Arkansans wagered more than $56.6 million on sports betting in August, according to data Family Council received from the Department of Finance and Administration.
Sports betting is legal to varying degrees across most of the country, and Arkansans are on track to wager nearly a billion dollars on sports this year. But a growing body of evidence shows sports betting is corrupting sports and ruining lives.
Federal prosecutors have announced indictments in connection with bribery and point-shaving schemes to fix college basketball games.
Major League Baseball players have been accused of rigging pitches to defraud sportsbooks. The NFL and the NBA have also dealt with corruption and scandals tied to sports betting.
The Institute for Family Studies (IFS) reports almost one in four young men say they gamble daily. That’s concerning, because research shows that young men who wager on sports may be at increased risk of physical and mental harm. Some studies have also linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, researchers at UCLA, and bankruptcy attorneys across the country all say sports betting is driving a wave of financial problems like credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies.
Can Arkansans really afford to wager millions of dollars on sports every month?
Family Council has prepared a list of practical steps Arkansas could take to address predatory sports betting.
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.
