The study reveals an increase in sports betting and dependence on dependence on drug addiction

A new study, published in Jama internal medicine And led by researchers from the University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and the School of Medicine, reveals a spectacular increase in the search for dependence on sports betting and games of chance since the Landmark Murphy C decision . The decision of the Supreme Court of NCAA in 2018 opened the way for states to legalize sports betting.

“When the Supreme Court legalized sports books – a place where people can bet on various sports competitions – in Murphy c. NCAA, public health experts have been careful,” said the main author of the ‘John W. Ayers study, Ph.D., who is vice-chief of innovation in the division of infectious diseases and global public health, assistant director of IT at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (Actri) and Qualcomm Institute Scientist. “Now, sportsbooks have gone from a single state to 38 states, with hundreds of billions of bets, mainly online, coinciding with record demand for dependence on the game while millions of people are looking for the ‘help.”

Unprecedented growth of sports betting

Since the decision of the 2018 Supreme Court, the study has been documenting the amazing growth of the sportsbook industry:

• The number of states with operational sports books increased from 1 in 2017 to 38 in 2024.
• Total Sports Skers rose $ 4.9 billion in 2017 to 121.1 billion dollars in 2023, with 94% of betting in 2023 placed online.

Sports betting has become deeply rooted in our culture. From relentless advertising to social media flows and comments at stake, sports books are now everywhere. What was formerly a taboo activity, confined to the fringes of society, was completely standardized. “”

Matthew Allen, third -year medicine student

Researchers note that these trends should grow, largely due to industry’s investment in sports books as a future of the game, as evidenced by the change of Caesars Entertainment in Caesars Sportsbook and Casino.

A dead angle of public health

“Despite Gambling Addiction AS A Recognized Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, It Remains Largely Overloooked in Healthcare and Public Health with No Formal Ongoing Surveillance,” Said Kevin Yang, Md, A Third-Year Resident Physician in the Department of Psychiatry. “Without systematic monitoring, we fly blind while millions of people are betting on sport.”

To fill this gap, the research team analyzed the aggregated trends in Google research for requests that mentioned the game, dependence, drug addict, anonymous or hotline, from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2024.

“Many people struggling with drug addiction do not discuss them openly, but they turn to the Internet to get answers,” said Davey Smith, MD, professor of medicine and director of Actri. “By analyzing research trends, we can get a real time overview of the real scale of dependence on the game in the United States”

The registration levels of dependence on dependence on the game

In addition to the growth of sportsbooks, internet research for game dependence, such as “am I addicted to the game”, cumulated 23% nationally from Murphy c. NCAA until June 2024. This corresponds to approximately 6.5 to 7.3 million research for assistance in dependence on the game in national level, with 180,000 monthly research at its peak.

By state, the opening of sportsbooks constantly corresponded to increased demand for the search for dependence on the game. Illinois (35%), Massachusetts (47%), Michigan (37%), New Jersey (34%), New York (37%), Ohio (67%), Pennsylvania (50%) and Virginia (30%) experienced significant increases in research -related research after the opening of any sports book in their state.

“Significantly higher research volumes observed in the eight states make practically impossible that our results have occurred by chance,” said Atharva Yeola, student researcher at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute. “Statistically speaking, the probability that these results occur at random are less than one in 25.6 billion.”

Online sports books lead to an even greater risk

The study revealed that online sports books have had a much more important impact on the search for assistance in game dependence than traditional brick and mortar sports books. For example, in Pennsylvania:

• The introduction of retail books led to a 33% increase in game dependence assistance in search of research during the five months before the launch of online sports books.
• When online sports books have become available, research has increased by 61% – a much higher and more sustained increase that has persisted for years

“This model highlights the amplified risks associated with the accessibility and convenience of online sports betting,” added Adam Poliak, Ph.D., Deputy IT teacher at Bryn Mawr College.

Required policy and public health reforms

“The expansion of legalized sports betting forever being at hand has exceeded our ability to understand and resolve its consequences in public health,” said Nimit Desai, a third -year medical student. “Our conclusions are an alarm signal for decision -makers, health professionals and defenders of public health to act now.”

To alleviate the risks posed by the expansion of sports betting, researchers recommend that the following interventions be explored:

• Increased funding for game dependence services using tax revenue from Sportsbook to provide accessible treatment programs based on evidence.
• Improved advertising regulations similar to those implemented for tobacco and alcohol to restrict where products can be announced and which can be targeted.
• Clinical training programs for health professionals to improve game dependence diagnosis and treatment.
• Stronger guarantees for online sports books, including Paris limits, age limits, forced breaks and restrictions on the use of credit cards for the game.
• Awareness campaigns of the enlarged public highlighting the risks and signs of playing game, reducing stigma and encouraging early intervention.
• Sharing in progress data and research collaborations, unite regulatory organizations, health care providers and regulators to assess the effectiveness of interventions and refine policies in real time.

“Sportsbook regulations are lacking because the Supreme Court, not the legislators, legalized them,” concluded Ayers. “The congress must now act by adopting guarantees of common sense. History has shown that uncontrolled industries – be it tobacco or immense opioids and damages before regulations are caught up. We can take proactive measures to prevent play -related damage or repeat past errors and pay the price later. ”