Last week, Congressmen Blake Moore (R-UT) and Dan Goldman (D-NY) introduced the bipartisan Gambling Disorder Health Study Act.
The proposal would direct the federal government to conduct a comprehensive, long-term investigation into gambling disorder and evaluate “prevention, treatment, and intervention strategies.”
Gambling has expanded rapidly in recent years, and studies show more than half of men ages 18 – 49 now have an active sportsbook account online. Arkansans wagered a record $86.5 million in March alone this year. But experts and policymakers are raising serious concerns about the impact this type of gambling may be having on our society.
In a statement, Rep. Goldman called gambling “a growing public health crisis, especially for young men,” and said the federal government needs to take action. Rep. Moore said their bill “will go a long way in helping us address this crisis.”
This is at least the second time this year that U.S. lawmakers have proposed measures to address gambling.
Last month, U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R — Alabama) and Richard Blumenthal (D — Connecticut) proposed the bipartisan Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement (GAME) Act to prohibit social media platforms and other websites from advertising sports betting to children and teens.
In many cases, gambling is now accessible from virtually anywhere with Wi-Fi or cell phone service, and placing a bet is as easy as sending a text.
A recent report from mental health professionals at Baptist Health South Florida noted that gambling has moved from casinos and racetracks to smartphones — and that the shift has made it far more dangerous. Experts say these online platforms are engineered to keep people engaged, using instant rewards and near-misses to trigger the same brain chemistry as other addictions.
Experts are also sounding the alarm over “prediction markets” that they say are not regulated under state gambling laws, but are still just as addictive as other forms of online gambling.
We have written over and over about how mobile gambling apps use addictive technology to hook people — especially young adults.
By some counts, 20 year-old males account for approximately 40% of calls to gambling addiction hotlines, and upwards of 20 million men are in debt or have been in debt as a result of sports betting.
In 2024, the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council announced a 22% increase in calls for help with problem gambling — driven largely by sports betting.
A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that states with legal mobile sports betting have seen credit delinquency rates spike — especially among borrowers under 40.
Bankruptcy attorneys across the country say online sports betting is driving a surge in personal bankruptcies — especially among young men in their 20s and 30s — and researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to an increase of roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.
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.
