The first month of legal sports betting in Ohio has witnessed an explosive rise in calls to the state's Problem Gambling Helpline, which could signal a need to pay more attention to the social costs associated with online sports betting sites.
The number of people calling the helpline soared by 135% between December — the last month before the state went live — and the end of January 2023.
Correspondingly, the Buckeye State saw a 66% increase in warm transfer line calls connecting gamblers needing additional support while total chats increased by 45% during January, the first full month of legal sports betting in Ohio.
These were some of the disturbing figures contained in the annual report released by the Ohio for Responsible Gambling organization on Monday to coincide with nationwide Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March.
A wake-up call for the public and sportsbooks alike
"We knew the numbers were going to increase," said Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, in a press release accompanying the publication of the report. "While Ohio's increase in calls for help matches other states that recently legalized sports betting, it's still a wake-up call for people to take notice."
Looking back over the past year, calls to Ohio's Problem Gambling Helpline increased by an even more eye-opening 227% between January 2022 and January 2023.
Prior to the January 1 launch of legal sports wagering in Ohio, the Problem Gambling Helpline received an average of only 20 calls per day during the month of December. However, Longmeier noted that the frequency of such calls increased by 140% to 48 calls per day in January.
Furthermore, a higher percentage of young people are seeking help with their gaming behaviour, with the 18-34 age group now the fastest-growing bracket of callers.
Last week, after the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) reported that the state had seen over $1.1 billion in wagers placed in January, Problem Gaming Network spokesman Michael Buzzelli was already warning of the negative impact of betting on some members of the public.
"Gambling for the majority of folks is a fun, you know, responsible entertainment activity," said Buzzelli. "But, there are individuals that are negatively, and severely negatively impacted by it... phone calls have absolutely amped up."
The necessity of responsible gaming features on sportsbook apps
The OCCC says the vast majority of sports bets were placed online or with a mobile sportsbook app. At present, there are 17 mobile sports betting operators and most of them place limits on how much bettors can wager and how many times you can view the app within a given period.
However, these in-app self-policing features may not be sufficient to prevent bettors from engaging in reckless gaming behaviour which is why Problem Gambling Awareness Month is trying to raise public consciousness over responsible gaming behaviour.
Amanda Blackford, OCCC's Director of Operations and Problem Gambling Services, described the potential for financial harm as "catastrophic" in the absence of proper consumer betting guardrails.
"Technology lets anyone bet anywhere with cell phone reception," said Blackford. "The ability to place multiple bets in real-time with no safeguards can quickly lead to catastrophic losses."
Buzzelli similarly cautioned people to take note of obvious red flags with respect to erratic gaming behaviour.
"If you're agitated, if you're anxious, if you're stressed instead of being passionate and excited about the game, that may be a sign that it's gone too far," said Buzzelli.
A note of caution regarding the spike in Ohio Problem Gambling call centre
Ohio For Responsible Gambling noted that some of the additional call volume was driven by factors that had nothing to do with the problem gaming behaviour itself.
Recovery Resources Prevention Manager Nabil Pervaiz explained that people should not overreact to the report given that the data only reflected the first month of the availability of online sports betting in Ohio.
"I think that’s something that we kind of expected," said Pervaiz. "When there is this new availability or new available type of gambling, there is going to be that higher likelihood of folks wanting to call in to not only seek out treatment, but maybe they just have questions."
In Ohio, 1,492 calls were placed in January, but of those 168 were specifically noted for being about daily fantasy sports or sports betting.
Many people were apparently calling to check on "free money" after placing wagers. Second, there was a general interest in the availability of online sports betting generated by publicity surrounding the existence of the problem gambling helpline itself.
BetMGM leads sportsbooks in fostering greater responsible gaming awareness
Meanwhile, the U.S. gaming industry is showing signs of becoming more alert to growing public and political concerns over the inevitable rise in problem gaming due to the explosive growth of the legal sports betting industry as a whole.
BetMGM has taken the lead among the major U.S. sportsbooks with respect to reponsible gaming (RG), a move backed by a comprehensive campaign that launched on March 1.
The campaign will be featured prominently on BetMGM’s legal sports betting app and social media platforms and be given high visibility on the operator's billboard, print, TV, and radio ads across North America.
The initiative comes just before Massachusetts opens up mobile sports wagering on March 10. BetMGM had previously committed itself to intensify its responsible gaming messaging in the Bay State.
In addition, the American Gaming Association, the gaming industry's watchdog organization, will be hosting a virtual ICRG conference on responsible gaming and addiction on March 14.
The event will see a panel of researchers with extensive backgrounds in RG research discuss topics such as a definitive measure of "safe gambling" as well as how much proprietary data operators should allow researchers to access.
