A new study has found mixing drinking and sports gambling may have “deleterious health consequences.” It’s no secret that drinking problems and gambling problems can compound one another, but it may be a particular issue when it comes to sports betting, because of the role alcohol plays in the culture of sports fandom.
The study, conducted by researchers from one Canadian and three US institutions, examined “trajectories of sports gambling frequency and alcohol-related problems over time.” The team also examined the associations between trajectories.
The collaborative project—undertaken by researchers from the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque), University of Washington (Seattle), Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, Canada), and University of Nevada (Las Vegas)—found an association between the paths of sports betting frequency and alcohol-related problems over time.
The researchers explain that this finding suggests that as one variable increases (or decreases), corresponding changes will likely occur in the other. Further, they argue this indicates sports gamblers have a higher risk of developing alcohol-related problems.
Consistent with a rapidly growing body of research, this study demonstrates that sports gamblers are at a unique risk of alcohol-related harms both generally and over time.
Drinking, sports betting relationship previously unclear
As the researchers noted, US sports betting was once limited to “a handful of geographic locations” in the US. However, since 2018’s Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act reversal, it has become one of gambling’s “most accessible” forms.
Between 10% and 30% of US adults have gambled in the past year. Alcohol is part of sports gambling culture, and sports gamblers drink alcohol more frequently than non-sports gamblers and non-gamblers. Recent studies show that alcohol use frequently co-occurs with sports gambling behavior and that it often precedes risky or problematic gambling behavior.
In sum, the team argued that despite evidence that sports gambling and alcohol use are “closely related,” little is known about the relationship over time.
Or, more plainly:
We do not yet have a clear understanding of the extent to which sports gambling and alcohol use risks fluctuate together over time.
As a result, the study’s primary goal was to examine the course of sports gambling frequency and alcohol-related problems over an extended period.
Before beginning, the researchers expected to find strong associations between sports betting frequency and alcohol-related problems. They similarly anticipated the direction of both would “consistently and positively” relate, with one rising or falling along with the other.
The team embarked on the 2-year, longitudinal US-focused study to test these hypotheses.
Researchers argue for screening and treatment
Researchers obtained their study participants—a combination of a general cross-section of US adults and an oversample of sports gamblers—through YouGov America.
Over two years and five data-collection waves, the team surveyed a baseline sample of 4,363 US adults (51.4% male vs 48.6% female/non-binary) with a mean age of 49.6.
According to the results published on March 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers’ hypotheses bore fruit.
Both variables were significantly, positively, and substantially correlated with each other suggesting clear associations… Moreover, the slope of alcohol-related problems was positively and very strongly correlated with the slope of sports gambling frequency.
Such findings, they wrote, suggest that despite both sports gambling frequency and alcohol-related problems trending downward, their paths do not move independently. Instead, they said it appears likely that as one variable shifts, the other will follow.
This relationship, researchers argue, is worrisome:
People who increase their sports gambling over time would be at substantial risk for also increasing problems related to alcohol. Given substantial evidence that these 2 behaviors do co-occur regularly, and that sports gambling is linked to greater risks of binge drinking behaviors, the close association between these trajectories is especially concerning.
Because sports gamblers who drink concurrently appear to be susceptible to alcohol-related problems, the researchers recommend screening and treatment interventions for those most at risk.
Screening and treatment interventions are recommended for sports gamblers who also drink concurrently, especially because this group appears to be at an elevated risk for developing greater alcohol-related problems over time.
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