Study suggests the two habits may be intertwined

March Madness, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Super Bowl—these iconic events have one thing in common beyond the thrill of the game: Americans can now bet on virtually every aspect of the action.

In 2018, the Murphy v. NCAA decision rocked the sports world, as Congress’s ruling opened the door for states to legalize sports betting—forever changing the landscape of gambling in America. Since 2018, 38 states have legalized sports betting in some form or another and it appears that the remaining holdout states will follow suit.

Americans now live in a world where sports betting is more accessible than ever before. Whether it’s through their phones, kiosks at sports bars, or tables at local establishments, the ease of access to sports gambling has surpassed any other form of gambling in history.

But what does this mean for our society? University of New Mexico (UNM) Psychology & Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) Professor Joshua Grubbs has been studying the impact of sports betting and gambling. His new research paper was recently published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The researchers conducted a two-year study on sports gambling in the United States.

Data were collected every six months, and over the two years, researchers followed 4,000 Americans. Previous research in this sample found that sports gamblers are binge drinking more frequently and experiencing heavier drinking episodes. Overall, they consume more alcohol compared to non-gamblers or those who gamble but do not bet on sports.

The current study focused on how sports betting and alcohol consumption patterns evolved over time. Researchers tracked a sample of over 4,000 Americans, examining the frequency of their sports betting, the extent of their alcohol-related problems, and how these behaviors changed together. The study sought to determine if the two were linked and whether one behavior led to the other.

“We found that they do move very closely together. They’re very tightly connected behaviors, suggesting that even over a two-year time span, people that are sports gambling more frequently are experiencing more alcohol-related problems,” explained Grubbs.

On average, individuals are experiencing more heavy drinking, greater interference in their lives from alcohol use, and more relationship problems due to alcohol use—issues that appear to be linked to more frequent sports betting.

“Now, does that mean that sports gambling is making them drink? No, we can’t say sports gambling is causing this, but we can certainly say that they’re overlapping, and that they’re coinciding over time,” said Grubbs.

The time component is critical in this situation, as Grubbs suggests that if the two are this tightly connected, it could also suggest that reducing one would reduce the other.

“We would expect if someone started to back off of their sports gambling that their alcohol-related problems would probably go down. On the other hand, if they start to increase their sports gambling over two years, we would see a higher trajectory in their alcohol use,” he explained.

Grubbs also indicated that these findings are especially concerning, given the types of people that are most likely to sports gamble. Sports gambling appeals to a high-risk group, meaning that those who are more intrigued to gamble are more impulsive in general, which can lead to a range of risky behaviors.

This high-risk group is more likely to partake in other types of substance use, more likely to have gambling-related problems, and more likely to engage in high-risk financial activities like trading cryptocurrency. The group also tends to be younger males in their 20s and 30s who also have disposable income, and with that income, Grubbs says that sports gambling is very appealing to this group.

Why is sports gambling, compared to other forms of gambling, so closely tied to drinking? The culture around sports stadiums promotes heavy alcohol sales.

“Sports gambling is tied to drinking because sports fandom and sports spectatorship are tied to drinking. You go to a sports bar to watch games, or you go to a friend’s house and tailgate with beers and other drinks, or you have a buddy over to your house and you guys have a few beers while you’re watching it,” said Grubbs.

Researchers are seeing excessive drinking among sports gamblers, with alcohol consumption and gambling occurring in the same spaces.

Among the 4,000 participants whom they followed for two years, sports gamblers were also experiencing more symptoms of gambling disorder. Sports gamblers are a very high-risk group compared to those who buy lottery tickets or even folks that occasionally go to the casinos.

“We do think that accessibility is a big part of that, simply because of the lack of barriers. Someone can have a gambling disorder going to the casino, yet there is at least a small logistical barrier in just getting to the casino. Sports gambling has eliminated that barrier,” explained Grubbs. “You have to drive there or get there. Whereas, if you’re able to bet on your phone, the barriers aren’t really there.”

A lot of people are worried about how sports gambling relates to problem gambling behaviors or gambling addiction, which presents a very real concern. But sports gambling is also related to alcohol use and problems with alcohol that can be extremely dangerous.

“We’ve shown in past studies that sports gamblers are engaging in more binge drinking, that they are drinking more frequently and reporting more alcohol-related problems. With the current study, we are showing that these things coincide very tightly over time. It really suggests that sports gambling is closely related to a very real and very dangerous substance use disorder in the form of alcohol,” he said.

This is a serious concern because, unlike gambling disorders, which are devastating but don’t directly cause physical harm—such as alcohol poisoning or car crashes—alcohol-related problems can lead to severe health issues and dangerous consequences like driving under the influence.

