With sports betting on the rise, states are trying to set limits to stop gambling addiction

It is not easy to foster moderation and financial discipline from the bowels of the casino.

But that’s what Massachusetts state employees try to do every day, amid the ringing of bells and the flashing lights of slot machines.

At MGM Springfield in western Massachusetts, workers in green polo shirts stand outside their small offices, directly opposite the casino floor.

And above them A Label that says “GameSense” The state’s signature program to reduce problem gambling. The mounted screen cycles through messages like “Keep sports betting fun. Set a budget and stick to it.”

Workers are handing out free luggage tags and travel-sized tissues to encourage people to stop and chat. If successful, they provide customers with brochures displaying the state’s gambling helpline number and website. They can even record them on file A program called “PlayMyWay” Which allows customers to set monthly spending limits on the amount of gambling.

Outside of casinos, GameSense is marketed on social media and elsewhere Sports betting apps And websites. Meanwhile, the state Department of Public Health is setting up its own services Moderation messages On buses and billboards.

“This is a big movement in 12 years,” he said. Mark Vander Lindenwhich oversees the GameSense program in Massachusetts.

The first casino opened in Massachusetts in 2015, and as the gaming industry has grown, the state has developed what it calls a “responsible gaming” program, funded by an additional tax on gambling industry profits.

in the beginning, State regulators I tried different strategies to educate clients about the addictive nature of gambling, as well as the financial risks.

“It was about making sure there were brochures available that explained the odds for whatever game it was,” Vander Linden said.

Since then, Massachusetts has been put in its place Additional regulations The booming industry now includes widespread sports betting. For example, there is no betting on University of Massachusetts teams, nor credit card gambling. All gambling companies must allow customers to set voluntary limits and sign up to a “voluntary self-exclusion list” that bans them from entering casinos or sports betting at various intervals.

A mixture of state policies

Some states have set similar limits to limit problem gambling, but others have very few of them. In the absence of a national policy, or national gambling commission to oversee the industry, each state is on its own.

A growing number of addiction researchers and policymakers say it’s time to take bolder — and more unified — steps to combat gambling disorders. They point to the explosion of the gaming industry since 2018, when the US Supreme Court issued its ruling Open the door For states to Legalize sports betting It unleashed an aggressive industry, which is now legal in 39 states. (Forty-eight states have legalized at least some forms of gambling, including lotteries.)

Compared to the United States, many other countries have done so He went much further in organizing gambling industry, and some experts in the United States view them as potential models.

For example, Government of Norway It has a monopoly on all slot machines so it can control the types of games offered, and the loss of each gambler in the country is limited to 20,000 kroner (about $2,000) per month.

in UKlimited to most adults Bet 5 pounds (about $7) For each spin of a slot machine, gambling companies are subject to a 1% tax that goes to the Fund for the Treatment and Prevention of Gambling Disorders.

Last year, a report was published in the medical journal The scalpel International health leaders have called for action quickly on regulations before gambling disorders become widespread and common – and become difficult to stop.

But policy leaders point out that the United States has less appetite for regulating companies than many other countries, especially under the Trump administration. At the same time, they warn that doing nothing could pose a serious threat to public health, especially now that sports betting apps allow people to gamble anywhere, anytime.

Fears that more gambling means more addiction

Even before the marriage of online gaming and mobile phones, researchers estimate 1% to 2% of Americans already suffer from a gambling disorder, in addition to 8% of people who do at stake To develop one.

Some American politicians fear that the problem will get worse.

“The sophistication and complexity of betting has become staggering,” the Democrat said. US Senator Richard Blumenthal From Connecticut. “That is why we need protections that enable the individual to say no.”

Blumenthal co-sponsored Safe betting lawLegislation that would impose federal standards on sports betting companies.

The bill proposes a ban on gambling advertising during live sporting events, mandatory “affordability checks” for high-spending customers, restrictions on VIP membership schemes, a ban on AI tracking for marketing, and the creation of a national “self-exclusion” database, among other rules.

“States are unable to protect their customers from excessive, offensive, and sometimes misleading offers,” Blumenthal said. “They simply do not have the resources or jurisdiction.”

The gambling industry strongly opposes the Safe Betting Act. Joe Maloney, a spokesman for the commission, said federal standards would be a “slap in the face” to state regulators American Gaming Association.

