Data from the Department of Finance and Administration DFA shows Arkansans are still on pace to wager up to a billion dollars on sports alone by the end of this year.
Sports betting has been legalized throughout much of the U.S. and Canada. In Arkansas, people wager millions of dollars on average every single day via sportsbooks. DFA reports show that in September alone, Arkansans bet $99,889,320 on sports, which puts Arkansans on track to place nearly a billion dollars in wagers by December 31. But experts continue to sound the alarm over the toll that this type of gambling takes on people.
Sports betting is closely associated with gambling disorders. In fact, research published this summer found gambling disorder diagnoses have risen more than 60% in states that legalized sports betting. Gambling disorders have very serious consequences.
Some studies have linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, E.R. visits, and violent crime.
Sports betting hurts individuals, families, and communities. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, researchers at UCLA, and news outlets all say sports betting is driving a wave of financial problems like credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies. Researchers at BYU found that sports betting has led to families saving “significantly less” money, and a study by Northwestern University found that for every dollar spent on sports betting, household investment fell by an average of $2.
Sports betting is not a harmless pastime. It’s corrupting sports and ruining lives. 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. Photo Credit: Alpha Photo via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0).
