Recent Legalized sports betting expanded to 36 states The gambling industry is booming, but experts say it's taking a toll on young people's mental health.
In particular, easy access to online betting, which is most popular with sportsbooks, which often bait new customers with credits and first bet loss waivers, has a grip on the Gen Z crowd.
New Jersey Gambling Prevalence Report 2023 A Rutgers University study found that one-third of bettors between the ages of 18 and 24 placed their bets exclusively online rather than inside a casino or in-person facility.
This statistic is five times higher than the school's previous report in 2017 and higher than any other age group.
“You could be sitting at the dinner table gambling against your family on your cell phone, and no one would know until the whole family was devastated,'' says Rutgers University Center for Gambling Research Director. says Leah Nower. social work, recently told Newsweek.
“The more people gamble, the more activities they participate in, and the younger they start gambling, the more likely they are to have problems not only with gambling itself, but with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicidality.” It is more likely to cause problems,” Nawar added.
According to the report, young men aged 18 to 44 are also “most likely to be high-risk gamblers”, with 19% of the 18 to 24 age group having a gambling problem. He points out that the risks are high.
Players between the ages of 18 and 20 are “significantly more likely” to chase losses and bet beyond what they can afford. According to Responsiblegambling.org.
Now the potential for destruction will be immediately felt.
On New Year's Day this year, the College Football Playoff games between the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan in the Rose Bowl and the University of Texas and the University of Washington in the Sugar Bowl are set to set sports gambling records. Associated Press reported.
Jay Cornegay, sportsbook director at the Las Vegas resort Westgate, told the magazine: “The volume levels are probably going to be higher than we've ever seen them before.”
But why is gambling so appealing to people, especially young men?
“The most powerful component of smoking, drug, and alcohol addiction is undoubtedly dopamine, although it is not the only one,'' said psychologist James Whelan, director of the Gambling Education and Research Institute at the University of Memphis. “, he told Newsweek magazine. .
“And when you gamble, your brain releases more dopamine than when you're doing anything else.”
Pamela Brenner Davis, team leader at the New York Council on Problem Gambling, said people under 25 are “more susceptible to addiction, especially gambling addiction” because their brains are not fully developed.
Nawar also expressed concern that the “rush” to legalization could lead to further mental health problems for bettors. She warned that the signs of a dangerous gambling addiction would be much more subtle than those of a drinking or smoking disorder.
“Gambling addiction is indescribable.”
