University of Maryland researchers warn of a sharp increase in disordered gambling since the legalization of mobile sports betting in the state.
Mobile sports betting became legal in Maryland in 2022, and since then, the rate of disordered gambling has increased by 42% from 4% of Marylanders to 5.7%. That’s according to a survey of more than 3,600 people led by The Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Disordered gambling is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior that leads to clinically significant impairment or distress.
Warning about gambling
Doctors warn that the brain responds to gambling much like any other addiction…