The Illusion of Control
Sports Betting’s Impact on the Gambling landscape.
It seems you can’t go anywhere without seeing sports betting ads these days. Tune into any game and there they are. What changed?
“Not long ago, sports betting was banned everywhere in the United States except Nevada.
That changed in 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and permitted states to decide for themselves whether they wanted to legalize sports betting.”
In four short years, the entire landscape has changed. As of May 23, 2022, 35 states and D.C. have legalized sports betting and it is fully operational in 30 jurisdictions.
There is big money to be earned in the world of sports betting. According to LegalSportsReport.com Handle from 2018-November 2022 (amount wagered over the period of time) in the U.S. was $159,571,040,417 with revenue being reported as $11,859,989,359—that’s a lot of commas.
Why is the sports betting expansion a growing concern for a lot of addiction treatment professionals?
“Psychologically, it’s a little different”
One reason is that sports betting gives you the illusion of control. This illusion gives the bettor the idea that they can predict a random outcome, and as a result can be viewed as a way to make money. In these instances, sports wagering begins to lose its entertainment value and increases risk.
“According to one study in the Addictive Behaviors journal, ‘Sports betting, relative to non-sports betting, has been more strongly linked to gambling problems and cognitive distortions related to illusion of control, probability control and interpretive control.’”
Sports bettors who bet more than once a week are 5 times more likely to report behavior indicating problem gambling. That’s a scary proposition when you consider one game can have hundreds of betting opportunities thanks to “in-play betting” (wagers that can be made continuously during a game).
So, what can a Washington state resident do to reduce the risk presented by sports wagering? Be informed. If you bet—bet responsibly and keep it fun! You can also learn the signs, so you are better prepared when you or a loved one needs to call a time-out and seek help.
Help starts here.
CALL. TEXT. CHAT.
24/7 Help, information, and confidential referrals to free or low-cost treatment in Washington state are available: call or text 1-800-547-6133, or chat with a Washington Helpline specialist here.