Research continues to reveal the true cost of America’s sports betting experiment.
Since the Supreme Court legalized sports betting in 2018, powerful gambling corporations have promised easy revenue and harmless entertainment. The reality has been far different.
A comprehensive study by UCLA researchers found that states with online sports betting saw credit scores drop nearly three times more than states with only physical sportsbooks. The study tracked seven million Americans and found a roughly 10% increase in bankruptcies in states with mobile betting apps.
Mobile betting makes the problem worse. UCLA researchers discovered that states with online sportsbooks saw credit scores decline three times as much as states with only physical betting locations. They estimated a roughly 10% increase in bankruptcies in states with online sportsbooks — roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year.
Arkansas families are not immune to these problems. Arkansas legalized sports betting in 2019, and Arkansans now wager more than a million dollars a day on average. In 2024, the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council announced a 22% increase in calls for help with problem gambling — driven largely by sports betting.
Sports betting promises easy money but delivers financial ruin. As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, problem gambling will simply hurt more and more people in our state.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
