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.

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A Parent’s Guide To Betting Apps

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The organization Axis has written a guide to help parents understand and address betting apps with their kids.

Axis provides videos and resources for parents to have gospel-centered conversations with their children about faith and culture. One recent video helps parents understand how sportsbook apps turn sports fans into gamblers and why young men are especially vulnerable.

In its parents’ guide to betting apps, Axis writes:

Like many parents, Kim Freudenberg knew that raising two boys would come with tough discussions. She would need to talk to them about drugs and alcohol. Sex would be an important topic. Clearly, social media would need to be a regular household conversation.

What Freudenberg and many other moms and dads didn’t know when their children were young was that there would be a new tough topic on the scene: betting.

“Never once did I even think that I needed to say ‘gambling,’” Freudenberg told NPR.

But as it turned out, her 19-year-old son had been gambling for eight years. She had no idea until he’d been doing this until he dropped out of college and the truth came to light. She discovered that her son had sold household items, borrowed money from friends, and at the height of his debt desperation, stolen money from her.

This all began when Freudenberg’s son clicked on a link he saw in the comments of a video game livestream he was watching. The link took him to an offshore online casino where he began to play blackjack, poker, and roulette. He was 11 years old—seven to ten years younger than the legal gambling age for every state in the U.S..

The guide from Axis goes on to highlight how sports betting apps may particularly appeal to teens.

Nationwide, sports betting is legal in 39 states — including Arkansas, where people wagered $56.6 million on sports in August alone. But a growing body of evidence shows this type of gambling is harmful.

Studies show people who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. When sports gambling happens online, the rate is even higher. A 2025 survey found one in four sports bettors worry that they cannot control their gambling.

Problem gambling may contribute to other serious problems. Some studies have linked legal sports betting to increases in divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.

Twenty-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.

Sportsbooks and online gambling platforms have been accused to using deceptive videos, predatory ads, and artificial intelligence to target people who may be at risk of gambling problems.

Sports betting is not a harmless pastime. 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.

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Most U.S. Adults Do Not Say Gambling is Good for Sports: YouGov Survey

Gambling,

A recent YouGov survey found most adults in the U.S. do not believe legalized gambling is having a positive impact on sports.

Sports betting is legal in 39 states — including Arkansas, where people wager an average of $2.5 million on sports every single day. But evidence shows many Americans are concerned about unintended consequences sports betting may have for athletic programs.

On September 16, researchers at YouGov published survey responses from 6,677 U.S. adults about the impact legalized gambling is having on sports.

Only 9% said they believe legalized gambling is having a positive impact on sports. Forty-three percent said they believe the impact is negative.

YouGov also asked people if they have wagered any money on NFL games this season. Sixteen percent said they either have bet on an NFL game or plan to at some point. Seventy-nine percent said they have not placed any bets and do not intend to.

We have written before about how Americans increasingly see sports betting as a bad bet all around.

The NCAA has opened investigations into dozens of student-athletes for sports betting violations. Student-athletes have been accused of scheming to help each other win bets they placed on one another.

Federal prosecutors have announced indictments in connection with alleged bribery and point-shaving schemes to fix college basketball games.

People who gamble on sports are at an increased risk of suffering from gambling problems. When sports betting happens online or on a smartphone, the rate is even higher.

Mobile sports betting apps make gambling as easy as sending a text. These platforms use addictive technology to hook people — especially young adults. A recent report from mental health professionals at Baptist Health South Florida found that internet gambling platforms are engineered to keep people engaged, using instant rewards and near-misses to trigger the same brain chemistry as other addictions.

One study published this summer found gambling disorder diagnoses have risen more than 60% in states that legalized sports betting. Researchers said the largest increase in gambling disorders was found among young adults ages 18 – 29.

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.

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.

Sports betting isn’t harmless entertainment — it’s predatory, and it’s growing.

Family Council has identified practical ways Arkansas could protect families from predatory sports betting — like prohibiting sportsbooks from accepting credit cards or offering prop bets and parlays.

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 people in our state.

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

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