A problem gambling survey found a 27% decrease in risky betting behaviors compared to the same study done three years prior.
Key takeaways
- The NCPG study says, despite a decline from 2021, problem gambling behavior issues are still higher than in 2018, when legal betting began.
- Research highlighted several concerns with sports betting and parlay wagering.
- The non-profit organization is calling for federal funding to aid gambling addiction services.
“The National Survey on Gambling Attitude and Gambling Experiences,” released Thursday by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), found 20 million American adults experienced at least one problematic gambling behavior on several occasions in 2024. That’s down from 27.5 million in 2021.
“This new research shows that the nationwide efforts in responsible gambling and public awareness are making a positive impact, but the work is far from over,” NCPG Board of Directors President Derek Longmeier said. “We must build on this momentum by embedding problem gambling into the broader public health infrastructure and investing in what we know works: collaboration across prevention, education, treatment, and research with the support of the government and communities.”
However, the NCPG found the number of issues was higher than in 2018.
“While not all of those represented in the study meet clinical standard for addiction, the data clearly shows that too many Americans experience problematic behavior as a result of their gambling,” the NCPG wrote in its report.
Areas of concern
The study, conducted by partner Ipsos, identified particular groups associated with a higher risk for problem gambling behavior. The survey found 17% of sports bettors and 24% of fantasy sports participants reported behavior problems.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, letting states legalize and offer sports betting. There are now 39 jurisdictions allowing legalized wagering. Online betting is up from 15% in 2018 to 22% in the latest study. It’s also an area the NCPG describes as “closely associated with risk.”
However, 23% of participating adults haven’t changed from the study conducted six years ago, “suggesting that legal access does not necessarily expand the market but may intensify risk for active participants,” said the NCPG, which has a neutral stance on legalized gambling.
Parlay betting jumped from 17% six years ago to 30%. The organization is concerned about the effects of chasing losses associated with multi-leg wagers that are typically difficult to hit and give sportsbooks high profit margins.
Of the 3,000 people surveyed from January 2024 through March 2024, 28% of those who gambled at least 10 times reported behavior issues, while 35% of people who gambled at least three times a week reached the “concern” threshold. Problem gambling behavior doubled in men compared to women, and the 18-34 age range reported a 15% issue rate, while just 2% of adults 55 and up had a behavior problem.
Battling addiction
The NCPG said helplines, like 1-800-GAMBLER, are making encouraging impacts on problem gambling. Increasing awareness of these tools to help people dealing with betting issues “doesn’t always translate into immediate action,” the NCPG said, but it is a "critical first step in reducing stigma and expanding access to care.”
Despite improvements to addiction access programs and the decrease in problem gambling behavior, the non-profit organization says public understanding is limited. Numbers show 39% of Americans see gambling addiction as “very serious.” Meanwhile, 62% of people view drug addiction as a major concern, while alcoholism is at 55%.
The NCPG called for more federal funding and wants a portion of the sports betting excise tax to go toward state-level gambling addiction services in all 50 U.S. states.
“All who profit from gambling, including the government, have an ethical imperative to use some of that money to mitigate gambling’s harms,” said Longmeier. “While many states have followed our advice, oftentimes that funding is directed to other addictions, leaving gambling addiction as an afterthought. Gambling addiction deserves to be treated by the states as the serious health crisis that it is.”
Earlier this year, the NCPG introduced "Problem Gambling Awareness Month", an annual observance to increase public awareness of the issue.
