Sports Betting is Sending People to the E.R.: New Study

Gambling,

A surprising study out of Canada concludes that health problems stemming from legalized sports betting are actually sending people to the emergency room.

Sports betting has been legalized throughout much of the U.S. and Canada — including Arkansas, where people wager tens of millions of dollars every every month via sportsbooks. But experts continue to sound the alarm over the toll that this type of gambling takes on people.

Writing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that emergency room visits for gambling disorders doubled after Canada liberalized its sports betting laws in 2022.

The study analyzed emergency department records for visits related to gambling disorders, and noted that many of the problem gamblers at the E.R. also appeared to suffer from major depression, substance abuse, or other serious problems. The increase in E.R. visits was primarily seen among boys and men ages 10-44, and about half the people who came to the emergency room because of a gambling disorder had to be hospitalized.

The study’s authors note that gambling disorders are associated with other serious conditions that may land a person in the emergency room, writing, “Clinically, gambling disorders are associated with a greater risk of anxiety and mood disorders, substance use disorders, increased suicidality, increased blood pressure, and premature mortality.”

This is not the first time experts have found surprising connections between sports betting and serious problems. Some studies have linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.

Sports betting is closely associated with gambling disorders, and gambling disorders have very real consequences.

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.

READ MORE

State of Arkansas Awards $1.7M+ to Pregnancy Help Organizations

Abortion, , ,

The State of Arkansas has awarded more than $1.7 million in grants to pro-life pregnancy help organizations since July 1 of this year. The funding was possible thanks to a budget measure lawmakers passed last spring.

Since 2022, Arkansas law has generally prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother, and public health data shows that thousands of children are alive today thanks to the state’s pro-life laws. But women with unplanned pregnancies still need help. That’s why Arkansas has appropriated millions of dollars to charities that support women and families with unplanned pregnancies every year.

Arkansas’ financial records show the Department of Finance and Administration has disbursed $1,735,585 in grants to more than three dozen different pregnancy help organizations since the start of Fiscal Year 2027 on July 1.

Many of these charities offer everything from pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to diapers and baby formula — all typically free of charge.

Last spring the Arkansas Legislature voted to increase its grant funding for pregnancy help organizations to $3.5 million for the 2027 fiscal year. That means even more grant money could go to organizations that are saving lives in Arkansas between now and June of next year.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Family Council outlined a three-part plan for eliminating abortion:

  • Encourage the Enforcement of Existing Pro-Life Laws
  • Work With Members of the General Assembly to Pass Any Additional Laws Necessary to End Abortion
  • Expand Our Efforts to Assist Pregnancy Help Organizations

Providing publicly funded grants for pregnancy resource centers is a major part of that plan, and we deeply appreciate the Arkansas Legislature and the governor for their commitment to supporting these good organizations.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE