In May 2018, the Supreme Court removed the Amateur Sports Protection Act. Since that time, 38 states including the District of Columbia have some form of legalized sports betting. Over the last six years, sports gambling has become a major industry in the US.
Casinos and online sportsbooks are cashing in on the sports gambling craze that is still alive. Along with sports gambling, having a few drinks is often involved. Especially if you’re in a social setting watching with friends. What’s the harm of having a couple of drinks when you are sports gambling?
The results may shock you. Per Joshua Grubbs, a professor at the New Mexico Center on Alcohol, binge drinking while sports gambling is a real issue. Grubbs claims that the two go hand in hand. Leading to excessive amounts of alcohol consumption if gambling on sports. This is not the case for everyone. However, the problem is getting worse.
Why do binge drinking and sports gambling go hand in hand?
Professor Joshua Grubbs led a study about why excessive alcohol consumption and sports gambling go hand in hand. He claimed it’s easy to be in a social setting with your friends and have a few drinks. However, he claims a cycle begins to happen which makes it easier to drink and place more bets.
In his studies, Grubbs had this to say in a press release about the research he’s done on this matter.
“A lot of people are worried about what sports wagering is going to do to people’s finances and their money in gambling problems. To be clear, those potential harms are a real concern. But, with sports gambling, there may be even greater overall risks because sports gambling, even more than other types of gambling, is linked to problematic alcohol use,” – Joshua Grubbs
New studies by the University of Las Vegas, Nevada show a clear link between sports gambling and alcohol use
Dr. Shane Kraus is a psychology professor at UNLV. The research shows a link between sports gambling and alcohol use. His team surveyed more than 4,000 people for their research and found that 1,800 gambles on sports in the last year. That is just under 50 percent. Showing how popular sports gambling is and will continue to be.
Kraus said their goal is to target where the problem starts to help those who are at high risk. He claims that people often try and make up for a lost paycheck or quick cash when sports gambling. Adding binge drinking on top of that makes it even worse.
Professor Joshua Grubbs of the New Mexico Center on Alcohol said is aware there are bigger issues that Americans are facing. There is still an opioid epidemic and alcohol abuse disorder happening in the US. Grubbs noted that these issues are bigger than the ones mentioned in his research.
However, binge drinking is directly correlated with sports gambling. Grubbs emphasizes how casinos and sportsbooks have responsible gambling messages. He thinks those industries need to add messages for alcohol abuse as well. What can be done to help reduce the amount of people who binge drink and sport gamble at the same time?
