Sports betting and hazardous alcohol use among young adults: added risks of betting and drinking on the same day

Abstract

Background. Sports betting is growing in popularity at alarming rates, especially among young adults. However, sports betting is not yet widely considered as a public health concern due in part to scarce examination of health correlates. The present study entailed cross-sectional examination of associations between problem sports betting and indices of hazardous alcohol use and negative alcohol-related consequences, and whether associations were moderated by same-day drinking and sports betting. Method. The sample comprised 221 young adults aged 18-29 with representation from 36 different states in the U.S. (M_age=24.4; 77.7% male; 64.6% white). Eligibility criteria included betting on sports at least twice in the past month. Results. Zero truncated negative binomial hurdle models revealed that problem sports betting scores were significantly associated with hazardous alcohol use (i.e. AUDIT scores) for those who drank at least once in the past 3-months. Problem sports betting was also associated with any (vs. no) negative alcohol-related consequences, as well as number of negative consequences young adults experienced. Both count models were moderated by same-day drinking and sports betting such that positive associations were amplified among those who more frequently drank and bet on sports on the same day. Conclusions. Findings provide early-stage evidence for a link between problem sports betting and alcohol-related problems among young adults, especially those who more frequently engage in both behaviors within the same timeframe. These results highlight the need for more research on sports betting from a public health lens as the prevalence of this addictive behavior continues to rise.

Keywords:

• Gambling
• AUDIT
• wagering
• dependence
• negative consequences
• hazardous drinking

Author Contributions

All members of the research team contributed to each aspect of the project, and each have approved the final manuscript. Graupensperger is the Principal Investigator of this research and led data analysis and writing. Song and Lostutter contributed to conceptualization of the project and preparing the manuscript. Hurtado was the project coordinator and led all recruitment and data collection activities. Lambuth and Shaygan contributed to recruitment and data collection, as well as writing the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a grant from the International Center for Responsible Gaming, funded by Bally’s Corporation. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the International Center for Responsible Gaming or Bally’s Corporation.