Calls to Ohio’s Problem Gambling Helpline See Rise in 2023
Ohio's expansion of legal sports betting in 2018 leads to rise in gambling addiction helplines calls.
Calls to Ohio’s gambling helpline up 55.6% since sports betting legalization.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Sports betting was legalized in Ohio at the start of 2023, allowing the nearly 12 million residents to legally bet on various sports and providing the state with a new source of tax revenue.
This year’s Olympics mark the first time Ohioans have been able to legally bet on a diverse array of sports in a short space of time, which has drawn in many new bettors. However, this growth in legal betting has raised concerns. Since the nationwide expansion of legal sports betting in 2018, hotlines combating gambling addiction have seen a significant increase in calls.
According to Mahoning Matters, which cited data from Ohio for Responsible Gambling, calls to the state’s Problem Gambling Helpline rose by 55.6%. In 2022, the helpline received 6,835 calls, but in 2023, the first full year of legal sports betting in Ohio, the number surged to 10,637.
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Gambling Taxes Help Combat Problem Gambling
On a positive note, Ohio’s tax revenue from legal sports betting neared the $1 billion mark, totalling $936 million. Some of this revenue goes to programs aimed at combating gambling addiction and supporting those affected.
Currently, Ohioans can choose from nearly two dozen mobile betting platforms and 15 retail sports wagering locations. Major operators like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, PointsBet, and Caesars all have a presence in the state.
Furthermore, thanks to the wide variety of betting options, such as parlay and prop bets, sports betting operators are succeeding in attracting more people to watch sports.
People are definitely watching sports that they have not watched before due to gambling – there is no question about it.
Professor Shapiro, of the University of South Carolina’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, argues that increased betting options leads to increased consumption of sports, even those typically not followed by bettors.
However, Shapiro also recognized the importance of legal sports betting in generating tax revenue and pointed out that in states where betting is illegal, many wagers occur through black market or offshore operators, which offer no customer protection and do not contribute to the state in any way.
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