Arkansans wagered more than $86.5 million online in sports betting last month, according to reports from the Department of Finance and Administration.
Sportsbooks are now legal across most of the country, including Arkansas. Earlier this year the Arkansas Racing Commission approved sports betting license applications by FanDuel and DraftKings. State financial data shows that between the NCAA March Madness tournament and these new online sportsbooks, sports betting spiked by millions of dollars last month.
But this type of gambling is taking a terrible toll on families’ finances. Studies indicate people who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. When sports gambling happens online, the rate is even higher.
A study by Northwestern University found that for every dollar spent on sports betting, household investment falls by an average of $2. Researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to an increase of roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.
Some online sportsbooks have actually produced advertisements that seem to promote compulsive gambling and other problem-gambling behavior.
In 2023, FanDuel released one commercial that showed people so focused on sports betting that they ignored everyone else around them.
Another ad promoted taking advantage of every opportunity to gamble.
In 2024, FanDuel aired commercials encouraging people to gamble on “surprising” hunches — including powerful hunches that strike between football plays.
More recent commercials advertise “playoff mode” with promotional offers such as $300 in “bonus bets.”
Gamblers who ignore loved ones, wager nonstop, or place bets “on a hunch” quite possibly suffer from gambling addiction, and high-end promotional offers may appeal to people who struggle with gambling problems.
Sports betting is out of control. It’s corrupting sports, and it’s ruining lives. The NFL and sportsbooks have actually faced lawsuits over the harm from gambling addiction and in-game micro-bets.
As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
