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goal was, and is, to offer help to at-risk gamblers. Now, most states also provide group help and hotlines.
Unfortunately, the largest hotline caller demographic is 25-34-year-old adults. In 2022, Pew Research learned that men in the under-50 populations were more likely than women and the over-50 group to gamble. In most studies for multiple types of addictive behaviour, men far outnumber women. The age disparity is troubling. The U.S. 65-plus population (55.8 million) in 2020 grew five times faster than the total national population from 1920-2020. One in six adults is now over 65, versus one in 20 adults in 1920. However, the overall population has soared in a century, meaning that even a smaller percentage of young people having access to gambling could spell trouble. That is a devastating statistic. Most are just beginning their lives and careers. These financial losses can cause enormous economic and psychological damage and destroy families.
Some gambling addiction therapists have reported that the most severe cases have even gambled away their federal student loan money. That could clearly have life-long consequences.
My employment feature in this issue discusses Joe Biden’s proposed student loan “forgiveness” and job hunting. Gambling that money away can cause irreparable harm to an individual’s ability to find a good job if the root cause of non-payment is disclosed as gambling.
Sadly, despite the best efforts, sometimes people cannot be saved from their own potential demons. According to Business Insider, Americans legally bet an unprecedented $119.84 billion on sports in 2023, an increase from $93 billion in 2022. The NCAA surveyed sports betters. Of those who answered, they discovered the prevalence of sports gambling on college campuses, with a significant percentage being Black and Latino.
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) reports that 2.5 million Americans have a severe gambling problem while an additional five to eight million have what they call a “mild or moderate” issue. Considering the total U.S. population of more than 341 million, that is a very small group. Excluding minors and the very old, it still accounts for millions of extreme or borderline cases.
Of course, we can always count on the media to publicise only the worst part of the story. For decades, the U.S. and international gaming industries have invested millions to prevent and combat addictive gambling. Ensuring the integrity of the sport itself
14 MAY 2024
has become a legitimate area of concern. Many professional athletes and those affiliated with the sports world have gone on record with concerns about the complexity of the bets.
Is some of it deliberate to cause a specific outcome? As of July 2023, the NCAA had found 175 infractions of its sports-betting policy since 2018 and there were 17 active investigations. They do not publicise details or results. Recently, baseball and basketball scandals have erupted with permanent player bans and firings.
For example, players are placing side bets on a player’s statistics and performance. A proposition bet wagers on something happening, or not happening, during a game that does not impact the final score. It could be almost anything occurring during game time. The complaint is that it burdens the players, or the team as a whole, with achieving specific statistics. A win is a win. Everyone may have an off-day performance. Proposition bets often erode the spirit of team support and its fan base. Players may be bullied while on the field or on social media, impacting their own confidence and setting the team up for failure. For me, this is yet another downside to social media. It vilifies team players who are trying to do their best for their own careers and the good of the team. The sporting world needs to do better. As a follow-up to last month’s column, check out my employment story. You will find some unexpected, but interesting information.
Sharon Harris
Sharon has worked in the casino and coin- operated amusement industries since the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Sharon transferred her public relations and journalism skills to the gaming industry. She wrote her first feature for Casino International predecessor EUROSLOT magazine in 1994.
As Associate Editor, North America for Casino International, Sharon has chronicled the explosive growth of U.S. gaming and reported on its most significant changes. She has traveled across America to participate in dozens of industry events and has interviewed
hundreds of gaming operators,
executives and suppliers.
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