Sports Gambling Addiction: Warning Signs, Risk Factors, Effects, and Treatment

Sports gambling addiction involves compulsive betting on sports events, where individuals struggle to control their betting habits. Sports betting addiction can lead to various problems, including financial issues, work issues, relationship strain, and mental health issues. Due to the vast growth of gambling sites and betting apps, sports gambling is becoming more accessible to people and increasing the rate of addiction. 

Nearly half of American adults bet on a sporting event, and many bet online, with 45% of sports wagering now taking place through the Internet, according to a report by the National Council on Problem Gambling. 

Warning signs of sports gambling addiction include preoccupation with betting, lying about gambling activities, increasing the amount of money wagered, and neglecting responsibilities. Other signs involve chasing losses and experiencing mood swings tied to betting outcomes. These behaviors often become more noticeable as the addiction worsens.

Risk factors for developing sports gambling addiction include easy access to betting platforms, a history of impulsive behavior, peer influence, and underlying mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. Individuals with a family history of addiction are also at a higher risk. Exposure to frequent advertisements and promotions from the gambling industry further amplifies the risk.

The effects of sports gambling addiction can be devastating, leading to financial ruin, broken relationships, and increased stress or anxiety. People with this addiction may suffer from depression, feelings of guilt, and even legal issues due to accumulating debt or fraudulent actions. Long-term, it can severely impact an individual’s quality of life and mental health.

Treatment for sports gambling addiction includes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps individuals identify and change destructive thought patterns. Support groups such as Gamblers Anonymous provide peer support, while medications like naltrexone may help reduce gambling urges. Professional counseling and financial management assistance are also integral parts of a comprehensive treatment plan.

What are the Warning Signs of Sports Gambling Addiction?

The warning signs of sports gambling addiction are frequent betting, chasing losses, increased bet sizes, preoccupation with betting, financial issues, lying about gambling, avoiding responsibilities, and emotional distress.

These warning signs are described below: 

1- Frequent Betting

Frequent betting refers to being involved in sports gambling activities more than usual and being unable to control the urge to gamble more. In a group of sports gamblers, 16% met the clinical criteria for gambling disorder, and another 13% showed some signs of gambling addiction, according to a study by the National Council on Problem Gambling. 

2- Chasing Losses

Chasing losses refers to when a person continuously gambles to recover the money they lost on previous bets. Doing this can lead to suffering from further losses as the chances of recovering the money are very low. 

3- Increased Bet Sizes

Increased bet sizes involve betting larger amounts of money for greater excitement or for recovering previous losses. Winning also encourages a person to wager more money and fall into the gambling trap. As the prize levels increase, the odds of an individual placing a larger bet also increase, according to a report by the Journal of Gambling Studies. 

4- Preoccupation with Betting

Preoccupation with betting means being obsessed with gambling activities and constantly thinking about gambling-related factors like planning the next bet, excitement for winning more, and stressing over previous losses.  

5- Financial Issues

Financial issues can occur when participating in sports gambling activities. The most common financial problems are debt, unemployment, borrowing money to gamble, and selling properties to pay off the debt. Consumer credit use and debt problems increase with problem gambling severity, according to research by Thomas B Swanton. 

6- Lying about gambling

People with sports gambling addiction often lie about their gambling habits to their friends, family, and colleagues. They do this to hide the financial or mental problems they are facing due to these activities. Nearly 45% of people who gamble lie about their gambling activities and hide them, according to a research study by the National Institute for Health and Welfare. 

7- Avoiding Responsibilities

Many individuals with gambling addictions tend to neglect their responsibilities, like family duties, social activities, and work. This can lead to various problems, including family disputes, relationship issues, mental health issues, and work issues. 

8- Emotional Distress

Various emotional strain effects like mood swings, irritability, anxiety, and depression can occur from the stress of gambling or losing money. According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, emotional stress, loneliness, and a low sense of mastery are associated with excessive gambling. 

What are the Risk Factors and Causes of Sports Gambling Addiction?

There are various risk factors and causes of sports gambling addiction, including a history of gambling habits, which means that individuals who have been involved in gambling activities before are more likely to develop a sports gambling addiction. According to research by the National Library of Medicine, within a group of gamblers, almost all the members had a long history of gambling. 

