Legal sports betting is connected to sharp increases in theft and assaults on game days, according to a new study
Significant increases in violent and impulsive crime during and immediately following important sporting events are a concerning side effect of the quick expansion of legal sports betting in the US.
States that legalized sports betting after the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Murphy v. NCAA saw a dramatic rise in assaults, larceny, and auto theft on professional game days, according to a recent study that looked at crime statistics from 2017 to 2021. The increase was particularly noticeable when games had unexpected results, such last-minute defeats or underdog wins.
“The fact that the rise in crime isn’t just in states that allow sports gambling shocked us the most,” Hua Gong, an assistant professor of sport analytics at Rice University, said. “Because people travel to place bets and then return home, there is an increase in crime on game days even in neighboring states where betting is prohibited.”
Wenche Wang, an assistant professor of sport management at the University of Michigan, spearheaded the study and co-authored it with Gong. Currently, Wang works as an energy sector economist.
As is frequently seen in other types of betting, Wang added, “it is also important to keep in mind that aggression may not be exclusively the result of financial stress.” “We find recent evidence of increased crime associated with stressful games, including games that go into overtime and those with close or tied scores throughout.”
In states where gambling was permitted, the results showed that crime rose between 30 and 70 percent between the beginning of games and four hours after they stopped. The biggest increase was seen in assaults, which surged up to 93% after surprise home team results. Additionally, spillover effects in neighboring states where sports betting is still prohibited were detected by the study.
“Our findings show it can also lead to more crime, but sports gambling is exciting for fans and financially attractive for states,” Gong stated. “When individuals lose their wagers or experience extremely stressful gaming situations, their erratic emotions may manifest as hostile conduct.”
The Journal of Sports Economics published the paper, titled The Impact of Legalized Sports Betting on Aggression. Now that 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have legalized sports betting, the researchers advise legislators to balance tax income against possible social costs and think about more robust protections as the sector expands.
