Online searches for gambling addiction surge as legalized sports betting expands, study finds
Internet searches for gambling addiction help have surged as the number of states legalizing sports betting has grown, a new study found.
Internet searches seeking help for gambling addiction have "increased substantially" as the number of states with legalized sports betting has expanded in recent years, prompting a need for more public health awareness, according to a study released Monday.
The findings "suggest that sportsbooks pose a substantial health concern," researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and Bryn Mawr College wrote in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
"A paradigm shift in how regulatory frameworks and health organizations collaborate to address the complexities of gambling harms is needed," the researchers wrote.
The study comes as legalized sports betting has exploded into a multibillion-dollar industry following a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that broke up Nevada's monopoly on the practice and cleared the way for state-sponsored sports gambling.
Americans were set to wager an estimated $1.4 billion in this year's Super Bowl, up from $1.25 billion in 2024, according to the American Gaming Association.
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