Approximately 10% of young people indulge in sports betting at least once a week, but is this a red flag for future addiction or a healthy green light for legal gambling operations in the state? Watch it It may be visible to people.
A year after sports betting was legalized, concerns about the impact on young people have grown and new commonwealth beacon/GBH News polls (topline, crosstabs) do not paint a clear apocalyptic picture.
Of the 30% of 18-29 year olds who said they had bet on sports in the last year, most said they only bet occasionally, usually for less than $20. However, around a fifth of people who bet last year said they bet more than once a week, and a further fifth said they bet about once a week.
“Sure, things can get worse, but there's almost always a chance they can get better,” said the CEO of the Massachusetts Gaming Health Council, which helps identify and address gambling problems. , said Marlene Warner.
“Rightly or wrongly, I have job security because people choose to gamble. Gambling takes people to places they don't want to go.” said Warner. “Most people are able to gamble safely and we take many measures to keep them there. However, gambling becomes a dangerous activity that then leads to problems and even disorder. There are always going to be people who are vulnerable, right down to the lowest level. So the goal is to keep the product as safe as possible.”
Warner last week, along with Attorney General Andrea Campbell, announced a coalition of state agencies, gambling advocacy groups and sports teams dedicated to addressing the dangers of youth gambling. The coalition is particularly concerned about advertising that targets people too young to gamble legally, and hopes to counter professional sports betting's messaging with the help of famous athletes and educational curriculum. .
Warner said the poll of 1,002 Massachusetts residents conducted March 21-29 by the MassINC Polling group is consistent with national demographics regarding sports betting.
The biggest divide isn't age, with the 30-45 age group reporting more bets than younger groups, but gender. Men across all age groups said they bet on sports more than twice as often as women (35% vs. 14%). Non-white respondents and men between the ages of 18 and 29 reported the highest frequency of sports betting, with a quarter of sports bettors in these groups betting at least once a week. replied.
Polls show that gender disparities exist in most forms of gambling. Many more men said they played Keno, bought Mega Millions or Powerball tickets, bet at casinos, and bet on horse races. 69% of women and 66% of men said they had purchased a scratch-off ticket or lottery ticket.
Despite the flashing lights and ringing bells, casinos aren't necessarily a big winner for young Millennials and older Gen Zers. Only a quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds have placed a bet at a casino in the last year, but 30% have placed a bet on sports. Approximately equal proportions of respondents over the age of 30 answered both questions.
Massachusetts restricts casino and sports gambling to people over 21 years old, but neighboring states Rhode Island and New Hampshire have a minimum gambling age of 18, and survey respondents between the ages of 18 and 20 are at the border. This means that after a short jaunt, you could legally gamble.
The poll results suggest that fewer young people took advantage of sports betting options before it was legalized. Only 25% of young adults said they gambled on sports before it was legalized in Massachusetts. Older respondents said they had bet on sports before legalization, with almost half of those over 44 saying they had made such a bet.
Younger groups were the group that reported the most changes in their betting habits since sports betting was legalized. Some 47 per cent of 18-29 year olds who placed bets said they now bet more, compared to less than 40 per cent of other age groups.
“When you legalize unscrupulous behavior, it takes time to see things like that,” said Steve Kozera, chairman of the MassINC polling group. “When you think about legalizing marijuana, you ask yourself, 'Are we going to see more people using marijuana, or is it going to be safer to use, or is it going to be replaced by other illegal drugs?' All of these same questions really exist when it comes to sports betting. ”
A common criticism of gambling, from betting on ponies to wishing for Powerball, is that it relies disproportionately on lower-income and less-educated players. Sports betting disrupts that equation. Those with an annual income of $150,000 or more were the most likely to say they gambled on sports in the past year (35%). When ranked by educational attainment, those with a bachelor's degree were the most likely to bet (26%), while those with an advanced degree were the least likely (22%).
Most players across income tiers said they bet less than $20 on average, and multiple people in each income tier estimated their maximum bet was between $100 and $500.
