Estimated 10,000 RI Sports Bettors Will Have Gambling Problems Says Top Expert

Estimated 10,000 RI Sports Bettors Will Have Gambling Problems Says Top Expert

Governor Gina Raimondo signed legislation this week which was rushed through the Rhode Island General Assembly that allows for mobile sports betting — de facto, to be accessible in your pocket.

“The ink is barely dry [on sports betting] and there is a rush to mobile,” Keith S. Whyte of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).

According to Whyte, a survey conducted by his organization find that sports gamblers have twice the rate of problem gambling as those who bet on other forms of gambling.

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Whyte says the new immediate and mobile accessibility to gambling will increase abusive behavior, estimating that about 10,000 new problem gamblers will emerge in Rhode Island due to the expansion of sports betting to the cellphone.

"Take 15% of Rhode Island adults as your number of sports bettors. Of that number we expect 6% to show signs of gambling problems,”  said Whyte who appeared on GoLocal LIVE.

With Rhode Island’s population now at stagnant at 1,060,000, that means nearly 10,000 will be impacted by the gambling expansion.

No New Resources for Treatment

Whyte warns that the expansion to sports betting and the further expansion to mobile sports gaming is the greatest expansion in American history. He said that Rhode Island’s sports betting program provides no new resources to combat addictive gambling.

“That's why we call on Rhode Island not just to fund the research on this on this new type of gambling but to make sure that the data the industry collects is publicly reviewable and available,” said Whyte.

“Just as mobile technology you can increase the risk factors for a gambling addiction it can also increase the protective factors,”  Whyte added.

A survey conducted by NCPG found that 55 percent of Rhode Islanders believe that the state should "set aside some of the sports betting revenues to pay for public awareness campaigns designed to educate the public about the risks of gambling and the help that is available.” And just 24 percent oppose and 21 percent have no opinion.

Raimondo, Mattiello and Raimondo Fast Tracked the Legislation

Senate President Dominick Ruggerio continues to promote the new form of gambling and despite the new form of gambling repeatedly missing its revenue estimates and the downwardly revised numbers, Ruggerio said this week when the Raimondo signed the expansion to mobile betting, “The new in-person sportsbook that opened in November has been very popular, with lines sometimes stretching out the doors.”

“Expanding to mobile gaming would provide a convenient option for those wishing to enjoy this form of entertainment, and open up the economic benefits beyond the walls of Twin River. I can envision a group of friends from out-of-state spending an evening out in a local establishment where they can both watch the game and place a wager,” said Ruggerio.

Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello said “It’s an added benefit that we can capture revenue that would have otherwise gone to an illegal market. When you consider that up to 97 percent of sports wagering is done illegally, it makes good sense for the state to increase its revenue by providing an entertainment that can be done safely and legally.”

Raimondo's budget assumed the expansion into sports betting would generate $23.5 million in new revenue in the fiscal year. After a delay by the Raimondo administration in launching the program, the revenue numbers were downgraded to less than $12 million. The early numbers show Rhode Island will miss the new revenue numbers as well.