An organization is taking steps to protect the healthcare of the legal sports betting industry.
According to a new draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in England is recommending that healthcare professionals ask patients at health checks or mental health appointments about problem gambling. The recommendation comes after NICE identified that people with various mental health issues are at an increased risk of harm from gambling.
The draft guidance also provides recommendations for treatment methods from healthcare professionals, including the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and blocking software.
The institution is also taking additional steps to hamper the issue. The NICE has opened a questionnaire on its website for the public to assess the severity of harmful gambling.
The questionnaire is based on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, which is used to measure at-risk behavior. Based on an individual’s score support or treatment may be recommended.
Global issue
Problem gambling is having an impact on the U.S. sports betting market, which saw wagering outside of Nevada authorized in 2018. The National Council on Problem Gambling reports that between 60% and 80% of high school students have wagered in the past year. The results for young adults were attributed to the pandemic and easy access to online sports betting sites.
Several states and companies across the U.S. are combating the rise of harmful wagering.
Earlier this earlier, New Jersey opened meeting opportunities, a new helpline, and a website for sports bettors across the Garden State who are looking to remove themselves from betting.
Meanwhile, DraftKings announced a partnership in September with Kindbridge Behavioral Health to provide residents in Colorado with resources to combat harmful gambling. As part of the pact, the two entities will provide players who self-exclude from DraftKings with complimentary access to comprehensive mental health assessments. BetMGM has also secured a deal with Kindbridge in Colorado ahead of a new law that mandates a risk-scoring system for problem gambling detection.
FanDuel — the No. 1 sportsbook in America in terms of market share — also recently added soccer legend Carli Lloyd as a responsible gaming ambassador.
