All articles tagged with #problem gambling
Colorado has expanded its gambling laws, leading to increased revenue but also a rise in problem gambling, with concerns about addiction and calls to support services growing. The state benefits financially from gambling taxes, yet faces public health challenges as more residents develop gambling issues, especially among young males, prompting calls for better regulation and support systems.
Ippei Mizuhara, an interpreter for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, is charged with felony bank fraud and court-ordered to attend a gambling addiction treatment program after allegedly stealing over $16 million to pay off his sports betting debts. Experts note that Mizuhara's behavior reflects common patterns of problem gambling, which has become more prevalent with the rise of online sports betting. Problem gambling experts emphasize the need for increased federal support and regulation to address the growing issue of gambling addiction, while a recovering gambling addict shares his own experience and recovery journey.
Seven major U.S. sports betting companies have formed the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) to promote responsible gaming and share information about problem gamblers. The group, which includes FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, aims to address issues such as education, advertising, and consumer protection. This initiative comes amid concerns about the potential for gambling addiction and integrity issues in sports, as the industry experiences rapid growth. Regulatory crackdowns in Europe and the UK have prompted a self-policing effort in the U.S., while some lawmakers are pushing for national legislation to regulate gambling advertising and protect consumers.
A study published in PLOS Biology reports distinct patterns of reward-seeking behavior between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and problem gambling. OCD is associated with lower-than-normal learning rates when rewards are less than expected, while people with problem gambling exhibit boosted and blunted learning from rewards higher and lower than expected, respectively. The study highlights the benefits of using a neurocomputational approach to studying psychiatric disorders, which can help discern subtle differences between conditions and point toward different treatment approaches.