A new study titled “Impact of Sports Gambling on Mental Health,” authored by Cody Couture and Jeffrey Cross, Assistant Professors of Economics, along with Stephen Wu, the Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, is featured in the October issue of Economic Letters from Elsevier.
The paper explores how gambling affects mental health, using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a national survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers found that the legalization of gambling, especially sports betting, has varied effects on mental health across different states. The study revealed that young men aged 18 to 24 experience improved mental health as a result of having more gambling options for entertainment.
Conversely, the study indicated that married men aged 30 to 34 experience a notable decline in mental health. This decline may be linked to the increased financial stress of supporting a family. The study also found no significant impact on the mental health of women.
