Gambling Disorder in the Age of Mobile Sports Betting

Mobile sports betting has exploded in recent years. As of December 2025, 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., allow for some form of online sports betting.  Public health researchers are reporting different outcome data, such as seeking help for gambling addiction, varying by state gambling legislation.  According to Nora Volkow, Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "Mobile access has transformed the temporal, spatial, and psychological dynamics of gambling, compressing the cycle of urge, opportunity, and action into seconds and thereby amplifying risk for rapid escalation and in some instances catastrophic outcomes.”   As with other forms of addiction, prevention will be an important factor in protecting those most at risk from problematic psychological, social, and financial consequences.

Cindy Carter, Ph.D.

https://nida.nih.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2025/11/gambling-disorder-in-the-age-of-mobile-sports-betting

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