“You have the ability to dramatically usurp the power of the states and then freeze the industry in place,” he said.

“Responsible gaming” versus a public health approach

Maloney said new regulations aren’t necessary either. He said the industry recognizes that gambling is addictive for some people, which is why it has developed an outreach/awareness initiative known as “Responsible gaming“.

This includes messages on buses and billboards warning people to stop playing when it is no longer fun and reminding them that the odds of winning are very low.

“There are very direct messages, like: ‘You’re going to lose money here,'” Maloney said.

He said his industry group does not collect data on whether such measures reduce addiction rates. But he said restrictions on gambling were not the solution.

“If you suddenly start picking and choosing what can be legal or banned, you push bettors out of the legal market and into the illegal market,” Maloney said.

Public health leaders claim the industry’s “responsible gaming” model is not working.

“You need regulation when the industry shows an inability and unwillingness to police itself,” he said. Harry LevantGambling Policy Director for Institute for Public Health Defense At Northeastern University School of Law in Boston.

Levant said one reason the industry’s approach is “morally and scientifically flawed” is that it places all the blame and responsibility on individuals with gambling disorder. “You can’t say to someone struggling with addiction, ‘Okay, don’t do that anymore.’”

Levant comes to this issue from personal experience. He is recovering from a gambling addiction. Levant was a former lawyer He was convicted in 2015 To steal customers’ money to fund his betting habit. Since then, he has not only become an advocate for stronger regulations, but also a trained addiction therapist.

The American Gaming Association said it supports treatment for gambling disorders and helps pay for some referral and treatment services through state taxes. But Levant called it “the moral equivalent of the tobacco companies saying, ‘Let’s do whatever we want for our cigarettes, as long as we pay for chemotherapy and health care.'”

Instead, Levant advocates a public health approach that will help prevent addiction from the beginning. This means setting limits on marketing and the types and frequency of gambling, for everyone, not just those who already have problems.

To prove his case, Levant opens his laptop and pulls out a commercial for the company produced by Simplebet, a A subsidiary of DraftKings.

In the video, the company boasts about getting more people to gamble on sports through so-called micro-bets during live matches. “We enhance fan engagement by making every moment of every match a betting opportunity. Automatic, algorithmic and powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence,” the voiceover said.

This is the kind of sustained engagement that encourages addiction, Levant said. (Contacted by KFF Health News and NPR, DraftKings declined to comment, instead sending a link to its website. Responsible Gaming programme..)

Lawmakers want to “stop the worst excesses” before the next gambling trend emerges

Some of these gambling mechanisms would be restricted by the Safe Betting Act, which Levant and his colleagues at the Public Health Defense Institute helped write.

But if the legislation doesn’t pass through the current regulation-averse Congress, states must take strong action of their own, Levant said.

The Massachusetts Legislature is currently consideringPetor Health Law“, which would impose additional rules on sports betting companies.

“The goal is not to stop gambling completely,” Massachusetts said. Rep. Lindsay Sabadosaone of the bill’s sponsors. “It’s to stop the worst abuses in online sports betting.”

The Massachusetts bill includes components of federal legislation, such as mandatory “affordability checks.” This would limit the amount of money some gamblers could lose. Affordability tests are designed based on a Demo program In the United Kingdom.

“If you’re only allowed to have two drinks, we know you won’t get drunk, right?” Sabadosa said. “If you’re only allowed to gamble $100 a day because that’s a reasonable amount, you won’t go bankrupt. You’ll still be able to pay the rent.”

The Bettor’s Health Act would also ban “prop” bets, which are bets placed during a live game, such as who makes the first shot in basketball, or who hits the first home run in baseball.

but State tax revenues of sports betting rises to $2.8 billion in 2024 — a welcome source of funding for struggling state budgets. Because of this potential boost, the Levant fears that state legislatures will avoid imposing further regulation.

States may also be attracted by the promise of additional revenue from new types of gambling, such as “iGaming.” This refers to online versions of roulette, blackjack and other casino style games, which can be played at any hour, from the comfort of home.

IGaming is currently legal in seven states, but is awaiting legalization in others. Including Massachusettscan expand its markets.

“We sympathize with how difficult it is for states to balance their budgets in this current political environment, but states are beginning to realize that the solution to this problem is not increased promotion of a known addictive product,” Levant said.

This article is part of a partnership with NPR and New England Public Media.