A Johns Hopkins University analysis has found that legalizing online sports betting was associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety treatment among working-age adults with employer-sponsored health insurance.
The study, published Oct. 14 in JAMA Psychiatry, examined national insurance claims from January 2016 through December 2023. It compared states before and after online betting legalization with states that had not legalized it, U.S. News reported.
Among adults ages 18 to 64, antidepressant and anti-anxiety prescriptions rose by roughly 5% after legalization. Outpatient diagnoses of depression and anxiety increased by about 5% to 7%.
The Independent reported that the analysis covered 22 states. Its more detailed results showed depression diagnoses were 6.73% more likely among men and 5.47% more likely among women after legalization, while anxiety diagnoses rose 7.2% for men and 6.5% for women. Antidepressant use rose 5.44% among men and 5% among women, and the likelihood of anti-anxiety medication use increased by about 5% for both groups.
The researchers found no significant rise in diagnosed substance-use disorder or in depression and anxiety diagnoses recorded during emergency-room visits. They cautioned that the results did not prove that online sports betting caused the increases, because the claims data did not show whether individual patients had placed bets.
The authors said the findings suggested that legalized online wagering may be adding pressure to the mental-health system. They called for research that measures individual betting exposure directly and includes people without employer-sponsored coverage.
Online sports betting was legal in 31 states and Washington, D.C., according to the HealthDay report carried by U.S. News. The expansion followed the Supreme Court’s May 2018 Murphy v. NCAA ruling, which cleared states to legalize sports betting.
The findings add a mental-health measure to research on online betting’s household-finance effects that this publication covered in August. Problem gambling can also affect family and social relationships, as well as performance at work or school, beyond its financial effects.
