Diagnoses of gambling disorder rose more than 60% since 2018 in states that have legalized sports betting, with the biggest increase among young men, according to a new study of electronic health records across the U.S.

Gambling Disorder on the Rise

Gambling disorder is a recognized mental health condition in which patients often cannot stop gambling, despite the growing distress and harm they experience. The rate of gambling disorder in states with legalized sports betting rose from 3.0 per 100,000 to 4.8 per 100,000, according to Epic Research, a private firm known in the medical field for its research on public health trends.

The study found that adults ages 30 to 49 had the highest overall rate of gambling disorder, but the biggest increase was among those ages 18 to 29, who were also disproportionately male. Experts say the findings offer more evidence of potential fallout from the decision to legalize sports betting.

Some providers who specialize in treating gambling addiction have observed an influx of patients seeking help. "We've seen definitely an increase in related referrals and diagnoses," said Steven Heim, outpatient supervisor at New Hope Integrated Behavioral Health Care, a treatment center in New Jersey, which legalized sports betting in 2018.

Symptoms of gambling disorder include an ongoing preoccupation with gambling, a need to gamble increasingly large amounts of money, repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling, lying to family members and others about the extent of gambling and relying on others for a financial bailout linked to gambling, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.