“When you see how tightly these are related together, it makes us concerned that the increase of access to sports gambling throughout the country might also be driving more alcohol-related problems. We’re not saying that it’s definitely doing that, but we’re concerned that it could be,” stated Grubbs. “And because of the real dangers of alcohol use, you get the double whammy of both alcohol-related problems and the gambling related debts and problems that come from a game disorder.”

Any person that pays attention to sports in the country is aware of how much sports gambling advertising has really ramped up over the past several years.

Sports fans are now facing a situation where there is limited understanding of this new behavior and its potential risks. Without safeguards or protocols in place, the average viewer is at risk of engaging in sports gambling without fully understanding the side effects or consequences.

A question to ask yourself if you find yourself drinking a lot while betting is, “How do the bets go that you make while you’re drinking?” Grubbs said that he uses questions like this as a nudge, when talking to sports gamblers, to encourage them to not drink as much when they’re gambling.

“If I can get them to drink a little bit less, to not make impulsive decisions, that’s a win. I do try to emphasize that, even though these behaviors are really closely related, the drinking might be making your gambling worse. For some sports gamblers, that’s enough motivation to tone it back and be like, ‘You know what? You’re right. I don’t want to lose extra money,'” he explained.

At the start there’s a strong positive correlation between drinking related problems and sports gambling frequency. Not only are they related to each other where they start, but they move together over time. These things are moving together very strongly over time.

Another finding is that being male predicts a higher starting point for starting both drinking and sports gambling. The study also found that younger people tend to experience more problems.

Researchers discovered that education level was a factor, with individuals holding higher levels of education more likely to face issues with sports gambling. This is noteworthy, as education is typically seen as a protective factor. For sports gambling, those with college degrees appear to be particularly prone to participate.

According to Grubbs, all of these findings are especially concerning given the current state of research related to sports gambling in the United States. America has legalized sports betting, giving hundreds of millions of Americans access to it, yet there’s no systematic, federal funding to understand what this decision means. Progress has been slow in fully understanding the potential risks and consequences of sports gambling. Grubbs wants to call for action on this.

“I want Congress to be interested in regulating this activity and funding research into this domain so that we can get a more systematic understanding of how to protect people. If you look at how risky this seems to be and all the problems that we’re seeing, it tells us that sports gambling is a serious public health concern. We need to more systematically understand it,” he said.

Grubbs also states that there needs to be a standard to ensure that people aren’t getting advertised to in a way that could potentially put them at risk.

He concludes with some tips and advice for those partaking in sports gambling and drinking. He encourages those who are gambling and drinking to be mindful, set limits for both, and make thoughtful choices.

March Madness, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Super Bowl—these iconic events have one thing in common beyond the thrill of the game: Americans can now bet on virtually every aspect of the action.

In 2018, the Murphy v. NCAA decision rocked the sports world, as Congress’s ruling opened the door for states to legalize sports betting—forever changing the landscape of gambling in America. Since 2018, 38 states have legalized sports betting in some form or another and it appears that the remaining holdout states will follow suit.

Americans now live in a world where sports betting is more accessible than ever before. Whether it’s through their phones, kiosks at sports bars, or tables at local establishments, the ease of access to sports gambling has surpassed any other form of gambling in history.

But what does this mean for our society? University of New Mexico (UNM) Psychology & Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) Professor Joshua Grubbs has been studying the impact of sports betting and gambling. His new research paper was recently published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The researchers conducted a two-year study on sports gambling in the United States.

Data were collected every six months, and over the two years, researchers followed 4,000 Americans. Previous research in this sample found that sports gamblers are binge drinking more frequently and experiencing heavier drinking episodes. Overall, they consume more alcohol compared to non-gamblers or those who gamble but do not bet on sports.

The current study focused on how sports betting and alcohol consumption patterns evolved over time. Researchers tracked a sample of over 4,000 Americans, examining the frequency of their sports betting, the extent of their alcohol-related problems, and how these behaviors changed together. The study sought to determine if the two were linked and whether one behavior led to the other.

“We found that they do move very closely together. They’re very tightly connected behaviors, suggesting that even over a two-year time span, people that are sports gambling more frequently are experiencing more alcohol-related problems,” explained Grubbs.

On average, individuals are experiencing more heavy drinking, greater interference in their lives from alcohol use, and more relationship problems due to alcohol use—issues that appear to be linked to more frequent sports betting.

“Now, does that mean that sports gambling is making them drink? No, we can’t say sports gambling is causing this, but we can certainly say that they’re overlapping, and that they’re coinciding over time,” said Grubbs.

The time component is critical in this situation, as Grubbs suggests that if the two are this tightly connected, it could also suggest that reducing one would reduce the other.

“We would expect if someone started to back off of their sports gambling that their alcohol-related problems would probably go down. On the other hand, if they start to increase their sports gambling over two years, we would see a higher trajectory in their alcohol use,” he explained.

