In 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed into legislation the full legalization of sports gambling which is highly popular and lucrative for the state. But while advertising always says “Gamble responsibly” addiction is commonplace and covid isolation has only worsened the problem, especially for young adults.
James Martinez, a certified counselor at Stress-Free Recovery LLC said in an interview “the pandemic and social distancing has immensely accelerated the current social and economic trend and it does not surprise me that there is such a growing trend in the young adult population.”
Access to betting platforms on smartphones and the ease of using a credit card to place bets at any time along with the relatability and thrills makes sports gambling particularly attractive to young adults between the ages of 21-29.
Martinez explains, “young adults become at higher risk to develop sports gambling problems than older adults through online betting platforms because they tend to have more daily online interaction for personal amusement. What starts as a recreational activity can later become a serious gambling problem because young adults may also tend to minimize any emotional and financial consequences typically seen with older adults”
According to MCCC Psychology Professor Kimberly Adkins, adolescent brain development plays a key role in the problem.
“Youth are at an increased risk for sports gambling because of the brain’s development… The brain develops from back to front with the prefrontal cortex fully developed around age 24. This part of the brain is responsible for making good decisions,” Professor Adkins says.
One key to taking advantage of this vulnerability is through advertising targeted at the vulnerable population.
In an interview with John Norton, the communications manager at the National Council on Problem Gambling, he said major sports betting platforms–such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Golden Nugget–create a “flooding of advertising” to specifically target young adults to join sports betting platforms.
Norton says “there is no question that television and digital advertising is the driver for a major uptick in young adults starting to do sports betting. Sports booking companies flood the advertising zone, they are on television, radio, and in podcasts, and provide an immense amount of information about betting and sports events.”
Sports betting companies also offer many introductory offers that can attract younger adults who may have lower incomes compared to older adults.
For example, Fanduel Sportsbook currently offers a $2000 risk-free sign-up bonus, Bet MGM now offers multiple “free-play” bets once signing up, and Draft Kings offers a signup bonus of up to $1000 and a 20% initial deposit match.
Further research into the sports betting website’s terms and conditions also shows that recent sign-up players may have to bet a certain amount of times or complete introductory bets in order to receive advertised sign-up bonuses.
James Martinez says “Besides not gambling, education is always the best preventive strategy. It is also important to know that it is easier for a person with substance use problems to develop behavioral addictions as it develops in the same general areas of the brain, and professional guidance is often needed to help individuals navigate their recovery process to find healthier recreational activities that are less damaging.”
There are resources for young adults such as a self-assessment test to see if someone may have personality traits or behaviors that can indicate a susceptibility to gambling addiction. It can be found on The National Council on Problem Gambling’s website.
New Jersey also offers an “opt-out” portal for someone to register their name and contact information to have their gambling accounts closed and opt-out of any online gambling promotions.
Sports gambling addictions are on the rise in New Jersey, however, resources are available throughout to help and prevent young adults from becoming addicted.
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Additional Resources:
NCPG Self assessment test – www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/screening-tools/
NJ online self-exclusion opt-out for online gambling – www.njportal.com/dge/selfexclusion
