Sports Betting: how to Know if you have actually Crossed The Line

You don’t have to be an enthusiastic sports fan or a fanatic gambler to know that sports wagering is growing.

Super Bowl LIX, or «Super Bowl 59» for those people who don’t speak Latin, is expected to shatter the previous record for money bet on a single live sporting occasion in the United States: in 2015’s Super Bowl. The game drove $1.3 billion in U.S.-based wagering alone, as 68 million Americans took a gamble on the Taylor Swift-ified phenomenon that ended in victory for Chiefs Kingdom. This year’s tilt – a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl in between Kansas City and the Philadelphia Eagles – is forecasted to draw more than $1.5 billion in legal wagers throughout the country.

If you or someone you appreciate is engaging in problematic gambling, you can get assist by calling the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER, or visiting problemgamblingcoalitioncolorado.org (for resources in Colorado) or gamblersanonymous.org (for support throughout the U.S. and internationally).

The proliferation and appeal of mobile sports betting applications (apps) has sustained a sports-betting rise. Apps have actually developed exponentially higher access to sports wagering for everyone from casual gamblers to compulsive gamblers, who can place bets anywhere, anytime, with just a click on their mobile gadgets.

Upping the ante is the seamless integration of mobile wagering with major sports leagues and media coverage, which bombards audiences with updates on ever-shifting chances and encouragement to «participate the action,» blurring the line in between the video game and video gaming.

Healthy Gambling Guidelines

– Set limitations and adhere to them.

– Never bet more than you can pay for to lose.

– Don’t chase your losses.

– Seek aid if you need it. 1-800-GAMBLER

At the same time, mobile sports wagering menus – the types of wagers readily available to wagerers – have expanded significantly. Traditional sports bets (placed before the start of a game, and typically tied to the result of the event) are provided together with «live betting» (likewise called «in-game» or «in-play» betting), in which odds and wagering choices unfold throughout live-game play, and «microbetting,» a more granular, instant-gratification kind of gambling that on particular events or minutes in a video game, like the outcome of the next play, point or ownership.

This trifecta of increased access, relentless opportunities to go after one’s losses (or winnings) and prevalent marketing have drawn millions of Americans to online sports wagering, increasing the chances that more individuals will develop unhealthy relationships with gambling.

With so much on the line, we turned to Emily Hemendinger, MPH, LCSW, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who focuses on treating clients with obsessive-compulsive traits and has a background in treating dependencies. In the following Q&A, Hemendinger uses insight into the root causes and signs of problem betting (likewise referred to as compulsive betting or betting dependency), and how to assist yourself or someone who is dealing with a betting disorder.