A new study found that state-sanctioned online sports betting caused a 10% increase in binge drinking frequency among some men aged 35 and younger.

Researchers found an “intensive margin effect,” meaning that binge drinking increased among already heavy drinkers in the male age group.

“For me, the findings were broadly consistent with what we suspected going into the study,” study author Dr. Keshar Ghimire, associate professor of economics at the University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash, exclusively told GamblingHarm.org. 

“There has long been evidence that gambling and alcohol use often occur together, especially in social settings like casinos or sports bars. What surprised us somewhat was how clearly the data show that the expansion of online sports betting — accessible anytime on a smartphone — appears to amplify that relationship. The convenience and immediacy of mobile betting may make it easier for these behaviors to reinforce each other.”

Data Source

Along with Dr. Ghimire, Kabir Dasgupta from the Federal Reserve Board’s Consumer & Community Affairs Division authored the study on sports betting and drinking.

The research utilized 2016-2023 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to compare substance use across U.S. states that have legalized sports betting to those that have not.

Researchers controlled for socioeconomic factors, marijuana laws, alcohol taxes, and state regulations.

The analysis captured only the initial years following sports betting legalization, so longer-term effects remain uncertain. 

Self-reported behaviors comprised the study data, potentially underestimating true drinking levels.

Zooming Out on Sports Betting & Drinking Study

As of March 2026, 31 states plus Washington, D.C., sanction online sports betting. With government approval, online sportsbooks are permitted to aggressively advertise across various media.

The increase in binge drinking among young men adds context to a recent Pew Research Center survey. The 2025 poll that found 47% of men under 30 view legal sports betting as “bad for society.” That was up from 22% in 2022.

A 2024 study found that sports betting legalization in the U.S. is strongly associated with population-level financial harm. Extensive research links heavy drinking and financial stress.

Research has shown that very few sports bettors win money, and the activity has high rates of problem gambling.

One study linked sports betting legalization to increased domestic violence. Another found that more violent crime on game days is associated with legal betting.

The binge-drinking study used data collected before the rise of federally regulated sports betting via prediction markets. This activity surged in 2025.

The study did not examine binge drinking and betting related to specific sports, such as the NFL. Other research has associated football fandom with higher levels of alcohol consumption.

What Can Be Done?

Heavy drinking is one of numerous concerns associated with the current regulatory and policy status quo for online sports betting.

The following policy views are GamblingHarm.org’s, not those belonging to the study authors.

• States should enact betting advertising restrictions that specifically limit the timing, content, and placement of sports betting promotions, such as proposed measures in Colorado.
• States that currently allow only retail sports betting (such as in brick-and-mortar casinos) should avoid expanding to online betting (e.g., Nebraska and Wisconsin).
• States without any legal betting, such as California and Georgia, should consider retail-only bills if they decide to regulate the addictive product.
• States with a legal betting age of 18 should raise it to 21, as a Kentucky bill proposes.
• Congress should establish a national online sports betting self-exclusion list, as proposed in the federal SAFE Bet Act.
• Congress should establish federal funding to address gambling addiction, as proposed in the POINTS Act.
• Some states should consider repealing their online sports betting laws, such as those proposed in Maryland and Vermont. 
• States and the federal government should enforce existing criminal statutes against sweepstakes and offshore operators that also offer sports betting and may capitalize on legal online sports betting.
• Congress should amend the Commodity Exchange Act to prohibit sports betting in prediction markets.

Image by Markus Distelrath from Pixabay