TOLEDO, Ohio — The legalization of sports betting in Ohio could bring an uptick in gambling disorders some experts say.
"Gambling disorder can take time to develop," said Dr. Trent Hall, an addiction specialist from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. "So, people who are newly exposed to gambling through online sports betting, it may actually take a while for them to develop gambling disorder. But we do worry about an uptick."
Experts say less than 15% of people with gambling addictions get help. Gambling disorder shares the same risk factors as other addictions people face. Some signs of its onset are people talking about gambling more and thinking about gambling more. Another big sign is when people begin to be untruthful about it and start hiding their gambling behavior.
"Gambling disorder has a significant overlap with other addictions, like alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder," said Dr. Hall. "There are similar brain circuits involved. There are similar neurotransmitters involved. There are similar learning processes involved in developing gambling disorder. And we actually find that gambling disorder often co-occurs with other addictive disorders."
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling disorder, resources can be found here.
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