Internet research looking for assistance for game dependence has “increased considerably” as the number of States with legalized sports betting Developed in recent years, which has aroused a need for greater awareness of public health, according to a study published on Monday.
The results “suggest that sportsbooks pose a substantial health problem”, wrote researchers from the University of California Internal jama medicine newspaper.
“A paradigm shift in the way regulatory managers and health organizations collaborate to respond to the complexities of game damage,” the researchers wrote.
The study occurs while legalized sports betting exploded in an industry of several billion dollars after a Decision of the Supreme Court 2018 This has broken the nevada monopoly on practice and paved the way for sports games sponsored by the state.
The Americans had to bet around $ 1.4 billion in this year Super Bowl, compared to $ 1.25 billion in 2024, according to the American Gaming Association.
Currently, 38 states and Washington, DC, allow sports betting in a form, whether in a physical or online establishment. Some states generate hundreds of millions of dollars Tax income every year.
While online searches for assistance in the game dependence had refused or stabilized in 2020 as the COVID PANDEMIE According to the study, the searches have arrested sporting events, the searches have increased from year to year since 2021, when 32 states had sports betting.
The researchers analyzed monthly research on Google surrounding the dependence on the game, as for the “Hotline de la dependence on the game” or “am I a drug addict” and found that there were 23% additional searches there was cumulatively nationally only planned since the decision of the Supreme Court.
During the 73 months that followed, “there were approximately 6.5 to 7.3 million research for aid to dependence on the game nationwide, with 180,000 monthly research at an overview in June 2023 “Said the study.
The researchers also carried out independent assessments in eight states – Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia – where there was “much more research than foreseen”.
They concluded that the higher research volumes in these states were “very unlikely to be due to chance”.
“The cumulative increase in each state of searches was higher than the global national model and their peak month has generally occurred in 2024, which suggests that research continues to increase after the opening of sportsbooks”, according to the study.
A proliferation of sports betting companies in television advertising and on social networks and by the main casino operators who invade the offer to standardize an activity formerly Taboucière, said the co-author of the Matthew Allen study.
Researchers have concluded that the increase in online research means the need for public health officials to stay in front of the question of dependence on the game, including by research and a complete health care response.
“Rapid measures are essential to prevent the climbing of game damage and its long -term consequences,” said the researchers.
This month, Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., And representative Andrea Salinas, D-ear. reintroduce legislateAtion This would provide the very first dedicated first federal funding for efforts of treatment, prevention and research on dependence on national level.
The bill is supported by the National Council on Problem Gambling, a non-profit organization that operates the national assistance line, 1-800-Gamber. If it is adopted, it would reserve 50% of federal tax revenue on sports excisees for treatment and research on game dependence.
“The growing legalization of sports betting associated with the possibility of placing bets on your phone when you wish has created the perfect storm for the game dependence – which led to a serious public health crisis,” said Blumenthal.
“With this legislation,” he added, “we work to stop dependence and save lives.”