People who gamble on sports are disproportionately more likely to engage in binge drinking, a research letter in JAMA Network Open reports.
Joshua B. Grubbs, Ph.D., of the University of New Mexico and colleagues analyzed data from 4,363 adults about their gambling and drinking habits. The researchers assessed sports betting status by asking participants whether they had placed bets on sporting events or esports or participated in daily fantasy sports over the past 12 months. Sports gamblers were then separated into four groups according to how many times they bet on sports in the past year: those who bet once or twice, those who bet monthly, those who bet weekly, and those who bet daily or almost daily. The researchers then used the National Institute on Drug Abuse Quick Screen, version 1.0, to ask participants how often they consumed an excess of alcohol at a single time over the past year.
Among participants, 1,326 were nongamblers, 1,225 were non-sports gamblers, and 1,812 were sports gamblers. Overall, 74.9% reported past year alcohol use. The sample was almost evenly divided between men and women.
Women who bet on sports once or twice over the past year had 2.4 times the odds of reporting binge drinking compared with women who did not gamble at all. Those who bet on sports monthly, weekly, or daily/almost daily had 3.8, 5.9, and 14.4 times the odds of reporting binge drinking, 4respectively.
Men who bet on sports once or twice over the past year had 1.9 times the odds of reporting binge drinking compared with women who did not gamble at all. Those who bet on sports monthly, weekly, or daily/almost daily had 2.9, 4.7, and 8.9 times the odds of reporting binge drinking, respectively.
After adjusting for age, race, and ethnicity, the researchers found that risky drinking episodes were not associated with demographic differences.
“Given the rapid spread of sports wagering in the U.S. over recent years, this finding highlights an immense need for ongoing research, particularly to examine how novel gambling technologies influence the prevalence, presentation, and prevention of alcohol use disorders and related harms,” Grubbs and colleagues wrote.
For related information, see the Psychiatric News special report “Gambling Disorder Not Uncommon but Often Goes Undiagnosed.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Sinenkiy)
Don't miss out! To learn about newly posted articles in Psychiatric News, please sign up here.