complicated-history-of-aboriginal-involvement-in-football-117669">The long and complicated history of Aboriginal involvement in football</a>
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<p>Technological advancements, such as the introduction of mobile phone sports betting apps, now mean Australians can bet on sports <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9671-9">anywhere, anytime, and on anything</a>. </p>
<p>Australians now punt on their phones in the home, at work, at the game, or out with their friends. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296315001307">Research</a> has shown sports betting apps relate to social grouping, passion, mateship, competition, and knowledge of the game, creating social norms that associate sport with betting. </p>
<p>It also means people who would not traditionally bet, such as females on a night out with male friends, are now getting involved.</p>
<p>So, it’s no surprise AFL stars such as Jaidyn Stephenson are engaging in sports betting. Their behaviour merely reflects the norms in Australian society. </p>
<h2>Don’t blame the players when betting is in our social fabric</h2>
<p>If we wish to tackle gambling related harm, and prevent sports stars from having a punt, then we need to first understand and address these norms. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-took-a-gamble-on-premier-league-betting-odds-and-showed-that-football-bets-should-come-with-a-health-warning-108848">We took a gamble on Premier League betting odds – and showed that football bets should come with a health warning</a>
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<p>Some suggestions include the AFL <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-27/afl-urged-to-cut-player-pay-to-curb-gambling-advertising/11251154">phasing out gambling sponsorship</a> much the same way as they did with tobacco 30 years ago. </p>
<p>However, we still don’t know enough about how, why, where and when <a href="https://www.crcpress.com/Digital-Gambling-Theorizing-Gamble-Play-Media/Albarran-Torres/p/book/9781138303850">people use</a> mobile phone sports betting apps. </p>
<p>This is the focus for a new government funded project: <a href="https://rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/Download/Report/a3f6be6e-33f7-4fb5-98a6-7526aaa184cf/189">In it to win it - An interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting</a>. The project aims to understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. </p>
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Read more:
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<p>The research – led by myself with a team of sociologists, geographers and neuroscientists – will combine visual ethnography and cognitive neuroscience methods, such as eye tracking, to examine how people use mobile phone sports betting apps and how this shapes sports betting practices. </p>
<p>The project findings will enhance understanding of social practices of sports betting and the role of mobile phone sports betting apps, to help inform gambling policy and programs to support better health and social outcomes.</p>
<p>So, next time an AFL star is caught and pilloried for betting on a game we should recognise they are merely reflecting our social fabric. The AFL could make a start by taking responsibility and rejecting gambling sponsorship.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124157/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ross Gordon has received funding from the Australian Research Council, and the the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. </span></em></p>Debate about gambling has raged throughout the AFL season, but it’ll take a cultural shift for there to be any meaningful change.Ross Gordon, Professor, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.