Grubbs also indicated that these findings are especially concerning, given the types of people that are most likely to sports gamble. Sports gambling appeals to a high-risk group, meaning that those who are more intrigued to gamble are more impulsive in general, which can lead to a range of risky behaviors.

This high-risk group is more likely to partake in other types of substance use, more likely to have gambling-related problems, and more likely to engage in high-risk financial activities like trading cryptocurrency. The group also tends to be younger males in their 20s and 30s who also have disposable income, and with that income, Grubbs says that sports gambling is very appealing to this group.

Why is sports gambling, compared to other forms of gambling, so closely tied to drinking? The culture around sports stadiums promotes heavy alcohol sales.

“Sports gambling is tied to drinking because sports fandom and sports spectatorship are tied to drinking. You go to a sports bar to watch games, or you go to a friend’s house and tailgate with beers and other drinks, or you have a buddy over to your house and you guys have a few beers while you’re watching it,” said Grubbs.

Researchers are seeing excessive drinking among sports gamblers, with alcohol consumption and gambling occurring in the same spaces.

Among the 4,000 participants whom they followed for two years, sports gamblers were also experiencing more symptoms of gambling disorder. Sports gamblers are a very high-risk group compared to those who buy lottery tickets or even folks that occasionally go to the casinos.

“We do think that accessibility is a big part of that, simply because of the lack of barriers. Someone can have a gambling disorder going to the casino, yet there is at least a small logistical barrier in just getting to the casino. Sports gambling has eliminated that barrier,” explained Grubbs. “You have to drive there or get there. Whereas, if you’re able to bet on your phone, the barriers aren’t really there.”

A lot of people are worried about how sports gambling relates to problem gambling behaviors or gambling addiction, which presents a very real concern. But sports gambling is also related to alcohol use and problems with alcohol that can be extremely dangerous.

“We’ve shown in past studies that sports gamblers are engaging in more binge drinking, that they are drinking more frequently and reporting more alcohol-related problems. With the current study, we are showing that these things coincide very tightly over time. It really suggests that sports gambling is closely related to a very real and very dangerous substance use disorder in the form of alcohol,” he said.

This is a serious concern because, unlike gambling disorders, which are devastating but don’t directly cause physical harm—such as alcohol poisoning or car crashes—alcohol-related problems can lead to severe health issues and dangerous consequences like driving under the influence.

“When you see how tightly these are related together, it makes us concerned that the increase of access to sports gambling throughout the country might also be driving more alcohol-related problems. We’re not saying that it’s definitely doing that, but we’re concerned that it could be,” stated Grubbs. “And because of the real dangers of alcohol use, you get the double whammy of both alcohol-related problems and the gambling related debts and problems that come from a game disorder.”

Any person that pays attention to sports in the country is aware of how much sports gambling advertising has really ramped up over the past several years.

Sports fans are now facing a situation where there is limited understanding of this new behavior and its potential risks. Without safeguards or protocols in place, the average viewer is at risk of engaging in sports gambling without fully understanding the side effects or consequences.

A question to ask yourself if you find yourself drinking a lot while betting is, “How do the bets go that you make while you’re drinking?” Grubbs said that he uses questions like this as a nudge, when talking to sports gamblers, to encourage them to not drink as much when they’re gambling.

“If I can get them to drink a little bit less, to not make impulsive decisions, that’s a win. I do try to emphasize that, even though these behaviors are really closely related, the drinking might be making your gambling worse. For some sports gamblers, that’s enough motivation to tone it back and be like, ‘You know what? You’re right. I don’t want to lose extra money,'” he explained.

At the start there’s a strong positive correlation between drinking related problems and sports gambling frequency. Not only are they related to each other where they start, but they move together over time. These things are moving together very strongly over time.

Another finding is that being male predicts a higher starting point for starting both drinking and sports gambling. The study also found that younger people tend to experience more problems.

Researchers discovered that education level was a factor, with individuals holding higher levels of education more likely to face issues with sports gambling. This is noteworthy, as education is typically seen as a protective factor. For sports gambling, those with college degrees appear to be particularly prone to participate.

According to Grubbs, all of these findings are especially concerning given the current state of research related to sports gambling in the United States. America has legalized sports betting, giving hundreds of millions of Americans access to it, yet there’s no systematic, federal funding to understand what this decision means. Progress has been slow in fully understanding the potential risks and consequences of sports gambling. Grubbs wants to call for action on this.

“I want Congress to be interested in regulating this activity and funding research into this domain so that we can get a more systematic understanding of how to protect people. If you look at how risky this seems to be and all the problems that we’re seeing, it tells us that sports gambling is a serious public health concern. We need to more systematically understand it,” he said.

Grubbs also states that there needs to be a standard to ensure that people aren’t getting advertised to in a way that could potentially put them at risk.

He concludes with some tips and advice for those partaking in sports gambling and drinking. He encourages those who are gambling and drinking to be mindful, set limits for both, and make thoughtful choices.