The explosion of online sports betting is taking a toll on how people invest

cnbc.com:

The explosion of online sports betting is taking a toll on personal finances, particularly among those who are financially distressed.

That's the conclusion of a recent paper, «Gambling Away Stability: Sports Betting's Impact on Vulnerable Households.» The authors found that sports betting has exploded since the Supreme Court overturned a federal law prohibiting it in 2018. Since then, 38 states have legalized it and it has become a growth industry, generating more than $120 billion in total bets and $11 billion in revenue in 2023 alone.

That has put considerable sums into state coffers, but it has come at a notable personal expense to gamblers and their families. Those who participate tend to invest less and have higher debt levels.

«Our results show that not only does sports betting lead to increased betting activity, but it also leads to higher credit card balances, less available credit, a reduction in net investments, and an increase in lottery play,» the authors concluded.

The authors noted these negative effects were particularly noticeable among «financially constrained households.» That term was not defined, but the implication is that this group typically has lower savings, lower cash levels to cover expenses, higher debt levels and lower net worth.

The authors used a quarterly panel of 230,171 households in states that have legalized gambling. About 7.7% of the households made online sports bets, with a household average of $1,100 a year.

Not surprisingly, people who gamble on sports have less money to invest, particularly in the stock market. The authors found a large decrease in net deposits to traditional brokerage accounts. «Two to three years after betting becomes legal, there is a noticeable drop in net