Certain personality traits like impulsivity, thrill-seeking, and risk-taking also lead to a desire to participate in sports gambling activities. Advertisements of betting apps and media have heavily glamorized gambling and created exposure to sports gambling which attracts more and more individuals towards it. The exposure to gambling advertising in sports and the gambling behaviors of social networks are major risk causes of gambling addiction, according to a study by BMC Public Health Journal.

What are the Effects of Sports Gambling Addiction?

The effects of sports gambling addiction are financial problems, legal issues, relationship strain, and mental health disorders. 

These effects are described below. 

• Financial Problems: Financial problems like debt, borrowing money, and loss of assets are the most immediate and certain effects of sports gambling addiction. In a Siena College poll of American students involved in sports betting, 18% said they’d had trouble meeting a “financial obligation” due to a gambling loss, according to a study by Jacob Zinkula.
• Legal issues: The financial issues caused by gambling addiction can lead individuals to engage in illegal activities, like theft or fraud, to obtain money for betting. In a prison in Florida, 32% of arrestees had ever experienced problem gambling during the crime, and 17.4% had likely current gambling problems, according to a study by the Commission on Crime & Problem Gambling. 
• Relationship Strain: Relationship breakdowns and problems with family and friends are common effects of sports gambling addiction. The anxiety and financial stress cause mood changes which can lead to disputes and arguments. Around 1.2% of the population that gambles experience moderate relational disputes while around 9.3% experience it at risky levels, according to a research study by the Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 
• Mental Health Disorders: Various mental health issues like stress, depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders are closely linked to sports gambling addiction.  Problem gambling is associated with an increased likelihood of subsequent mental disorders, according to a study by the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

What are the Treatment and Support Options for Sports Gambling Addiction?

The treatment and support options for sports gambling addiction are counseling, support groups, medication, and self-help strategies.

These treatments and support options are described below. 

• Counseling: Counseling is a technique for treating sports gambling addiction that helps individuals change their negative thinking patterns and behaviors. A common type of counseling is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Counseling or CBT is beneficial for balanced thinking and the development of coping strategies, according to the National Institute of Health. However, counseling can be costly and lengthy. The recovery time can take 12-20 weeks.  
• Support Groups: Support groups are platforms where individuals share their experiences and receive support from others facing similar challenges. Social support reduces the treatment time and is a strong contributor to one’s ability to abstain from gambling, according to the National Institute of Health. Some groups might not be very effective and have low attendance. The recovery time can vary from a few weeks or several months. 
• Medication: Medication can help deal with the mental health conditions associated with gambling addiction, like depression or anxiety. Taking medication will not only suppress the mental health issues but also prevent them from occurring again. However, some medications can have risky side effects. Medication can treat mental disorders associated with gambling addiction in 4-8 weeks, according to the National Institute of Health. 
• Self-Help Strategies: Self-help strategies like setting personal limits and creating a structured recovery plan can be effective in managing gambling addiction. When strategies are working, you should notice some of the benefits of changing your gambling behavior, you might have extra money in your wallet, and feel less stressed, according to the Office for Problem Gaming. However, the effectiveness is limited, and the recovery time can take several months to a year. 

How Does Sports Gambling Addiction Develop?

Sports gambling addiction usually develops from occasional betting that gradually becomes more frequent and starts causing problems. Players are driven by the excitement, thrill, and prizes of sports betting and become obsessed with it. Once an individual faces a loss, they keep playing again until they recover their losses or at least get some money back. 

As betting becomes a habit, it can cause problems like compulsive behavior, mental disorders, and financial issues that are difficult to control. Despite these negative effects, people still can’t seem to get over sports gambling as the addiction is too strong. 

What are the Stages of Developing a Sports Gambling Addiction?

The stages of developing sports gambling include occasional and casual gambling, betting consistently with increased frequency, problem gambling where individuals start to get obsessed and face negative impacts, and gambling addiction, when individuals are fully addicted and have an uncontrollable desire to gamble more. 

What are the Triggers of the Sports Gambling Addiction?

The triggers of sports gambling addiction include exposure to betting advertisements, emotional stress, social pressure, and thrill-seeking or interest. 

How Does Frequent Betting Become Compulsive?

Frequent betting becomes compulsive when the excitement of winning and the urge to recover losses cause the brain to crave more gambling activities. This leads to an uncontrollable urge to bet, turning occasional gambling into a compulsive behavior.