The safer advice is always to avoid online sports betting products to protect your health. But if you do participate, which should not involve shame or stigma, what counts as moderation?

It’s a complex question, but highly-regarded gambling harms researchers at the University of Sydney believe that they have come up with a tentative answer in Australia. Their study data came from an online sports betting operator, rather than surveys, which they said can be biased.

For online sports and race betting, researchers developed “lower-risk” guidelines that they call the 2-2-4-4 rule, which includes:

• Deposit no more than 2% of your pre-tax household monthly income
• Bet with no more than 2 different platforms
• Make 4 or fewer deposits per month
• Bet on 4 or fewer different types of sports/races

Researchers suggested even lower limits for people who gamble in other forms besides just sports/race betting, who are under 26 years old, and have financial or mental health issues (eg unhappiness, stress, loneliness). However, they didn’t specify by how much.

While these guidelines are specific to Australia, they are still worth considering even if you live somewhere else. No comparable research has been conducted for the U.S. online sports betting market.

Can You Be Safe in Sports Betting?

Online sports gambling can harm anyone, and it’s best to enjoy sports without using addictive-by-design products. Following these guidelines won’t help you win money or make you immune to problem gambling, but they may lower your risk.

“While the guidelines do not endorse any ‘safe’ level of gambling, they offer practical advice for people who choose to gamble on how to do so in a lower risk manner,” the paper stated. “In doing so, they may provide an effective alternative to either proposing abstinence or the ambiguous ‘gamble responsibly’ narrative that has historically dominated public health messaging campaigns despite evidence of its inefficacy as a harm reduction strategy.”

Online gambling platforms are not incentivized to help you follow guidelines such as the 2-2-4-4 rule. Direct marketing is one tactic to maximize your spending and time spent gambling. Do not assume that you can follow self-imposed guidelines successfully. If you gamble, always evaluate your play and share your experiences with others.

The paper stressed that regulatory action is needed. Still, users should have specific recommendations to reduce the risk of harm, researchers said.

“Whilst there is a need for broad regulatory measures that attempt to prevent online gambling harms at the population level, there is also a need to equip all those who gamble online with the knowledge of how to do so in a way that minimizes their risk of experiencing harm,” the paper noted.

Optimism for Change?

The study expressed optimism about how these guidelines could help regulators and operators.

“Identifying levels at which gambling is less likely to result in harms can also assist regulators and operators to identify those who may be gambling in a risky manner to guide proactive intervention,” the paper stated.

Australia has begun reforming its online sports gambling sector in baby steps, so advocates in the country have reason to be optimistic. Despite souring public opinion of the sector, this isn’t yet the case in the growing American market.

In the U.S. context, it’s more challenging to be optimistic about policy reform or how safer sports betting guidelines could work for operator self-policing and state regulation. Such is the case in New York, which is considering guidelines for problem betting intervention that will likely be ineffective.

In the U.S., surveys suggest that at least half of online sports bettors are experiencing some degree of harm. About 1 in 5 meet the criteria for addiction.