Gamble, Gamble, Gamble

Turkey day betting on everything from this year’s Lions football game to the size of Macy’s floats is expected to be the largest in the history of the Thanksgiving holiday. 18-25 year olds are said to be the largest betting contributors. 30 states now have legalized sports online betting with North Carolina the latest in September 2024 – up from about 20 in 2022 – but these same states and others generally won’t allow mental health therapists or programs to treat these addictions unless they have a license in the state where the patient is. The U.S. and the sports organizations and media have made a bet that younger people can gamble responsibly, the same pact made that people will drink responsibly, agreed 91% of 110 health policy professionals we surveyed for our paper on The Behavioral Health Ecosystem. “It’s an underappreciated epidemic,” says ER physician Vu Narayans. “I see it as a gateway to other addictions.” Stay tuned for the paper.