Gambling Disorder Diagnoses Rose More Than 60% in States That Legalized Sports Betting, Health Records Study Finds

Diagnoses of gambling disorder have risen sharply in states that legalized sports betting, according to a new analysis of electronic health records that lands as online wagering and prediction markets continue to expand across the United States.

The study, conducted by Epic Research, examined records from more than 197 million U.S. adults between January 2018 and March 2026. In states that legalized sports betting, the rate of gambling-disorder diagnoses rose from 3.0 to 4.8 per 100,000 people, an increase of more than 60%, according to the study. In the 11 states that did not legalize sports betting, diagnoses fell by roughly 30% over the same period, a divergence the researchers said may partly reflect differences in health-care access, telehealth use, clinician awareness and coding practices.

Young men account for the steepest rise

Adults ages 30 to 49 had the highest overall rate of the disorder, but the largest increase occurred among people ages 18 to 29, who were disproportionately male, according to Epic Research. The findings follow a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for states to authorize online sportsbooks, after which sports betting spread rapidly nationwide.

The American Gaming Association, which represents sportsbooks and other gambling companies, said the higher diagnosis rates reflect greater awareness of gambling addiction rather than a growing underlying problem, according to coverage of the study. Clinicians note that many people with gambling problems never enter formal care at all, instead seeking help through peer groups such as Gamblers Anonymous or online forums, which would not appear in medical records.

Why the numbers matter now

Gambling disorder is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders alongside substance-use disorders. Its symptoms include a persistent preoccupation with gambling, betting ever-larger amounts, repeated failed attempts to stop, concealing the extent of gambling from family members, and relying on others for financial rescue, according to the DSM criteria summarized in coverage of the study.

For state lawmakers weighing further expansion of legal wagering, including newer prediction-market platforms, the health-records data offer one of the first large-scale, state-by-state looks at how diagnosis patterns have diverged since legalization, even as researchers caution that awareness and coding changes complicate any single explanation.

Reporting based on coverage by Inland News Today summarizing Epic Research, and U.S. health reporting on the study.