Sports Betting is Growing in America, But So is the Harm

Gambling, ,

Reports continue to show that sports betting is growing in America — but financial damage from predatory gambling is growing with it.

Most states have legalized sports betting, and new survey data shows more than half of men ages 18 – 49 have an active sportsbook account online. Arkansans wagered a record $86.5 million in March alone this year. But this type of gambling is taking a terrible toll on individuals and their families.

Researchers writing in Health Economics found a 10% increase in binge drinking among young men in the wake of sports betting’s legalization.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found legalization of sports betting leads to a tenfold increase in spending at online sportsbooks, an increase in credit delinquencies, and a decline in credit scores.

People who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. When sports betting happens online, the rate is even higher.

Researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to an increase of roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.

Research has also shown a strong connection between gambling problems and higher rates of depression and suicide.

The data is clear: Sports betting is corrupting sports and ruining lives. On the whole, most Americans do not believe sports betting has been good for society or good for sports. The NFL and sportsbooks have actually faced lawsuits over the harm from gambling.

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.

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Federal Agency Sues States That are Trying to Stop Prediction Market Gambling

Gambling, ,

A federal agency is going to court to make sure online prediction markets can operate in states that don’t want them.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed lawsuits against New York and Wisconsin and filed legal briefs in Massachusetts, all to stop those states from applying their gambling laws to so-called “prediction markets.”

The CFTC has also previously sued Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois for the same reason.

Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi exploit loopholes in federal law to bring casino-style gambling to anyone with a smartphone. Whereas traditional gambling operates under state oversight and state law, prediction market platforms claim protection under federal commodities laws.

The out-of-state companies running these platforms claim it’s not gambling. They just offer “financial products” that let people “invest” in the outcome of ballgames, tomorrow’s weather, foreign policy, and so on.

But calling it an “investment” does not change the reality. It’s wagering on uncertain outcomes in hopes of making money.

Several states have tried to treat prediction markets exactly like what they are — gambling operations — and enforce their state gambling laws against them. The CFTC is now suing those states to stop them, arguing that Congress gave the CFTC exclusive authority to regulate these platforms as financial exchanges.

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig put it bluntly: “To any state that seeks to nullify federal law and seize authority over these markets, I say again: we will see you in court.”

In other words, a federal agency is using the courts to override the decisions of state governments that want to protect their citizens from predatory gambling.

We have written before about how prediction markets are particularly troubling because they operate without state oversight. When prediction market platforms let users trade hundreds of millions of dollars on the Super Bowl game outcomes — plus millions more on trivial bets like which song would play first at halftime — that is not investing. That is gambling.

And this kind of predatory gambling destroys families. Sports betting is out of control. It’s ruining lives and corrupting sports. Studies indicate people who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. The damage is worse when the sports betting happens online.

Now the federal government wants to make sure gambling companies can reach into every state in America — whether those states want it or not.

Arkansas already has a serious gambling problem. Arkansans wagered more than $86.5 million on sports betting in March alone. If the CFTC succeeds in its campaign to block states from regulating these platforms, Arkansas will have even less ability to protect its citizens from this new wave of online gambling.

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.

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Forecast Calls for 100% Chance of Shady Bets

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Last week, media outlets reported that French authorities are investigating unexplained temperature spikes at a Paris weather station following suspicious bets placed on the platform Polymarket.

Federally regulated prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi exploit loopholes in state and federal laws to bring casino-style gambling to anyone with a smartphone. Whereas traditional gambling in Arkansas and elsewhere operates under state oversight and state law, prediction market platforms claim protection under federal commodities laws.

The out-of-state companies running these platforms claim it’s not gambling. They just offer “financial products” that let people “invest” in the outcome of sports games or other real-world events — like tomorrow’s weather, foreign policy, and so on.

But calling it an “investment” does not change the reality. It’s wagering on uncertain outcomes in hopes of making money.

A viral security camera video clip making the rounds online claims to show a man using a hairdryer on a thermometer at a French weather station. The video says the man was trying to win a Polymarket bet about the weather in Paris.

Newsweek reports the thermometer spiked four degrees Celsius over the course of about 12 minutes before abruptly dropping again. The incident and the Polymarket wagers placed right before it happened were suspicious enough to prompt investigations.

All of this reminds us about the corrupting influence that gambling has.

Even if the viral video of the man with the hairdryer turned out to be fake, the fact that platforms like Kalshi let users gamble on the weather makes people suspicious when temperatures do something unexpected. Imagine what happens when we have problems from people betting on elections.

We need to close the loopholes and enact clear laws that prohibit prediction market wagering and any activity functioning like it.

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

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