In the past few years we’ve seen a huge increase in online gambling and sports betting in particular. As with most games of chance there’s always the risk of getting addicted. While most people just occasionally place a bet here and there there are some out there where it becomes a crippling addiction.
Online platforms everywhere
With more popping up every year, it almost seems these online sports betting platforms are multiplying. There’s also a lot more advertising happening than in the past as well. They aren’t always for legalized gambling platforms, either.
Sylvia Kairouz, a professor and research chair for gambling studies at Concordia, mentioned that “Gamblers are stating there are simply too many advertisements out there, with incentives to place wagers and gamble.” This is based on her own recent study.
“Their whole strategy is focused on the commercial aspects, and they will tie you in with incentives that could lead to developing gambling problems more often.”
While Loto- Québec is the only actual legal one in the region, many of the advertisements are about other platforms. Mrs. Kairouz adds, “It’s safe to say around 40% of those who gamble do so on other non-legal platforms.
Andree-Anne Légaré, who is an Adjunct Professor for Université de Sherbrooke, goes on to add, “Take care with sites like these as they have no underlying guidelines or oversight. Their whole strategy is focused on the commercial aspects, and they will tie you in with incentives that could lead to developing gambling problems more often.”
These sites also tend to be just the entry point into other forms of gambling. Mrs. Kairouz adds, “When you get to these gambling sites, you may only end up doing one type of betting, but these sites have other gambling options that will sway gamblers to try them out and lead to issues.”
The socialization of Sports betting:
Sports betting brings a social aspect to it versus other types of games of chance. It typically can happen in a group setting of friends, and these have their own pros and cons. There can be wagers made with minimal consequences.
Mrs. Kairouz adds, “There can be other types of control coming from the social aspect, such as bet amount limits and only one bet at a time. This is a way of adding a protective element.”
Yet she states, “It can lead us to be conditions in a negative way.”
“We start to build a negative habit and negotiate ourselves into making another bet.”
Andrée-Anne Légaré adds, “We can get carried away with the moment, and we can start to make more bets than normal. We start to build a negative habit and negotiate ourselves into making another bet.”
This can come from the competitive nature of sports watching, to begin with. The constant challenges and social norms that come with enjoying sports with friends can tempt people into placing bets once, getting addicted and then dealing with long-term gambling-related consequences.
Is there skill involved?
Some may actually believe that having knowledge of the sport will lead us to make bets that feel more like a guarantee than a game of chance. Everything from the game’s stats, how the players perform, and the build-out of the teams are all factors that can be understood, right? Is it so simple, though?
“It’s not always the outcome of the wager we’re placing. We can bet on the score and the spread and even do live betting during the match itself. This is where the chance aspect creeps back up[…]
This type of information actually tends to affect the odds of the match. Then people start to look at the riskier option due to the odds and thus the amount able to be won, to be much greater.
Mrs. Kairouz adds more to this and states, “It’s not always the outcome of the wager we’re placing. We can bet on the score and the spread and even do live betting during the match itself. This is where the chance aspect creeps back up and eliminates any notion of relating the wager based on any amount of knowledge.”
Some platforms out there don’t even bet on any aspect of the match and can even have bets placed on what the sports commentator will wear.
Mrs. Kairouz says that with this type of betting, “More often than not, we’re going to come out losing.”
Support barely used
Those that eventually become addicted still don’t seek out guidance and help. Andrée-Anne Légaré added, “Those who gamble really do not connect sports wagering as a game of chance. Thus, those that place sports bets don’t really feel it as a problem most of the time.”
“Yet many still feel as if it is a social component amongst friends, making it more difficult to seek help.”
Counsellor at Gambling: Help and Referral, Gil Bellemare, agrees and added, “Over the past decade, the discussion of gambling addiction and associated risks has been discussed, yet we’ve been looking at other digital types of addiction. Finally, we’re seeing when it comes to sports betting that it’s possible to get addicted. Yet many still feel as if it is a social component amongst friends, making it more difficult to seek help.”
Mr. Bellemare continues, “We need more open dialogue related to sports wagering and its addictive qualities, and there’s help out there when needed.” Yet, at his organization, it’s not common to see requests from people with sports wagering as the gambling type compared to other games of chance.
Mr. Bellemare explains that “many are referred to Gamblers Anonymous. We also then push our referrals to our Public Addiction Centers, which have counsellors there who can make proper assessments when it comes to having gamblers clarify their current status, and why gambling is such a major part of their overall life. They can also help to spot and work on the triggers and work towards getting back control.”