“I think that's the difficult part,” Warner said. “I feel like $20 to a college student in downtown Boston who is cash-strapped and on a scholarship is different than $20 to someone who works full-time and has some discretionary income.”
The poll also looked at interest in expanding the lottery, the state's main gambling business. According to the latest research from the Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health Sciences, 2021 and 2022 survey respondents reported spending the largest percentage of their wagers (42%) on lottery tickets, followed by casinos at 21%.
“It is interesting that respondents reported significant spending on sports betting (16%), even though at the time of the survey, only daily fantasy sports (DFS) was legal in Massachusetts,” the authors noted. .
Commercial casinos and sports betting products are typically taxed at 20 percent or 25 percent of gross gambling revenue. The state has collected about $1.7 billion in taxes and assessments since casinos opened in 2015, and $118.6 million from sports betting since they opened in 2023, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. are doing.
After the Lottery's billions in prize money and operating costs are paid out, the remaining profits go back to local aid, an increase of more than $1 billion year over year. But the state treasurer, governor and House of Representatives said there is room to further increase that revenue.
The boom in sports betting apps is at the heart of the continued push to boost online lottery sales.
Lottery officials say it's also necessary to buy lottery tickets online because of the proliferation of online sports betting and workaround lottery services that allow you to order lottery tickets online and buy them at brick-and-mortar stores. The growing number of tech-savvy gamers want to enjoy gambling from the comfort of their smartphones.
“When you're the number one operator in a business environment, do you rest on your laurels and allow other newcomers to come in and interfere with your entire business? That's where we're at,” states the state. Treasury Secretary Deb Goldberg spoke at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce event last fall. “Sports betting, online daily fantasy sports are now online. Jackpocket distributes lottery tickets online. The Massachusetts Lottery is not available online. They are all for-profit and put money back into local communities. It’s not strategically logical at all given that there isn’t.”
But as elected officials and game officials alike have pointed out, young players are more likely to fall into long-term habits that can jeopardize their finances, health and social welfare. .
Campbell has been outspoken in calling for more attention to youth gambling. The attorney general “does not oppose online lotteries, but believes they need to be conducted safely and responsibly,” spokeswoman Molly McGlynn said Monday. She said McGlynn said the attorney general's office is currently seeking information on the types of games being proposed, how they would be marketed to consumers and how they would reduce their addictive elements.
McGlynn said the agency has been “first in line to demand responsible behavior from sports game operators,” adding, “We must at least demand that the state does the same.”
Half of the respondents commonwealth beacon/ A GBH News poll shows support for a proposal to allow the Lottery to sell products online to customers 18 and older.
Opinion polls show that opinions are highly divided on this question by age and gender, with 63 per cent of men aged 30-44 and 60 per cent of men aged 18-29 at least somewhat supporting the move. There was found. In contrast, women lag more than 10 percentage points behind men in both age groups. Respondents aged 60 and over were significantly more ambivalent, with 47 to 40 percent opposed online lotteries.
Warner said how Massachusetts responds to the online lottery will depend on the final pitch. Gov. Maura Healey's budget proposal once again includes an online lottery provision, and the House budget is expected to be released on Wednesday. Senators have long been reluctant about the idea, but appear to have become more open to it after the last budget cycle.
When it comes to contacting players where they are (on their mobile phones), it can increase the risk of gambling in general. Research results published in 2022 international gambling research determined that playing multiple games on a regular basis, as well as wagering high stakes more frequently, increases the likelihood of gambling-related harm.
Warner said based on data from other states, there doesn't appear to be a one-to-one relationship between sports betting enthusiasts and online lottery fans, although there is some demographic overlap in age and gender. said.
“If a place has more exposure and access to people who are interested in gambling recreationally, other places will want to participate,” Warner said. “So I don't know if there's a lot of overlap in terms of players, but I think there's interest in continuing to bring in revenue in multiple areas.”
